April Smith and the Great Picture Show

cabaret // folk pop // singer-songwriter

If you think that April Smith and the Great Picture Show sounds like the name of some 1930s vaudeville act — well, you wouldn’t be so far off. The upbeat and retro stylings of April Smith and her band bring to mind cabaret acts, jazz, and swing with an indie twist. As we saw at SXSW, there’s a swagger to her live set as well as the band’s recordings. April’s brassy vocals are well matched by the myriad of instruments backing her, including piano, upright bass, horns, accordion, drums, guitar and even a ukulele. Her album, Songs For A Sinking Ship, was a true-blue grassroots effort, financed by her fans on Kickstarter.com and the result is stunning, quirky and lively. This is burlesque with a swagger… and a heart. Take a listen to “Colors” and “Movie Loves A Screen” below and just try to refrain from clapping along.

Boisterous indie pop meets swingin’ cabaret.
April Smith and the Great Picture Show – Colors
April Smith and the Great Picture Show – Movie Loves A Screen
+ Purchase/Visit

Posted by Michelle on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 under folk, jazz, pop, singer-songwriter.

8 Responses to “April Smith and the Great Picture Show”

  1. Eric said on June 8th at 5:55 pm :

    I really hope she gets to Europe some day.

  2. Will said on June 8th at 10:28 pm :

    All of the music on this music is fantastic. This one is my new fav. I’ll spread the word about this girl, she deserves some more followers.

  3. Sabina said on June 9th at 7:17 pm :

    I can’t stop listening to April Smith! I just downloaded “Songs for a Sinking Ship” and every single song is fantastic! I especially love “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” the lyrics are hilarious.

  4. Fritz said on June 10th at 2:37 pm :

    I discovered them recently and they are just amazing; their music is so full of joy and so quircky. hey have a great livesession on daytrotter

  5. The Pursuit of Folk (blog) said on June 13th at 12:26 pm :

    I love the jazz influences. Classy stuff, good find.

  6. Alan said on June 22nd at 5:40 am :

    I love her voice and the upbeat music. I just can’t help but smile while listening to these songs.

  7. Wim Leers said on June 28th at 7:56 am :

    Awesome songs! :)

  8. Heather said on January 22nd at 9:54 am :

    Daughter and I just had a dance party in the kitchen. Fun!

«
»