My first memory of Keith Smith was the role in a high school play at Sullivan Central in Blountville, TN. The drama class was pretty serious at that time and Keith (playing Pickerington) and my brother, Keith Cate (Henry Higgins) were the perfect comedy pair for My Fair Lady.
Keith Smith was phenomenal on stage and his character and performances made him a favorite of all the cast.
Since then, his creativite energy continues to change the world and I’m convinced that Keith will leave generations to come with some of the greatest recorded music of the modern era from his dairy barn studio – EKS Sound in Johnson City, TN.
Josh Green was recording a new song this past Friday and he invited me to lay down keyboard parts in this recording studio nestled in the hillside of Johnson City near ETSU. I stopped and picked up a few Stellas and made my way back to the studio for my second time. It’s a converted dairy barn that serves as both a residence and a covert operaton for Keith’s work with 24-tracks of digital goodness that has left of constellation of memorable recordings from The Shazam, The everybodyfields, Brian and The Nightmares, Brandon Story, Josh Green and many others.
It wasn’t long ago that Keith and his partners were actually nominated for a grammy award for audio on a documentary that featured the ETSU Bluegrass Band. Keith went to Japan to record this documentary and caught a lot of other people’s attention too and this is only the beginning.
It’s not that he’s trying to record and produce everyone either. Keith seems to orbit around projects he has an interest in and he puts in long hours that are fueled by both his enthusiam with no real regard for an hourly rate. Quite simply – he loves what he’s doing.
Greenwood Studios is a sight to experience. In every corner there is some type of recording equipment from old Hammond organs, guitars, a drum kit, a Roland piano and many other trinkets. There are also several recording consoles for both video and audio and Keith’s console is right in the center of the room.
There are little tables here and there with empty bottles of Wild Turkey and Crown and my favorite decoration are the Christmas lights that lead to the door that stay up year round.
It was a gorgeous night too. The bright March moon was saying goodbye to the winter constellations and a jet stream seemed to make a postcard of the dairy barn against the deep night. There were a few friends that dropped by and we listened to new music from Brandon Story (can’t wait to hear more of this – purity) and a new track from The Shazam featuring Hans Rottenberry and a new song that was great fun as they delivered their glow rock charm with a new song called – ‘Fucked Up Enough.’
Keith’s recording session is a roundtable of creativity and friendship and it’s always a pleasure to work with him. I see him often running sound for outdoor events and last year, he had the best sound stage at Bristol Rhythm and Roots as he was producing Donna and the Buffalo.
The formal company is EKS Sound, LLC. I now have his stickers on my road cases and love hanging out with Keith. He’s one of my few friends that deserve a ‘man-hug’ and that’s because you can’t hardly get by with a handshake. He’s the type of soul that always brings a delight to any professional or social occasion. He’s still good friends with my brother too and a blessed man too. His wife Pam is very supportive of his craft and he has two sons that are both into his work and the music he produces.
It’s not my desire to deliver a bunch of hyperbole about Keith and his studio. I don’t want that. The reason being that Keith Smith is a genuine artist and a remarkable soul that always makes me smile with his work.
My favorite recent image is Keith dancing in his own world with his headphones on as he was listening to some work that he is producing for Josh. His joy is infectious and I can only hope that everyone has a friend like Keith.
When the dust settles on Keith’s collective work, it will be one of the most treasured discographies and videography of any producer in the region and my only hope is that everyone gets to know this guy a little better and look for his touch on any artist coming out of the Tri-Cities.