Elliott Smith wasn’t from Austin, but that hasn’t stopped Austinites from celebrating him. Bruisingly tender, strangely catchy, and, as many guitar players will attest, shockingly difficult to play – the songs the late artist (who grew up in Dallas!) wrote in his prolific career unite locals every year, when booker Trish Connelly organizes Smith tribute shows.
Since launching the series in 2019, Connelly has aimed to time the tributes to Smith’s birthday. This year, it worked perfectly – Dwight Smith, Jack Wilson and Grace Rowland, Booher, Daphne Tunes, and Slomo Drags touched down at Hotel Vegas Aug. 6, the day Smith would’ve turned 55.
In keeping with the artist’s struggles with addiction, the concerts benefit the SIMS Foundation, which connects players in Austin’s music industry with substance abuse and mental health care. Connelly tells the Chronicle she often books shows for a cause to offer more than “just three bands on a bill,” and got the idea to honor Smith from Ama singer Blair Tennille Robbins.
Playing songs like “Needle in the Hay” and “Between the Bars” with Daphne Tunes’ Santiago Dietche onstage Tuesday, Robbins said, “I’m gonna give a tip right now: If you care about the mental health of musicians, you should pay them for the work that they do.”
“If you care about the mental health of musicians, you should pay them for the work that they do.” – Blair Tennille Robbins
Each of the performers had their own Smith memories. Wilson opened his set with “Happiness,” which he recalled seeing Smith play at long-gone Riverside venue Steamboat. After inspiring a crowd sing-along of “Waltz #2 (XO)” alongside Rowland, the artist played “Everything Reminds Me of Her” slowly and thoughtfully, trying hard to make every note of the deceptively tricky track ring out in proper fashion.
Following up, sevenpiece act Booher allowed fans the opportunity to not just hear Smith’s music live, but to headbang along to it, blasting thundering versions of rare rockers “Baby Britain” and “Christian Brothers” (in the Heatmiser vein, of course). The trend continued when ballsy Slomo Drags frontman Jackson Albracht, with help from bandmate Alex Ogle and Magic Rockers of Texas leader Jim Campo, transformed piano ballad “Everything Means Nothing to Me” into a cathartic electric release. Donning a Quasi shirt and referencing old bootlegs, superfan Albracht repeatedly referred to Smith as his “favorite guy of all time.”
Local Smith tributes have welcomed more than unknown fans – the artist’s sister, former SIMS board member Ashley Welch, has attended in the past. Welch couldn’t make it this year, Connelly said, but local devotion remained.
During his set, Wilson said he didn’t play live much anymore after getting a new day job. Still, he added, “This is the only show I play every year.”
This article appears in August 16 • 2024.
