Smiley with a Knife

All good things must...

2011-03-22T11:35:00.005-05:00

The rumors have been spreading, and it's time that we lay the whispers to rest.
On May 13th at One Eyed Jack's, the four of us will be playing our last show together as Smiley with a Knife.

Enjoy this ridiculous flyer that Credible made for the occassion:

That's right, our final show will be with the Blackbelt Band and A Living Soundtrack.
We call that the OG lineup.

We won't be adding any additional shows to our schedule between then and now.

Before this final performance, we will be releasing two new recordings:
"The Real Party is On the Balcony" and "Aluminum Cannon"

Rest assured, there is no malignant source for this parting of ways.
The four of us are best friends, brothers, and fellow adventurers. Nothing about this has changed.
We've experienced the hippest establishments from Austin to Brooklyn and the coolest of hidden towns between. Your local beer has been great, your PBR, High Life, and Red Bull has been free, your gas has been expensive, and your couches have been reasonably comfortable. For those of you in the Gulf Coast region and various other facets of the deep South, you surely have not heard the last of our individual members. We'll meet again soon enough under the guise of (a) different band name(s).

Stay in touch with us. We aren't dying; we're just changing.

Pat will continue making music under his solo name LoOmis. You can find him on twitter @LoOmismusic

Jared will continue managing the Music Shed recording studio. The studio's twitter handle is @musicshed. You can also reach him there at jared@musicshed.net.
He will be playing (pretty much) every Sunday night with a band called Little Maker at Saturn Bar.

Justin and Volpi will each continue playing in some capacity. When their new projects get off the ground, we will be making blog posts and emails about these projects.

Jan 14th @ OEJ

2011-01-05T20:01:00.003-06:00

We're having a supreme dork contest to go along with this show:

The first person to correctly guess the combined total number of pedals that our two guitarists have on their current show rigs will get a video flyer for this show made in his or her honor. If you correctly guess the number of pedals and can name two of the three pedals that both pedal rigs contain, we will give you a guest list with a +1 spot as well.

Cliff Hines has already named all three shared pedals.

What are you going to do to stop him?

If you have any ideas on the sum total and/or what pedals are duplicates, his us up on twitter (@smileywithaknif) or on facebook on the SWAK fan page.

We'll see you all on the 14th.

One week from today!

2010-09-22T12:56:00.000-05:00

This Tera Melos show at the Big Top is a week away.
How are your car pools coming together?

If you need help, let us know.

And hey, you, New Orleans kids!
You should still carpool to the show even if you're from here and you own a car. It's not as bad for the environment and it'll save you some gas money. It's a good habit to have no matter what the occasion.

Also, New Orleans kids - these people who are coming in from out of town might need places to stay. Please contact us - smileywithaknife@gmail.com - to let us know if you've got a couch or an extra bed that a few people can crash on.

And now a few reminders of what exactly it is that we're dealing with here. Tera Melos videos:

Frozen Zoo (Official): http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdb2WuNBsmp0ick86LNHmEeVkw;vimeo.com/14785962

Skin Surf (Official): http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdb20GIYE7GX85gVna4yehDdAw;vimeo.com/13769362

Live from Tokyo: http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdb2F7uHXDWVskhYThU_f41TAg;www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWwjbLaaHt4

Tour Promo (Last Smile for Jaron): http://www.facebook.com/l/9bdb2x51unVcRvoODQ9JLpTOVjQ;www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQZYmm10wiU

And if you've got 13 minutes to spare and you don't mind watching some of the WEIRDEST antics you've ever seen, look up their "Misadventures" interview. Warning: it's pretty gross at some points.

Carpool to Tera Melos, Grab our Record, and play Call of Duty

2010-09-17T11:19:00.007-05:00

You guys gettin' pumped up? We're opening for Tera Melos soon!
Make the trek! The journey! The voyage! Whatever the f*#k you want to call it!
Weeeeeeeee're CAR-POOOOOOOOOOOOLING!

Here's the deal, holmes:
Are you from Lafayette, LA? Baton Rouge, LA? Anywhere south of the halfway-north point in Mississippi? The North Shore? Meh, f*#k it, are you from Canada and want an excuse to come to New Orleans?
Wherever you're from, find a friend or 4 and come in to NOLA to see Japan's favorite American experimental noise-pop synth-laden prog rock miracle Tera Melos.

