Rod Smoth is the nom de plume of Mississippi songwriter and guitarist Reed Smith who recently released his self-titled album.

‘Dark Hall‘ is one example of how well he build darkness and gently insistent tension into his music. It’s folk rock but of a melancholic and wistful kind, anchored in wandering melodies and rhythms that create a world of their own for his songs to gently unfurl within.

Smith first picked up the guitar when he was eight years old. He began playing music with his family and graduated to heavier music in his teens, playing with various bands across the diverse and fertile Jackson, Mississippi music scene.

“If there’s no room at the end of this dark hall,” sings Smith, “I’ll spend the rest of the day in this anxious walk. No more light at the edges since long ago. No more voice in the silence for me to follow.” It’s a song about seeing the path you have to walk, but being terrified at what might or might not be waiting in the end. 

For fans of Red House Painters, Songs: Ohia, Ron Sexsmith, Damien Jurado