By Jessica Arden Ettinger > Junior > University of Virginia

“I’m going to lay you down, I’m going to spin you around, and play you like a record,” croons April Smith, the lead singer of April Smith & The Great Picture Show, during a recent performance in Washington DC. With sultry, well-sung lyrics and a unique retro-pop sound, Smith and her band have combined the catchiness of today’s popular, beat-oriented music with the classiness of the 1940s big-band era.

Smith says she didn’t always anticipate being a professional musician. She attended Montclair State University, but chose not to study music in an effort to keep from becoming pigeonholed in the temperamental music industry. Instead, Smith received her degree in broadcast communications, and worked for a time as a radio disc jockey in her home state of New Jersey.

Nevertheless, a career in music still beckoned, wooing Smith to the recording studio just a few years after college graduation. In December 2005, she released her first album, loveletterbombs, as a solo artist with Indigo Planet Records. In response to her debut album, Smith won the 2007 Asbury Park Female Vocalist of the Year award. In 2009, Broadcast Music, Inc. selected her to receive one of the five Abe Olman Scholarships for Excellence in Songwriting, as well as invited her to play at the famous summer music festival, Lollapalooza. In October 2009 she will be headlining the National Association for Campus Activities’ Northeast Regional Conference, which provides an opportunity for campus activities programmers to meet and listen to independent music artists.

After releasing a successful first album, it made sense for Smith to continue working with what wasn’t broken. However, she instead chose to join up with talented band members Stevens (bass), Elliot Jacobson (drums), Marty O’Kane (lead guitar) and Brandon Lowry (keys), and produce her second album without a record label, funding the production process solely through fans’ donations. Smith and the band partnered with “Kickstarter,” an online fundraising tool, to aid in the album production-process. In return for donations, Smith is offering fans everything from free CDs to dinner with she and the band.

The fluctuating state of the music industry is a large reason Smith chose to release the upcoming album independently. “The record industry is constantly changing,” Smith explains, “and everyone is struggling. [Yet] artists have so many tools to promote themselves, and they don’t’ necessarily need a label.”

In addition, Smith is pleased that working independently affords her more creativity in the album’s production, as well as the ability to work at her own pace. Raising the money on her own has also made Smith closer with her fans. Aside from the giveaways fans can receive for different donation increments, Smith makes an effort to stay in touch by updating her website and personally responding to emails.

Luckily, fans won’t have to wait too much longer to hear the sweet new tunes of April Smith & The Great Picture Show. The band raised 82% of the necessary $10,000 in less than two months, and provided the fundraising meets its goal by early September, fans can expect the album to be released early next year.

Interested in getting involved in this hip-songstress’ project? Check out www.aprilsmithmusic.com and look for the link to Kickstarter to make a donation. For those curious about the band’s soulful sound, open up iTunes and download “Colors” from the EP April Smith & The Great Picture Show: Live from the Penthouse for a taste of many good things soon to come to radio.
 

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