Hello and welcome to Vol. 24 of The Underground Binder-Clip Society.
What people say about me when I’m not around is none of my business. The things I haven’t been invited to are also none of my business. The more I get to know myself, the more comfortable I become with not being included. Being left out isn’t always personal. Most people think about themselves a whole lot more than other people. It only makes sense that they might forget to include someone. I know I am quite bad about reaching out. There is plenty to be said about vouching for yourself and expressing that you want to be included. “Making your own luck.” I’d say I am pretty good at making my own luck. And praying for things to come my way. I think hard work and, prayers, and wishes pay off in time. I also think that people who wanna see you will find a way to see you.
Nashville can be a tough place to live. There are a ton of great folks here. But everybody can be quite preoccupied and easily spread thin. Making little records. Doing hot yoga. Walking the dog. Going out. It’s a vibrant place, don’t get me wrong. Although, It’s smack full of people, which is its best and worst feature. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t meet everyone here that I click with. Knowing that to be true, I often feel quite despairing and give up on getting to know anyone more deeply.
Dating from such a large pool can also be exhausting. It can be fun though, with the right mindset and with a lot of grace. I have been trying to look at all relationships as learning opportunities. Loving opportunities. A moment to take someone as they are, and to give of yourself in whatever way you are currently available. I have been putting a lot less pressure on outcomes. “Hopeful abandon,” I call it. I try to be hopeful but also not so surprised when things don’t work out. That’s just life. I am less and less surprised by brokenness - but in turn, I am fighting more and more for love, and to be present enough to see the love all around us. Gratitude is a practice. Joy is a discipline. What will we ask of our days? This is what we ask of our life.
My new song, “Givin It Up,” came out on Thursday. Thank God. I have been sitting on this one for a good long while. I recorded it for the first time in October of 2022. And I think I wrote it a few months before that. The recording really didn’t change much after the initial day of tracking. It was one of my first ventures into drumming on my own songs. And it came together quickly. I left it alone for a long time because I really just enjoyed listening to it how it was. When it came time to try and pick songs for a greater project, I knew I wanted this one on there because of its lyrical content and because of the rawness of the instrumental and the vocal take. I felt that I really captured the emotion of the song with poignancy, fresh off of still really feeling what I had written.
For paid subscribers this week I’ve dug up an earlier version of Givin’ It Upthat I had not heard in a long time before today. It is from October 11th, 2022. The more official version that is now out on streaming platforms was recorded two days later on October 13th, 2022. You can hear their similarities and differences but I pretty much had the structure in the original demo, which is a cool feeling.
Thanks for being here, and thanks for listening.
Godspeed, and be well.
Yours truly,
Jake Smith
Here are this week’s “Quick Clips”:
* I made a video for my new song “Givin It Up.” with my good friend Jack Tucker. We hope to make a few more for the rest of the record.
* As I just mentioned, an earlier demo of “Givin it up” is available now as a separate post for paid subscribers. I post unreleased songs each week for my paid subscribers.
* I’ve been enjoying the song “Forget You All The Time” by Cloud Nothings.
* Check out this Silver Jews song with Pavement singer Stephen Malkmus, back from when he and David Berman were close collaborators. Silver Jews - “Advice To The Graduate.”
* T-shirts, stickers, pins, and CDs are available at holymolyrecords.com. Go check em out.
This newsletter is FREE but you can buy me a coffee by becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll gain early access to unreleased music, videos, and extra posts. Or support me by buying merch!
As always, shoot me an email if you want to work on music, remote or in-person, here in Nashville, TN.
You can also email or call just to say what's up.
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