David Smalt
... is a Los Angeles based songwriter & musician. He learned guitar as a child to join the praise band in his father’s church alongside his drumming brother, Jonathan. Moving to Nashville, he played with several bands across different genres until he stepped out to craft & breathe life into his own songs.
David Smalt is ...?
A songwriter, musician, & poet currently living in Los Angeles. Currently obsessed with Aldous Harding, boba tea, & "What We Do In The Shadows."
Who inspired you to make music in general?
I learned how to play guitar to play in the praise band at my father's church. I think it was his love of music that set the spark to pursue being a music maker.
Your latest release "Unrequited love" sounds great, who or what was your inspiration?
"Unrequited Love" is the sibling song of "Möbius Band" that together make up a bigger "idea" ... you're going to love things in your life, some of it will be returned, some of it will not.
Life will continue this cyclical pattern, an eternal Mobius band we all hop on when we're born. If we're paying attention, we learn that things we lost come back to us, in some form, & embracing all of it is really the only way through it.
It's the first single from "Möbius Band of Unrequited love", what can listeners expect from the record?
'Möbius', as a record that has a lot of moving parts, a lot of different sounds & feelings. A lot of the songs are very individualistic, almost like they don't fit with one another but they all have a thread that binds them.
What's the hardest challenge concerning songwriting?
Staying organized, not feeling guilty about self-care, or recognizing the pattern of creative input/output. It's easy for me to write new things so it's imperative for me to keep track of what I do so I can come back & finish songs or see connections & tie them together. I think a lot of artists probably struggle with feeling guilty when they know they just need to sit in bed all day & do absolutely nothing but that little voice condemning it is usually hovering above our heads. I think the further you get into an artistic craft, the easier it is to recognize when you need to be receiving creative inspiration in your "well" & when it's time to dip into that with passion & get to work.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Undoubtedly Beach House, who've slowly become my favorite band over the last 10 years or Aldous Harding. When I hear their new music or see visual art they've made to accompany it, I'm deeply inspired in a way that comes from no other sources.
What’s next for you?
Well, I'll probably have one more cup of coffee & then go hop on the treadmill on my patio & sweat my ass off. :)
