On April 26, Smyth and her band, Scandal, will be performing at The Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill, New York. “That is going to be fun,” she exclaimed. “I am super psyched about that show. It has been a long time since I played up there. The fans can expect a great band and a great show.”
At that show, she revealed that she may be playing several tracks from her debut album Never Enough, which she never played before live. “They are raw tracks that sound really good. I also try to pick out several cool covers from my childhood, that influenced me as a musician” she said. “I always give people what they want.”
For Smyth, it was a thrill to perform her song “Goodbye To You” with Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden. “It was a real honor for him to ask me to do it. I got the call, so it was awesome,” she said.
Her plans for the future are to go back in the studio and do another record. “I’ve been writing in Nashville and Los Angeles. We will be on the road this summer touring,” she said.
Each day, Smyth is motivated simply by trying to be a good citizen of the world, as well as to take care of her family and friends. “Being an honest writer also motivates me,” she said.
To this day, her smash single “The Warrior,” with Scandal is played consistently on the adult contemporary radio stations in New York, as well as at sporting events.
On the key to longevity in the music business, Smyth said, “You need to be good at what you do.” “I wonder about the staying power now of new artists because people have a short attention span now,” she said. “There is nothing like a live show and being in a room with real players. It is so much fun to hear real music.”
The rock songstress noted that guitar legend Link Wray was a big influence on her growing up. “Link Wray lived in my apartment. My mother was managing him and he and his band stayed in our apartment for a month. I would hear them playing, and at that point, I was singing, but not in front of anybody. I was walking around the house, singing, so Link called me in, to my mom’s room, where he was playing the guitar, and asked me to sing for him. I sang ‘Loving Her Was Easier’ by Kris Kristofferson, so he was one of the first people that basically looked at me, heard me, and said ‘yeah.’ Do it again. He had a personal influence on me that way. I still have a Link Wray patch. I kept it all these years. He was a really lovely and kind man,” she said.
Smyth defined the word success as “Happiness and when you’ve really reached somebody.” “When you have a connection and they connect to what you are saying. Also, we need to find joy in our lives,” she said.
Digital transformation of music business
On the impact of technology on the music business and streaming services, Smyth said, “I think it is really hurting everybody. Somehow, the big monster powers that be seem to be making the money, and it trickles down to the artists and songwriters not making the money, but the mega-artists somehow can cut deals for themselves. It is really upsetting, and you have to do it, because you love it. You need to try and making a living and the only way to do that these days is by playing live.”
At the same time though, there has been a resurgence of vinyl. “It really does bring you back. My kids are into vinyl,” she said. “I’ve kept all my old records. I want to make an album, where you can listen to the whole thing. I want to put out this body of work that I have, and try to lay out where I have been and where I am now.”
To learn more about rock star Patty Smyth and Scandal, check out her official website.
