Micah Smaldone
Encyclopedia
Micah Smaldone is a guitarist
, vocalist, and songwriter
originally from Kennebunkport, Maine
. A founding member of the political punk band The Pinkerton Thugs, Smaldone is now mostly known for his solo releases as Micah Blue Smaldone which incorporate a wide variety of influences from country blues
to neo-traditional folk music
.
Influenced by The Clash
, Conflict
, and Sham 69
among others, The Pinkerton Thugs played an integral part in the revival of street-punk in the 1990s in Boston. Smaldone shared song-writing duties with Paul Russo and a number of tracks on the two Pinkerton Thugs
albums were written or performed solely by Smaldone including "In the Town Where I Was Born," "The Deal" and "Youth." Smaldone's songs were noted for their anarchist
and pro-labor themes.
-based punk, hardcore and rockabilly acts including The Racketeers, The Shods, and Out Cold.
and other piedmont blues
and ragtime
guitar masters and an emotive warbling croon not previously heard in any of his recordings, Some Sweet Day was released to modest critical acclaim and earned Smaldone a wide following in the indie music and folk
communities. About his evolution in musical sensibilities Smaldone has said "It's a different dynamic, a different interaction with the crowd, but it's not any more or less sincere...Now, this [style] gives me a sense of growth; I can see progress in my life. This has created almost a dialogue with the world and I'm finding a way to articulate my place in it, my loved ones' place in it, my place with my loved ones."
In 2005, Smaldone made a guest appearance on Death Vessel
's debut album Stay Close and toured widely over the next two years in America, the United Kingdom and Europe promoting his second solo release Hither & Thither. Hither & Thither garnered considerable praise and earned him a feature in the music magazine Magnet
(who declared "Micah Smaldone should, by the sound of it, be dead.") This raised his profile even higher, though he has expressed annoyance at the tone of the article.
In early 2007, a live EP was released on North East Indie documenting a performance of Smaldone's in Belgium in 2006. Smaldone also continues to play with the band Fire on Fire from Portland, Maine
.
Smaldone's third LP The Red River was released on November 4, 2008 by Immune Recordings.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, vocalist, and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
originally from Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,720 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford metropolitan statistical area....
. A founding member of the political punk band The Pinkerton Thugs, Smaldone is now mostly known for his solo releases as Micah Blue Smaldone which incorporate a wide variety of influences from country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
to neo-traditional folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
.
The Pinkerton Thugs
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, Conflict
Conflict (band)
Conflict is an English anarcho-punk band originally based around Eltham in South London. Formed in 1981, the band's original line up consisted of: Colin Jerwood , Francisco 'Paco' Carreno , Big John , Steve , Pauline , Paul aka 'Nihilistic Nobody' . Their first release was the EP "The House That...
, and Sham 69
Sham 69
Sham 69 is an English punk band that formed in Hersham in 1976.Although not as commercially successful as many of their contemporaries, albeit with a greater number of chart entries, Sham 69 has been a huge musical and lyrical influence on the Oi! and streetpunk genres. The band allegedly derived...
among others, The Pinkerton Thugs played an integral part in the revival of street-punk in the 1990s in Boston. Smaldone shared song-writing duties with Paul Russo and a number of tracks on the two Pinkerton Thugs
Pinkerton Thugs
The Pinkerton Thugs are a punk band from Kennebunk, Maine. While the band officially became the Pinkerton Thugs in March 1996 , the band has been together since July 1994 under a number of different names...
albums were written or performed solely by Smaldone including "In the Town Where I Was Born," "The Deal" and "Youth." Smaldone's songs were noted for their anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and pro-labor themes.
Later punk years
After leaving The Pinkerton Thugs, Smaldone formed a hardcore group. The band, which he was the lead vocalist, was called Cops and Robbers. He later played and recorded with several other New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
-based punk, hardcore and rockabilly acts including The Racketeers, The Shods, and Out Cold.
Micah Blue Smaldone
After a brief hiatus, Smaldone re-emerged with a new album of songs entitled Some Sweet Day in 2004. This solo effort marked a significant evolution away from the traditionally louder punk music Smaldone had been previously associated with. Employing a deft finger-picking style in the manner of Mississippi John HurtMississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
and other piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
and ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
guitar masters and an emotive warbling croon not previously heard in any of his recordings, Some Sweet Day was released to modest critical acclaim and earned Smaldone a wide following in the indie music and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
communities. About his evolution in musical sensibilities Smaldone has said "It's a different dynamic, a different interaction with the crowd, but it's not any more or less sincere...Now, this [style] gives me a sense of growth; I can see progress in my life. This has created almost a dialogue with the world and I'm finding a way to articulate my place in it, my loved ones' place in it, my place with my loved ones."
In 2005, Smaldone made a guest appearance on Death Vessel
Death Vessel
Death Vessel is a neo-traditional folk band from Rhode Island, signed to Sub Pop and ATP Recordings, and headed by Joel Thibodeau. Their first album, Stay Close was released on North East Indie in 2005 to critical acclaim.-Biography:...
's debut album Stay Close and toured widely over the next two years in America, the United Kingdom and Europe promoting his second solo release Hither & Thither. Hither & Thither garnered considerable praise and earned him a feature in the music magazine Magnet
Magnet (magazine)
Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...
(who declared "Micah Smaldone should, by the sound of it, be dead.") This raised his profile even higher, though he has expressed annoyance at the tone of the article.
In early 2007, a live EP was released on North East Indie documenting a performance of Smaldone's in Belgium in 2006. Smaldone also continues to play with the band Fire on Fire from Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
Smaldone's third LP The Red River was released on November 4, 2008 by Immune Recordings.
The Pinkerton Thugs
- Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Shit 7" (1996) (Police/Nefer Records)
- The Pain and the Pinkerton Thugs CD (1997) (V.M.L. Records)
- Another Day, Another Story split 7" with the Ducky BoysThe Ducky BoysThe Ducky Boys are a street punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. Since forming in 1995 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, the band has spanned over ten years with two tenures that have led to four full-length albums and over 50 songs. The band derives its name from the name of an Irish...
(1998) (Police Records) - The Times 7" (1999) (A-F/Go-Kart Records)
- End Of an Era CD (2000) (Go-Kart Records)
Cops and Robbers
- Face to Face With Hate 7"/CD (2000) (ADD Records) (vocals)
- Execution Style 7"/CD (2001) (Bridge 9 Records) (vocals)
The Racketeers
- Another Round with the Racketeers CD (2001) (Scollay Square Music) (vocals, guitar)
Death Vessel
- Stay Close CD/LP (2005) (North East Indie/Immune Recordings) (guitar, vocals)
Micah Blue Smaldone
- Some Sweet Day CD (2004) (North East Indie)
- Hither & Thither CD/LP (2005) (North East Indie/Tequila Sunrise)
- Live In Belgium CD (2007) (North East Indie)
- The Red River CD/LP (2008) (Immune Recordings)