The sun is out and hot and shining. The people in the city are honking their horns and having very little patience. Others are pushing strollers and walking and talking and being peaceful. People are working their summer jobs, traveling, laying out on the beach. Having summer flings, actually falling in love, laying low, picking up new hobbies. Passing time. Trying to beat the heat with a bit of something new.
I’ve been keeping my hands busy. Charging my credit card for art supplies and tools. Trying to stay in the yard, or the studio, or the kitchen. Shop class as soul craft. Art class as a prayer. Cooking and eating, and washing dishes. Trying to be mindful through it all. Reaching out, looking up, trying to be where my feet are. A lot of days I fail pretty miserably. But let’s call this letter a step in the right direction. Writing has always held me accountable. Sharing my writing adds another layer of accountability. I want to be sure that I am having some healthy inner dialogue throughout the week. I want to mine from my soul something worth sharing with an audience. Getting out a few words helps me rid myself of myself, and makes me a whole lot less upset about being alone.
I spent some time this past few weeks in South Carolina and North Carolina. Hung out and played a few songs in Charleston and saw some sweet friends get married. We got together as a family in Lexington, SC, to mark the one-year anniversary of our tragic car accident in Hawaii. This time last year was something else, to say the least. I didn’t enjoy recounting the hospital and the past year. Honestly, because I live in Nashville, I was sheltered from much of the recovery process. Like I said, I didn’t want to talk about it, but as David Dark says, “there are so many ways to love God.” Mourning is, for sure, an act of love and maybe even worship. Many things that require our discomfort will bring us closer to God, should we learn to sit still long enough.
Then I worked at a summer camp running sound for a week in Weaverville, NC (pictured above.) Everyone working there had been there for at least two weeks longer than I had, and some for months longer. They had already formed friendships and gotten good at their jobs. But they still welcomed me in kindly and I enjoyed getting to do my part. I knew that only being there for a week might make me feel a little psyched out on the relationship side of things. I did find myself wishing I had more time to form deep relationships. I came to terms with my short stay though and I tried to remain attentive to whatever joy might be on the horizon. Sure enough, once I lowered my expectations, little bits of meaning and purpose, and relational depth began to seep in. At that same moment, I found out I had been “playlisted.” (The indie-rock equivalent of being knighted.) The little “G” gods up at Spotify decided to wave their wands in my direction and give me 27,000 new listeners in the last week. This blessing, like most blessings, will only last for so long. My listenership will likely go back down in a few months or weeks even. But for now I get to be very grateful for every day that new people are hearing the songs.
All in all, a change of pace has been nice. I have felt held and comforted by the new souls I’ve met this month who have taken me as I am. Kinda like I was saying in our last letter, sometimes being humanized by strangers is the best way to be humanized. It’s also quite humbling to come back to the place you call home and realize it has lived on without you. Humbling and freeing I suppose.
Anyways, thanks for being here, and for reading this far. Way to be where your feet are. Be praying with me that I find a new place to live in east Nashville near my friends. At the time of writing this, I’ve got 19 days till I have to be out of my current place.
With Love
Yours Truly,
Jake Smith
Here are this week’s “Quick Clips”:
* My new song, “Tell Me Who I Am,” is out now and on Spotify’s Editorial playlists Undercurrents, New Music Friday, and New Indie as I mentioned above!
* My Album, Good Grief, will be out on July 31st! Become a paid subscriber to hear a new song from it early!
* My new brand “Happy Medium” has officially launched and is housing all of the old Holy Moly Records designs. Visit the website: happymediumtn.com.
* We have some shows coming up soon in Nashville and South Carolina!
* Blythewood, SC - July 21st - House Show
* Greenville, SC July 26th - House Show
* ( see poster below for details)
Support this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber or by buying merch!
(Paid subscribers gain early access to unreleased music, videos, and extra posts.)
As always, shoot me an email if you want to work on music, remote or in-person, here in Nashville, TN.
<3
