Kelley Smith — “Dust”
photo credit Jamie Prax
Americana Highways brings you this video premiere of Kelley Smith’s song “Dust,” from her forthcoming EP Moon Child, which is due to be released on November 11. Moon Child was produced and mixed by Joel Schwartz; mastered by Justin Gray; and was partially funded by the Five Wings Arts Council of Minnesota. Cover art is courtesy of David Hayward, with photography by Trevor Tobin and Jamie Prax.
“Dust” is Kelley Smith on vocals and acoustic guitar (and songwriting); and Joel Schwartz on resonator and electric guitars, keyboards and bass.
The video was produced and directed with videography by Kelley Smith and M. Smith, who also star in the video, in Minnesota. The concept for the video and the editing are courtesy of Kelley. Kelley has a high, Northern folk style vocal which brings a mournful tone to the story of mortality the song tells. And the video, with the 7 year old daughter and her mother, in natural settings, in weeds and dust, is mesmerizing.
While it’s true that “Dust” is a sad song, it’s also a celebration of good love, which keeps on giving – even after someone has moved on. “Dust” was the first song that I wrote for this record, my first record, and was inspired by the loss of my aunt to cancer. I knew I wanted there to be a music video for this song, but I couldn’t bring myself to hand the project off to a professional. I can be stubborn that way, but in this case, I’m glad I trusted my intuition. I woke up in the middle of the night, as I often do, with a vision in my head of my daughter and I walking into golden light. The next day, the two of us wore matching clothes, and used my iPhone to take video of one another. From each other’s perspectives. My daughter’s: A little shaky, but it was how she saw me at the time as a 7 year old. I wouldn’t change it. I’m happy it’s a little scrappy and DIY, because we will always have it, and it’s a perfect representation of what “Dust” is about. — Kelley Smith
Order links:
https://kelleysmith.bandcamp.com/track/dust-2
https://music.apple.com/us/album/dust-single/1638796705
https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B01B0NGMGG/kelley-smith