Sycamore Smith
Encyclopedia
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Marc Smith, a musician from Marquette, Michigan
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
. Smith, formerly of The Muldoons, has toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his comic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
brand of 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....
, complete with derby hat, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and gold-plated resonator kazoo
Kazoo
The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
.
Though still little known outside of the Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
area, since his stint as lead singer of The Muldoons, Smith has built a reputation as an accomplished lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
. http://www.gapersblock.com/detour/the_third_coast_excerpt_2/ http://www.porkiesfestival.org/2006/artists.html
Smith writes folk songs in an old-fashioned, vaudevillian rural style; songs about heroes and swindlers where characters including Wolfskin Rosie, Legless Paul, and Bobo have adventures that are at times triumphant and other times melancholic. Selections such as Hokum All Ye Faithful, a satire of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
beliefs, give the impression Sycamore is atheist, though he is probably best described as an agnostic. Sycamore uses his first name when referring to himself in his songs (as in The Razor Ball).
Though he recently lived in an actual shanty near the mouth of the Chocolay River (see Shantytown) his present address is unknown. Smith has also been known to spend time in his native Nougato City.
Discography
- Sickdom (2008)
- Baboon (2007)
- Sycamore Smith & The Pendulum (2006)
- M...Some Racy Hits! (2005)
With The Muldoons:
- New Low (1993)
- DiM (1994)
- The Wreck of the Muldoons (2001)
- You Are Lost & Gone Forever, Dreadful Sorry, the Muldoons (2004)