smile and a shoeshine

"Nobody dast blame this man. You dont understand: Willy was a salesman. And for a salesman, there is no rock bottom to the life. He dont put a bolt on a nut, he dont tell you the law or give you medicine. Hes a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back Thats an earthquake, and then you get a couple of spots on your hat, and youre finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy, it comes with the territory. DEATH OF A SALESMAN BY: ARTHUR MILLER."

As promised, Smile and a Shoeshine returned to the studio in September 2009. Joining with members from Fort Collins folk-rock phenomenon "Paean ", Samuel Graf and Jonathan Alonzo constructed Smile and a Shoeshine's first complete EP since 2003 and is slotted for release in mid-January 2010. The album features worn-out and broken love ballads, and defeating illusions of hope through whining slide and over-driven electric guitars behind lethargic acoustic chords. Do not expect the same screamy, angst driven rock that gave Smile and a Shoeshine their sound in years past. Pursuing a more matured sound, “Sam!! Well, hell…” emerged as carefully punctuated disagreement with life by embracing influence from folk/country legends Towns Van Zandt and Floyd Tillman. Combining new influence with the old, “Sam!! Well, hell…” presents a nicely balanced sound from mid-tempo acoustic pleas with broken hearts in “I felt as though that I” to cowpunk-esque love stories in “When I knew”. “Sam!! Well, hell…” is the best and most unique Smile and a Shoeshine album yet recorded.
The EP is currently featuring six tracks with a possible addition of one to two more.
Listen and download the pre-release version and pass it on to your friends!

Artists featured on this album include:
Samuel Graf-guitar, vocal, bass, acoustic, and electric guitars
Jonathan Alonzo- slide guitar, electric guitar, and percussion
Timothy Maddocks- percussion
David Maddocks- accordion
Anna Maddocks- background vocals
BJ Buttice- percussion

Smile and a Shoeshine is a Fort Collins based band. Established in 2002 with members Samuel Graf, BJ Buttice, and Dom Buttice. Most of Smile and a Shoeshines accomplishments were done DIY and bartering. First album was recorded in John Hruska's (currently in Fucking Orange) basement. The album was released as a split with John's band "Double Plus Down". Later in 2003, Smile and a Shoeshine traded an Audio Technica 4050 microphone for, what was intended to be a full length album. The album wound up being released as two EP's, "6 Song EP" and "Humans Are But Transportation Devices For Cowboy Hats". The "6 Song EP" sold over 2000 copies in Fort Collins alone in just a few months. Unfortunately the "6 Song EP" was never mass produced again. In 2005 Smile and a Shoeshine got the opportunity to be recorded by Johnny Schou at the legendary Blasting Room to complete Johnny's internship without cost to the band. This project is available for the first time On Facebook or at ilike, titled "The Johnny Schou EP". Other recordings were done in basements from BJ and Sam's home in Fort Collins and Warehouses around town. Smile and a Shoeshine still performs on rare occasion in the Fort Collins/Denver area. Future tours and more consistent shows will resume September of 2009. In the meantime be sure to check out side projects "Sour Boy, Bitter Girl " and "Signor Farini and the Marmadook Weatheralls".

New Projects:
Sour Boy, Bitter Girl
BJ Buttice: Guitar/Vocal (Smile and a Shoeshine)
Dom Buttice: Drums (Smile and a Shoeshine)
Chris Love: Keys (Smile and a Shoeshine and Arliss Nancy)
Cory Call: Guitar (Arliss Nancy)
Tim: Bass

Vacation Bible School
(very brief)
Sam Graf: Guitar, Bass, Vocals (smile and a shoeshine)
Ryan Heller: Drums, Vocals (Heartfelt Bastard and Robot Spells Hell)
Hamburger Helper

PRESS:
Grungy Nirvana, U2 (the earlier album "War"), Drama Rama and Cursive all give Smile And A Shoeshine its sound and offer the bulk of this band's influence. The beginning of December will be hot if you make it to the Aggie early enough to see the second act: Smile And A Shoeshine. This six-year-old Fort Collins act has a new member: Chris Love. I asked Love, who plays the keyboard, how he felt his addition to the band changes the sound of Smile And A Shoeshine. Chris replied, "It pretty much makes it 10 times better, I think. … It adds an element of class to the music." Drummer Dominic B**** added, "It just fills it out more." The Aggie will host three awesome bands and a solo show on Dec. 1. Headlining is The Hot IQs, and next up is The Photo Atlas in the middle of this sexified gooey sandwich. The night finishes with Smile And A Shoeshine. And of course, the opener for this kicker is solo artist Jon Yeager. This line-up seems like an Arcadefire-esque dance rock show, and for the most part it is. The Hot IQs is definitely a clap-along dance band and The Photo Atlas is probably one of Colorado's best dance bands. But then there is Smile And A Shoeshine on the bill. Smile is there offering a slyly juxtaposed addition; they are not dance band and the keyboard may throw one off, but they are still ROCK and nothing else. Find this Dec. 1. —Matthew Azrael Martin, The Rocky Mountain Collegian.

Staff writer Matthew Azrael Martin can be reached at verve@collegian.com. The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the individual author and not necessarily those of the Collegian.

"Smile and a Shoeshine is like a welcomed disease, they make you wonderfully nauseous for a night, partially the next morning. Then they disappear for a year or so, only to do it all over again.” - 90.5 KCSU FM.