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Underground

by Parker Smith

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  • Full Digital Discography

    5
    releases

    Get all 5 Parker Smith releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Live Bandwith Vol. 1, Bear Read, Underground, Solo Flight, and Garden Hills. , and , .

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1.
High Road 04:33
lyrics
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Verse Try to walk cross the street, but I’m injured Don’t encourage me I might offend you Said some things that I really didn’t mean Made some promises I just can’t keep Chorus How many times do I have to fall When I am caught by nothing at all How many times do I have to bend down Before I could touch some solid ground Verse They say there’s less traffic on the high road But it’s getting pretty heavy carrying my load Chorus Bridge Roll with the wind Have a thick skin Letting go of expectations within Verse Been pounding my fist on the pavement Feet are tired and my knees have been scraped good Chorus
2.
Fray 04:49
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Verse Out of my sight, out of your range Don’t travel far, it’ll be the same Wherever you go, I’ll rearrange Out of your sight, out of my range Chorus Sorry I’m late, but I don’t have a good excuse I made you wait, thinking I’d show up for you Sorry I’m late, but I don’t have a good excuse At any rate, one of these days I’ll make it all up to you Verse Can’t sleep at night, wake up estranged Grab a book, put my finger on the page Find the flashlight, read to the break of day Can’t sleep at night, feeling so estranged Chorus Bridge Nothing to give, nothing to lose Nothing to keep me, from keeping you Climbing up hill, with something to prove What remains is the battle, that you choose Chorus
3.
Holy Water 05:33
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Verse I see the treasure under the mountain And I have to climb down to get on top I take no pleasure from the fountain No holy water will smooth this rock No holy water will smooth this rock Verse Try to unravel, this heavy tome That I carry around in a box The further I travel, the further I roam No holy water will smooth this rock No holy water will smooth this rock Verse Can you hear my prayers? From up high Listen to my thoughts Peel back the layers Cut through the fog No holy water will smooth this rock No holy water will smooth this rock
4.
Company Man 04:15
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Verse She’s looking at you from the other side of the room Telling herself no-one has a clue But I can see through your sideways glance You want to give her the very last dance You’ve been working real late, coming home tired Spending all night on the telephone wire I see her number on our phone bill But I don’t think I can swallow that pill Chorus I’ll love you till the day I die Can’t help myself and I don’t why Just when things are going right I take a left and say goodbye Hardest thing is not walking away It’s being alone at the end of the day Verse Business trip to the Windy City With the girl from the office who thinks she’s pretty Had a bad feeling something wasn’t right You were a little to eager to catch that flight Running out of money, running out of time Goin out to dinner on the company dime Don’t hold back, tip em real fine Have another bottle of the company wine Chorus Verse They checked in to different rooms But he never unpacked in room 402 Dropped his suitcase in 403 Son of a bitch underestimated me She picked up after one ring I said can I speak to husband please Hold one minute he’s in the shower I hung up and my stomach went sour
5.
Arrowroot 03:09
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Verse Walking round the house from room to room For something I can sink my hands in to My hands are free and thoughts are close behind Trapped in the kudzu of my mind Clothes on the floor and dishes in the sink Waiting for a phone that doesn’t ring Another day that my emotions climb My dependable perennial vine Chorus Arrowroot, Quarter Moon Sun Shower, Monsoon Moonbeams, Kudzu Climbing softly back to you Verse Haven’t looked in the mirror all day 5:00 shadow fades away Footsteps fall heavy on the floor She’s dancing her way out the door Chorus Verse Stuck inside a dusty picture frame Bearing my grandfather’s name Not a blemish or a wrinkle on his face Mired in time and space
6.
Mirkwood 04:33
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Verse Run through the forest Til you find the stream The other side is never As far as it seems Count your blessings Find your bliss Your mind may wander Through the great abyss Chorus Is it strange, does it seem
 Unfamiliar, just a dream
 Out of place, Never leaving your side It’s not real, it’s a lie Verse Crocodile At your heels It’s the dark of night Better keep your eyes peeled If you should fall From the banks It will leave you weary And your thoughts blank Chorus
7.
Limestone 04:26
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Verse Snowflake, crack in the window There’s a new face, floating like a ghost My stomach turns, when I hear the news Another lost soul, headed out for good I see a young boy, putting pebbles on your grave Kneels down, trying to explain Why it always, catches up with me All the heartbreak Chorus I said the stones, will stay in my pocket But I won’t let them weigh me down I put a memory, of you into my step Walk a little softer without making a single sound Verse A faint wind falling on deaf ears, as I roll back Into the former year, you were, alright Things were going fine Now the same light that was there now is gone Limestone, bouncing back and forth Gotta secrets, stories from up north Gonna chill me down right to the bone Through the peaks and valleys Chorus I said the stones, will stay in my pocket But I won’t let them weigh me down I put a memory of you into my step Walk a little softer without making a single sound Outro The stones, will stay in my pocket But I won’t let them weigh me down I put a memory, of you into my step Walk a little softer without making a single sound Reach out from the gate of dawn, Won’t you reach out, tomorrow I’ll be gone
8.
Underground 07:07
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Verse Don’t drop the bag right on the floor Or they might find what’s behind the door Of the stall that you’ve been creeping in Blowin hard and breathing thin Chorus Don’t risk it all Been working too hard to see it fall Crumbling down Into the dirt and underground Verse Sometimes you got to stay in on a Friday night Out of trouble and out of sight Layin low until the whisper’s gone You’ll be back on top before too long Chorus

about

Parker Smith - Underground (out April 9)

