Damon Smith


Damon Smith is an American free improvising bassist. He has worked with Cecil Taylor, Peter Brötzmann, Marshall Allen, John Tchicai, Elliott Sharp, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Jim O'Rourke etc.

Biography

Smith spent his childhood in eastern Washington but moved to Oakland in the mid-1980s. He took up bass in his late teens, inspired by the Minutemen's Mike Watt.
His love of Minutemen got him to explore other bands on the SST Records label which led to his discovery of Henry Kaiser, Elliott Sharp and Saccharine Trust. Smith credited Saccharine Trust's improvised live album Worldbroken with altering his views on punk rock, jazz, and free-form jamming. Eventually Damon was fortunate enough to meet Kaiser and the two have collaborated for over twenty years including more than ten recordings together.
Initially an electric bass player due to his love of Minutemen and Watt's followup band fIREHOSE, Smith switched to double bass and began focusing on improvisation inspired by Peter Kowald and his album Duos:Europa
Smith studied with Bill Douglas, Lisle Ellis, Kristin Zerneg, Bertram Turetsky etc.
In 2001, Smith launched his own record label called Balance Point Acoustics.
More recently, Smith has played with Weasel Walter in his Weasel Walter Quartet and in Plane Crash which also includes Henry Kaiser. The latter expanded to become Astral Plane Crash with the inclusion of Vinny Golia and Bob Moses. In 2023 he toured the northeastern US playing in a trio with guitarist Joe Baiza and drummer Matt Crane.
Smith has also collaborated with Werner Herzog on soundtracks to his documentary films Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World.

Discography

With Emergency String Quartet
  • Hill Music
  • Motions Last
  • On the Corner
With Alvin Fielder
  • From-to-From
  • Song for Chico
  • The Shape Finds Its Own Space
With Vinny Golia
  • Healing Force
  • Grosses Messer
  • Astral Plane Crash
With William Hooker
  • Earth's Orbit
  • Triangles of Force
  • Remembering
With Henry Kaiser
  • Domo Arigato Derek-Sensei!
  • Plane Crash
  • Encounters at the End of the World
  • Plane Crash Two
  • Relations
  • The Celestial Squid
  • Indestrucible Fantasy
  • Nearly Extinct
  • More Requia
With Weasel Walter
  • Revolt Music
  • Firestorm
  • Large Group Performances 2007–2009
  • Invasion
With others