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What: Hampton Smith - VINE OF LIFE - Album Release GatherWhere: From the Earth Brewing Company
When: November 30 - 5:00pm
Hampton Kyle (aka “Tupe”) Smith is a Mississippi native musician/singer-songwriter who is currently stationed with his loving family in the Peach State of Georgia. His music melds a myriad of influences across the American and International musical spectrum(s).. Let's just say if you're into Dylan, the Dead, the Stones/Beatles, The Band, Morisson, Cooke, ABB, NMAS, Waters, King (all of them), Adams, Waits, Clapton, LF, Welch, Watson, McCourey, Phish, SCI, Simpson, Childers, Stapleton (Steeldrivers era ONLY.. jk), Railroad Earth, Mule, Galactic, moe., MMJ, etc.. then you might get along just fine with the feller…
After a 10 year “hiatus” from music which damn near killed him physically, spiritually, and emotionally, Hampton is back in FULL FORCE, to take the helm in the rocketship of his musical dreams. Some could thank his amazing therapist.. Others could thank “the process” or “universe”, of which he is fully trusting in these days.. in babysteps (of course)…
The making of Hampton's debut album Vine of Life was nothing short of a serendipitous musical journey for the him to say the least. Building a music studio in his basement prior to the throes of C19, Hampton began crafting and pulling songs together (FINALLY).. Some were 20+ years in the works like the epynomous track, and others were to be written in due time and pull from family, friends, life experiences, ideals on life and death and more... Ultimately, after calling Welcome to 1979 studios in West Nashville, TN, thanks to seeing an Andrew Masters youtube of the place, and speaking w/ Chris Mara (studio owner), Hampton agreed to booking the first two days of recording in late January of 2023. Of course, it was VERY tough for him to turn down the opportunity once legendary players like Brad Pemberton (drums for Ryan Adams & The Cardinals / Steve Earle), David Jacques (bass for John Prine), and Billy Livsey (Keys on “What's Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner) were going to be his core session artists. The first track recorded was “Down in the Delta”, fitting as it is an homage to Hampton's home state of Mississippi and the blues, folk, "rock-a-billy" music that had such an impact on him. Ultimately this would become track #1 on Vine of Life and the rest is sort of wild history. Over the course of the next two years other talented musicians like Charlie McCoy (Harmonica for Bob Dylan / Nashville A-Team), Jamison Hollister (Fiddle, Dobro, and Pedal Steel for Mayham String Band / Lisa Marie Presley / Dwight Yoakum), Melissa Frabotta (Female Vocalist and Singer/Songriter - check her out!), and Christian Ward (penned “Red Daisy” / Fiddle for Del McCoury Band) would add their instruments/help and the album was complete. After an arduous/meticulous final mixing/mastering go of it w/ legendary Nashville-based Jeremy Bernstein (Lead Engineer - Welcome to 1979) and Oxford-based, Jeffrey Reed (Owner - Taproot Audio Design), Hampton thought the album was ready for release in the summer of 2024, but this is where fate took a very fortuitous turn.. A friend he'd had since grammar school (truly) ghosted him and backed out of doing the artwork as it was “more than he had originally wanted to take on" (no harm no foul), but it left the album w/o a proper cover worthy of the hard work and effort Hampton had put into it.. A few months later, a chance encounter w/ Maple Street Guitars', Lindsey Petsch, would ultimately lead him to being connected w/ none other than Flournoy Holmes (artist/musician who crafted timeless album covers including ABB's ”Eat a Peach", 11+ Widespread Panic albums, Marshall Tucker Band, and more). The verdict is in and by all acounts the art for Vine of Life is something that just gets better with every glance..
Each track on Vine of Life is inherently unique and this debut album is just the tip of the iceburg as they say. We hope you will download and share it with your family, friends, and those you meet in the wild! In the meantime, Hampton will be working on securing label representation (w/ the RIGHT label), the band of his dreams, gigs opening up for his heroes in the coolest venues in the country, and all the things that are good and sure to come in all good time…
Namaste.
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