We're opening for them at the Big Top at 1638 Clio St.

If you're having trouble finding a ride, email us! Smileywithaknife@gmail.com
If you have a car and you're thinking to yourself, "shit, man. I'd love to make that drive but I gotta think about gas money and I won't really know anybody there if I drive by myself," then you know what you should do? EMAIL US! Smileywithaknife@gmail.com

If you send us an email stating where you're from and whether you need a ride or need a passenger, we'll help get you guys set up to trade information.

Need a place to crash?
From New Orleans and got a place for somebody to crash?
Same story - email us! Smileywithaknife@gmail.com

Here's the legal fine print on this whole deal:
doors at the show open at 7p
show starts at 8p SHARP. Cover is $7.
we're setting this carpool thing up as an exchange of information - we're not to be held liable for irresponsible, negligent, or rash behavior or any incidents that may happen. this is why we ask that if you would like us to set you up with a ride or a passenger to do so as soon as possible so that you can make sure the other people in the car with you aren't "Tom Arnold"-like.

Okay, moving on...

Do you have our new record yet?
Yes?! That's awesome. Tell us how you like it.
No? You don't have our new record yet? Well, let's fix that.
Here's the scoop: it's available on iTunes, Amazon, and BandCamp.
Those are all places where you can pay for it. Paying for it would be awesome, and we'd like you to do that. But ya know what? We know that's not how the world really works these days.

Soooooooooo...
If you email us - smileywithaknife@gmail.com - and you tell us, straight up, "look here, you schmucks. i like your band, and i want your new record so i can listening to it in my car and on my ipod and on my iphone and shit but I DON'T WANNA PAY YOU A-HOLES FOR IT!" then guess what... We won't blame you. Asking people to pay for music is like asking people to pay for those last three kittens in the litter that you couldn't get rid of right away. Music and kittens are both easily accessible, not entirely necessary, overly abundant, and free to a good home where appreciated and paid attention to. Just email us, tell us you want the record and tell us where you're from, and we'll hook you up with it - provided you don't mind us emailing you again later when we've got a show in your area.

Of course, you could just copy/steal it from a friend. We know this. We encourage this.
But please please please don't be afraid of asking us for it. We already know that if you want it, you're going to get it somehow. All we ask, then, is that you put in the extra effort to get it straight from us so we can keep track of how many downloads we have, we know where you're all from, and we can get in touch with you if we wind up in your neighborhood. Also, if you get it straight from us, we can make sure that you get everything with the proper titles and artwork and such.

And now on to our final subject matter: Video Games

This isn't really all that super important. But hey, we know you guys, and we know you a-holes like to play video games. Let's get real. You listen to us, you get hyped up on coffee or chilled out on a 40 of OE, you have a roommate or two that you fight over the dishes with, you have a dog, and you play either Halo or Call of Duty.

Am I right? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm right. Know how I know I'm right?
We saw you the other night outside of Game Stop while we were all waiting in line for Halo:Reach. We heard you talking about how long the line at Toys R Us was and how you had a buddy with a hookup over at Game Stop, anyway, so you drove over 15 minutes before they opened the doors and just cut the line. We know what's up, man. It's cool. You don't have to make any excuses with us. We're all on the same page.

So here's the deal, now: Volpi reads philosophy books, Jared reads drum blogs and practices by himself, and the two of them watch the Daily Show a lot. They're losers.
Pat and Justin, though, they're cool like the rest of you guys.
Hit Pat up on Call of Duty: Throwback504
Here's Justin on Call of Duty: Pennyman504

Shoot us, yell at us. Whatever it takes.

Long Now is out now! Go get it!

2010-08-23T20:59:00.002-05:00

Folks,

After much hard work and deliberation, our second record is now available for your listening pleasure.
You can download it at www.smileywithaknife.bandcamp.com or buy physical copies at www.smileywithaknife.bigcartel.com
Listen to the full record before you buy at bandcamp, soundcloud, or myspace.

