Q&A: Eli Smart Finds His Groove in Chicago
CHICAGO AT 1 A.M. ADMITTEDLY CREATES A CHAOTIC INTERVIEW ATMOSPHERE — but the world of Lollapalooza provides unique show opportunities at all hours of the night. At the time, self-proclaimed aloha soul artist Eli Smart was finishing up his supporting run on tour with Declan McKenna, celebrating at a Lollapalooza aftershow on day one of the festival.
Smart’s latest release, “Fiesta 99.9FM,” had piqued the interest of the small but mighty crowd at the Bottom Lounge, a venue much more intimate than the rest of the McKenna tour had previously hit. The 700-person room was electric throughout Smart’s opening set, careening toward the insanely high levels for such a late show, especially as Declan arrived during the final song of Smart’s set to jam out for a fantastic close of the artist’s tour run.
Following Smart’s performance, Luna caught up with him outside the venue to chat about touring with McKenna, the importance of family to his music, and the love found within “Fiesta 99.9FM.”
LUNA: What was your favorite part of the set?
SMART: There are a bunch of beautiful moments. Having Declan on for our last tune was something that came about over dinner … a couple hours before, and the spontaneity of that was so special. It was our last show together on this tour, so it’s been such a party, and it's such a poignant ending. Having him up with the whole fam was so special.
LUNA: I had been wondering if that was a regular occurrence when it happened.
SMART: We'd never done it before. We were talking about mixing [it] up somehow. We wanted it to be special for us and for the fans, one show only.
LUNA: Speaking of touring with Declan, what has this tour run been like for you?
SMART: It’s been a pure blast — just a bunch of new places and new adventures for us. To be honest we've never done anything of this scale, so it's been just a very new experience for me and my beautiful band and my crew. We’re very tight-knit and we’ve all grown up with each other. My grandma's obviously on tour with us and my godsister Maya is tour managing for us and doing all the driving. It’s just been a hilarious adventure to do with them and Declan and his wonderful crew. Truly the kindest and most respectful, supportive group of people. We couldn't wish for a better first experience like this.
LUNA: You mentioned that your grandma is in your band and your godsister is your tour manager, so I’m curious: what does family mean to your music?
SMART: I think the two things go hand in hand. In my personal experience, music is my whole family and the reason I do [it]. My family has kind of found their own passion for music, and to grow up witnessing how they all choose to put energy into it has definitely helped me shape my own passion for it.
I think growing up in Hawai’i also impacts my music. It's been a really beautiful thing for me. I felt lucky to witness how music and community is very present in Hawaiian and Asian culture. I feel very lucky to have gone around that. That's just the most fun and fun way to do it — it feels natural.
LUNA: That makes complete sense. I love the community and family aspect of it all, and your fans also clearly do with how loud they cheered during your band introductions.
SMART: I have to cover my ears because it gets so loud. I mentioned that to my grandma, and it's so funny because we didn't plan on doing the tour this way. It was truly just out of necessity, and [it was] last-minute. A good friend of mine was supposed to come out but suddenly couldn't make it so we needed a bass player at the last minute. We were struggling to find someone that could learn the parts in time, and then I was talking to my mom and she was like “What about Tutu?” She learned the parts so quickly and with no rehearsals. The first time all of us played together was the first Declan show. It was just like… here we go!
LUNA: I also want to give you a major congrats on your recent release, “Fiesta 99.9FM” — I adored hearing it live tonight. Can you tell me a bit more about the song?
SMART: Thank you so much. It’s been a blast being able to play it live for the first time on these shows. “Fiesta” is ultimately a love song. I started it a while ago with my really good friend James Kerr, who I live with and play music with in London. He's from Liverpool and a very talented musician. We started something that didn't have any words, so I took that away for a while, let it breathe, and then finished it when I was back home. I was just really missing my person, which really tapped me into that feeling.
LUNA: Looking at your career so far, is there any advice that you wish that you’d been given early on or something you wish you knew?
SMART: There’s actually advice that I was given that I'm very glad I heard. There's a musician named David Lindley who just passed away recently, but he was a wicked guitar player and songwriter that I look up to. I met him at a show back home and he told me to never let anybody tell you how you should sound. Now that seems like a very obvious thing, but it was very cool to be reminded of it, the importance of feeling assured enough to do your own thing.
The advice that I wish I was given, though? I wish I had taken more of the constant reminders to let yourself be a piece of the process and enjoy the journey. I've been very grateful to have mentors in my life and learn from my peers, and I'm very much on the journey and still learning, but forcing myself to keep those reminders and enjoy the journey because that is all that there is. You're never gonna get anywhere — there is no true destination. You're just on the journey! You can miss out on so much grooviness along the way from trying to project forward.
LUNA: Are there any releases on the way that people can get excited about or places to see you next?
SMART: There will be another single in the next couple of months, and then I'm working on my debut record, which will come out in the summertime of next year. Other stuff I gotta plug is everybody in the band has their own amazing projects, like Jordan Paul, who sings and plays with us. His project is amazing, and he’s put out a bunch of stuff as well. Our drummer Hamster has his solo project under the name of Chris Whiteroot to check out, and then my grandma's in her band, Ace Of Cups, who are absolutely incredible. The whole band is just so talented.
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