Local Artists You Oughta Know

The Buzz presentsyok Inspired by Vh1’s You Oughta Know. Meet the Smyrk.

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The Band is made up of three members: Doron, Ari, and Chris. They are a phenomenal band and I actually got a chance to interview them. Here’s a Q and A with Ari from the Smyrk.

 the-smyrk

What towns are the members from?

  • Doron and Ari are from New Haven. Chris is from Hamden.

When did the band form?

  • The band started around 2004 when Doron saw us at an outdoor festival in New Haven. I happened to announce that we were looking for a singer and he approached us after the show. We wrote a song at our first practice and it was a done deal. His old band sounded like Boyz II Men. They were called On Point.

What genres/bands does the Smyrk sound like?

  • We try to sound like The Smyrk first and foremost, but we’ve been compared to Incubus, John Legend, and Minus the Bear to name a few. Our goal is to sprinkle some Motown soulfulness into post-rock goodness.

What claims to fame does the Smyrk have, who’s the best artist you’ve shared the stage with?

  • Doron was born with 6 fingers on each hand. Oh, fame… yeah. We recorded an EP with Ben Kenney, bass player for Incubus, and opened a show for his solo project as well. We were on MTV a couple times for a contest sponsored by Mountain Dew. Too bad it’s a terrible drink.

Is there anything new, such as CDs, merchandise or tours/shows?

  • I can’t really give away too much at the moment, but we played our “last show” this summer and we’re somehow still a band…

Anything else interesting you feel like sharing?

  • We have some exciting things going on but like I said, I can’t reveal anything right now. We once watched “Purple Rain” 3 times in a row. Doron’s hair once caught on fire at a show. Chris had a pet goose named Frederick. I was voted 3rd best barista in town by the New Haven Advocate.
Check out their Myspace, Purevolume, and store. new_smyrk_photo Above photo from Bold As Love -Madeline Alden