Here's why you should buy it and why we don't mind if you steal it or share it:
This record is a true summation of our personalities and a testament to our perseverance as a band.
Long Now is the result of nearly 2 years' hard work: countless hours writing and rehearsing, 100+ youtube videos, a week of recording bed tracks, a month (compiled) of overdubs and mixing, and countless miles and hours driving and gigging.
We've put a lot of hard work into this record. We want you to have it, we want you to enjoy it, and we want you to share it.

The making of this record submerged us into the family of the Music Shed recording studio more and more by the minute with every engineer on staff having touched, shaped, and molded some aspect of the record in some way. Most crucial to the project was Billy Moesta who adopted this record as his own and pushed it to the next level every step of the way.

Throughout the process of making this record, we did an extensive amount of traveling and even moved into the same house together - bringing us closer to the new friends that we've met on the road and sometimes to the brink of killing each other in brotherly ways. The result is a cohesive collection, a family of songs that we hope you'll find speaks for itself and gives you a great deal of insight into our lives and minds. Where our previous record How a Reign Comes to an End was the product of four individuals finding their foothold as a band, Long Now is a family of songs molded by a family of people with a unified vision and sound. Hear each of our personalities poke through: the sly slides of Pat's tap-and-go guitar technique, the boisterous and pronounced operatic belting that sings from Justin's guitar, the whimsical yet iron-forged and anchored basslines that Volpi glues together with Jared's dynamic and seemingly melodic drumming style (somebody else wrote that about me, I swear).

Let this recording serve as a welcome to our family and as a reminder that sometimes the most profound things can be communicated without words - pride and joy, love and anger. And if you've befriended us at gigs, in person, and through our online videos along the way,let us remind you through this recording that even the least profound things in life are also communicated without any words - the cracking open of a beer, a belch, a fart, and the laughter that results. Please do yourselves a favor - buy this record (or steal it from someone who did buy it) and let it serve as the soundtrack to both the profound moments and the not-so-profound moments.

Long Now will be up on iTunes, Amazon, and Rhapsody soon so you'll be able to buy it there as well. Keep and eye out for that. If you seriously can't afford to purchase this record or you're on the fence for some reason, send us an email at smileywithaknife@gmail.com and let us know. We'll send you a copy of it, artwork included. We really want you to have it, and we really want you to share it.

--
Jared, Drummer
-- Smiley with a Knife
NOLA Instrumental Indie Rock
@smileywithaknif
http://www.smileywithaknife.com
http://www.youtube.com/smileywithaknife
http://www.facebook.com/smileywithaknife

Long Now promo video

2010-07-06T10:29:00.002-05:00

Our loveably hated little dog Smokey has a run in with a Dole Banana in this first of a handful of promotional videos for our new record coming out next month Long Now.

Deal with it. Er, we mean... pass it along.

Long Now

2010-07-01T21:23:00.004-05:00

Smiley with a Knife is bracing for the release of their second album, Long Now, due out August 17, 2010. Long Now may not be a bubblegum chew of a listen, but perhaps you’ll tap your toes, clap your hands, bob and sometimes bang your head, dance with your broom, or your lover if you’re so fortunate, or simply lay on your bed and say “Ahhh…”

What Long Now has in store for fans and newcomers is smoky steam ceilings, sucker punches, wild bull rides, cyclonic summersets, and moments for breath catching, screams, and whispers. Forget the monochromatic gray blob that casual listeners hear pushed from post-rock's loins. Toss the calculator required to decode the algebraic hieroglyphics of prog-rock's textbooks. Don’t look for the conventional Explosions in the Sky or Don Caballero -isms here. Smiley is not about twisting listeners’ ears into Eagle Scout caliber knots only to serve you more of the same. There is something for everybody in Smiley with a Knife's Long Now - even for those who may not fancy themselves contemporary instrumental rock enthusiasts.

Since their first release in 2008, How A Reign Comes To An End, New Orleans’ instrumental rockers Smiley With A Knife have diligently defined the teeth of their knife blade – their sound. Smiley’s Reign combined the hook-soaked cascades of Justin Vicknair’s sonorous guitar, the serpentine electricity of Patrick Bailey’s tap-guitar, the bubbly loping of Michael Volpi’s bass glides, and the sly, classy hits and shimmers of Jared Marcell’s drumming. Throughout the album’s ten tracks, they balanced the light with the dark, the limpid with the muddy and the airy with the stormy. The pieces were there; noise was hammered into a characteristic sound quality.