Like the local dive bar’s perennial drunkard, Parker Smith’s music has that rare ability to thrive while at its scrappiest. All aching pedal steel and cigarette-soaked pleas, Smith seems to put his own spiritual turmoil in a chokehold, elevating it until he squeezes out the elegant songs that make for his forthcoming sophomore LP, Underground. Unlike most of his peers in the Americana community, Smith manages to defy being pigeonholed by inflecting his music with touches of blue-eyed soul (“Fray”), Asbury Park-indebted blues-rock (“Holy Water”), and even Gordon Lightfoot (“Arrowroot”).

Though Underground might technically fall under the umbrella of a “quarantine album,” these songs differentiate themselves from Smith’s oeuvre in their raw, confessional nature and their hummability: these are songs not easily shaken from memory. And aptly so, as the album itself deals with the pain, guilt, and heartbreak inherent in engaging with some of your deepest memories. This theme is most concisely captured on “Arrowroot” - another name for the invasive plant kudzu - where he slyly recounts the disruptive nature of memory itself and, as Smith himself tells it, “trying to clear your head when all of that [memory] is weighing you down.”

However, most poignantly adhering to this motif is the tragic balladry of “Company Man,” which recounts his own father’s licentious perfidy and subsequent exposure at the hands of Smith’s mother. Rather than revel in self-pity though, Smith adopts his mother’s point-of-view and transforms a story of a marriage’s defeat into a triumph of his mother’s spirit: “They checked in to different rooms/But he never unpacked in room 402/Dropped his suitcase in 403/Son of a bitch underestimated me.”

Elsewhere, on the aforementioned “Holy Water,” echoes of Smith’s struggles with faith haunt the songwriter - “Try to unravel/This heavy tome/That I carry around in a box” - before he intones that even his spiritual misgivings can’t hold him down - “No holy water will smooth this rock.” All the while, the glam-turned-Americana riff accentuates Smith’s swagger and confidence before ceding the floor to a searing sax solo courtesy of Zac Evans.

Of course, this album wouldn’t have been possible were it not for the crack-team of artists and players he assembled. Colin Agnew and Noah Kess both lent their production and mixing talents, while Colin also played drums and percussion and John Kingsley (pedal steel), Mimi Naja (mandolin), Chris Case (keys), and Kelly McFarling (backing vocals) round out the supporting cast.

Parker Smith (FKA Parker Smith and the Bandwith) grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and though he hails from a non-musical family, his abilities and passion for playing seeped through at a young age. After nurturing his interest in middle school, high school saw Smith involved in numerous garage bands. Following his passion through college at the University of Miami, where he played in a Songwriting Ensemble - one founded by the Bruce Hornsby. It was here, in this ensemble that, after inspirational work with musicians from all over the globe, he began considering a career in music. Smith eventually became a music teacher at all levels of schooling before earning a graduate degree in music education from the University of Texas. Finally, moving back to Atlanta in 2015, Smith quickly found himself absorbed in the music scene, channeling his disparate influences - The Allman Brothers, Miles Davis, Randy Newman to name a few - and passion for music education into opening Guitar Shed, a music school for young aspiring musicians. As if juggling his own business wasn’t enough to satiate the artist’s appetite, all the while, Smith has kept a steady foot in the Atlanta music scene by playing out as often as possible.

Ultimately, Underground is the sound of living and of life, of the ways we grapple with our pasts, and of the ways we forge through the murkiest depths of the current. All told, Underground stands as a breathtaking work of Americana and the American spirit in 2020, perennially sinking, but always moving forward.

credits

released April 9, 2021

Parker Smith - guitars, bass, lead vocals
Colin Agnew - drums, percussion, background vocals (except on Arrowroot)
Christopher Case - keys (except High Road and Arrowroot)
Zac Evans - sax on Fray, Holy Water, and Underground
John Kingsley - pedal steel on High Road
Mimi Naja - mandolin on Arrowroot
Kelly McFarling - background vocals on Arrowroot

Co-Produced by Colin Agnew and Noah Kess
Mixed by Noah Kess
Mastered by Greg Obis at Chicago Mastering Service
Photography by Alex Glustrom
Graphic Design by Roger Baldowski

Recorded during Quarantine
All songs written by Parker Smith
Copyright 2021

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Parker Smith Atlanta, Georgia

Parker Smith - Underground

"Ultimately, Underground is the sound of living and of life, of the ways we grapple with our pasts, and of the ways we forge through the murkiest depths of the current. All told, Underground stands as a breathtaking work of Americana and the American spirit in 2020, perennially sinking, but always moving forward." ... more

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