Darden Smith at The 443

443 Burnet Avenue,Syracuse NY 13203

17 July, 2022

Description

Open and empty. That’s how Darden Smith describes the west Texas landscape that inspired his wildly creative new multi-media project, Western Skies. Comprising a new studio record, a book of photography, lyrics, and essays, and an accompanying album of readings set to music, the collection is an immersive journey through a world both real and imagined, a place of mystery and mythology, possibility and longing. Like his photographs, Smith’s writing is steeped in isolation, though rarely lonely; timeless, yet acutely aware of the hours and minutes whizzing by like mileposts on the highway. The songs on Western Skies are spare and deliberate, often marked by a distinct sense of motion and transience, and the performances are similarly raw and intimate, reflecting the desolate beauty of the region that so captured Smith’s imagination as he crisscrossed it time and again throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of his remarkable three-and-a-half decade career, Smith has released 15 critically lauded studio albums, landed singles on both the country and pop charts (including the Top 10 hit “Loving Arms”), penned a symphony, scored works for theater and dance, published a widely celebrated book on creativity, exhibited works of visual art, and co-founded the non-profit SongwritingWith:Soldiers program, which pairs veterans with musicians in order to tap into the transformational possibilities of collaborative songwriting. (During the pandemic, the Austin-based artist also helped launch Frontline Songs, which connected musicians and healthcare workers to support them in telling their stories and healing their trauma.) The Daily News hailed Smith as “one of the most respected American musicians working today,” while the Austin Chronicle dubbed him a “master song craftsman,” and AllMusic called him “a singer-songwriter blessed with an uncommon degree of intelligence, depth, and compassion.” DOORS: 5PM   SHOWTIME: 6PM RULES OF THE ROAD: The 443 has a $15 per person/seat required minimum purchase for our shows, which can be any combination of food and drink. If your party (or part of it) does not show up, the ticket buyer is responsible for the minimum purchase for the empty seats. The 443 is an 18+ venueNo outside food or drink is allowed in. This is a "listening room" style show - you will be expected to limit your conversation during the performance. We have 4 options for our ticketed performances: PREMIUM TABLES FOR TWO Regular height table for TWO PEOPLE (18 available), the back row tables are bar height (4 available) IMPORTANT NOTE: 1 ticket = 2 seats. Each Premium Table admits TWO people to the show. STAGE TABLES FOR TWO Regular height table for TWO PEOPLE directly in front of the stage (2 available) IMPORTANT NOTE: 1 ticket = 2 seats. Each Premium Table admits TWO people to the show. PREMIUM SINGLE  at Bar Single barstool at the bar directly across from the stage (4 available) General Admission SINGLE Our general admission area has 15 high-top tables with barstools. If you buy a GA ticket, you are guaranteed a stool and table, you may be seated with other GA ticket holders in order to maximize seating.