With progress comes the process of refining, sharpening, and cutting away. Serrations can dull after many cuts, slices and chops: the once pronounced grooves can wear down to blunted teeth. A knife bites most strongly when it has been meticulously preened. With a sleek body and fine point – serrations carefully sharpened – a knife has the potential to gnash through bone.

Long Now is the trumpeting of an emerging voice honoring the influence of other like-genre bands while asserting the resolute musical self-realization of four individuals who are carving a meal at the family table. Smiley with a Knife clearly displays a knack for whimsical charm and a penchant for winsome playfulness. But lurking underneath the lightness and the effervescence is a striking seriousness. No; the serrated teeth have not weathered. The Knife has been remolded at the smithy. Whereas Reign was a collection of confidently composed songs, Long Now is a family. Smiley’s new eight song recording represents an assiduous progression from four eager experimentalists to four more mature, musical minded players. Simply put, Smiley with a Knife’s Long Now has one primary intention: listener, we want your sisterhood, your brotherhood; come with us; welcome to our family.

Smiley with a Knife's Long Now will be available for download from iTunes and BandCamp on August 17th.
To contact Smiley With a Knife email Patrick at smileywithaknife@gmail.com

Artist: Smiley With a Knife
Album: Long Now

Label: Self-Released

Release Date: August 17, 2010

1.Long Now
2.Egyptian Porridge
3.Either Oranges or Ether
4.Avoid The Noid
5.Randy Newman Says Quack
6.Cosmonauts Are Not So Cosby Nazi
7.Sexy Butcher
8.Bewilderbeast

Recorded at The Music Shed New Orleans
Produced by Chris Finney, William Moesta & Smiley With a Knife

Summer Tour Dates

7.23 New Orleans, LA @ Dragon's Den ^
7.24 Mobile, AL @ The Blind Mule
7.25 Nashville, TN @ Little Hamilton Collective
7.26 St. Louis, MO @ Mangia Italiano
7.27 Chicago, IL @ Ronny's
7.28 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
7.30 Huntington, WV @ V Club **
7.31 Brooklyn, NY @ Party Expo

8.1 Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory
8.4 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
8.5 Atlanta, GA @ WonderRoot
8.6 Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse
8.7 Gulfport, MS @ The Salty Dog
8.13 Shreveport, LA @ The Warehouse
8.17 Hattiesburg, MS @ 1126 House #
8.18 Baton Rouge, LA @ HTGT Thrift #
8.20 Lafayette, LA @ Sadies **
8.21 New Orleans, LA @ The Den (Howlin Wolf) **

^ = with The Other Planets
# = with Native & Former Thieves
** = with Six Gallery

Smiley With a Knife – Record Release Show
Saturday August 21, 2010
Live In The Den @ The Howlin Wolf
w/ special guests
Man At Home, Six Gallery & Twin Killers
9pm $6

For more info visit:
Smileywithaknife.com
Myspace.com/smileywithaknife
Twitter.com/smileywithaknif

Contact: smileywithaknife@gmail.com

Wrapped up and into Mixing!

2010-05-26T12:02:00.001-05:00

Shirts by Credible

2010-05-17T20:27:00.001-05:00

SWAK heads,

Our good friend Credible design the following shirts for us:

So if you head on over to http://www.smileywithaknife.bigcartel.com/ you can make a purchase on those beautiful shirts and get a mix tape from pat-rick.

- JMM

Touring this Summer

2010-04-28T17:39:00.003-05:00

Hey SWAK Heads,

Its been a quiet month of April for us. We are getting ready to be busy again. Next week we are putting the final touches on our record and then it will be mixed and mastered throughout the rest of spring. Expect to hear music shortly, but until then we are currently planning a summer tour. We actually get a chance to travel for more than a few days and are very excited for a chance to play for new people. Below are the list of days and what area of the states we'll be in. If anyone out there can help set something up, recommend a band or venue or anything, that would be awesome and tons of good karma will come your way. We have a few shows confirmed and some in the works, but still contact us if you can help.
Just hit us on myspace or email us at smileywithaknife@gmail.com
we are also on twitter @smileywithaknif and facebook.

Thanks

-SWAK

Fri. July 23rd - New Orleans

Sat. July 24 - Mobile, AL

Sun. July 25 - Memphis/Nashville, TN

Mon. July 26 - St. Louis, MO

Tues. July 27 - Chicago, IL

Wed. July 28 - Kalamazoo, MI

Thurs. July 29 - Ohio

Fri. July 30 - Pittsburgh

Sat. July 31 - Philadelphia

Sun. Aug 1 - Baltimore

Mon. Aug 2 - DC/VA/DE/WV

Tues. Aug 3 - North Carolina

Wed. Aug 4 - Athens, GA

Thurs. Aug 5 - Atlanta

Fri. Aug 6 - Birmingham, AL

Sat. Aug 7 - Hattiesburg, MS

p.s. we ordered some new shirts and they will be available at shows or our new webstore http://www.smileywithaknife.bigcartel.com
check the new design by Credible

60 Sec Videos are still coming at youtube.com/smileywithaknife

and we recommend checking out Circa Survive and The Redneck Manifesto's new records. They are awesome.

It's coming. Let's gear up.

2010-04-20T11:23:00.002-05:00

Episode 100 is coming up soon. Help us to make this thing super duper special.
We'll be on the lookout for your ideas, photos, comments, etc.

saturday write off

2010-04-18T12:20:00.001-05:00

Saturday Headlines

2010-04-07T09:31:00.004-05:00

We're headlining Saturday over at the Dragon's Den.
This means we'll be playing a lot of stuff, kids. Lots.

So come heckle us, come yell at us, and uh... just come. as you are.

2010-04-01T16:42:00.001-05:00

60 seconds: Evolution of a Cannon

2010-03-29T20:35:00.002-05:00

Hmm... looks like we made quick work out of bouncing back from our little mini-depression the other night. Here's what we're working with now:

60 secs: humilty

2010-03-28T14:47:00.002-05:00

We really should be more diligent about posting all of these instead of just an assorted selection; however, this latest episode is all about being real.

Tonight's Set: Cancelled

2010-03-26T18:34:00.006-05:00

Due to personal matters beyond our collective control, we are unable to play our set at Cafe Prytania tonight. We are disappointed, as we expect that all of you who were planning to see us and support us tonight are. Please know that we take our performances very seriously and love every moment on stage together as a band and every chance that we get to connect with you, our audience. We would never cancel a performance without exhausting all options; however, we ultimately have no choice but to cancel given the nature of today's circumstances.

We ask that you respect the personal privacy of the members of our band. We will not be answering any questions or responding to any comments regarding the causes of this cancellation on any of the internet platforms or social mediums that we actively participate in at this moment.

This is merely was a hiccup in the SWAK universe, but we want you to know that THE SHOW IS STILL ON tonight. We encourage anyone who was planning to attend to follow through with your plans. Your presence at tonight's show is still very much welcomed and needed. The members of SWAK who will be able to attend tonight's event will still be in the ranks of the audience. Our friends in Female Demand are coming a long way from Houston to play tonight, and the Acropolions are putting forth their best effort to support the local instrumental/experimental indie rock scene just as SWAK does every single day.

Tonight's show is at Café Prytania (3445 Prytania St.) at 10pm.

To any disappointed folks who wanted to see our set tonight, again we apologize. We will make it up to you April 10th @ The Dragons Den, and we promise an incredible performance.

We hope to see you tonight.
-SWAK

SXSW day 1

2010-03-19T02:26:00.002-05:00

Our first of 3 days here at SXSW was pretty awesome.

We played at PLUSH right before Good Old War and Native (both on Sargent House).
After pulling in a decent crowd, we played the latter half of our set with the kids from Native peeping over our shoulders.
Cathy from Sargent House was very complimentary. Warm, fuzzy feelings.

We got a very strange business card after our set from a guy who only had this to say:
"Send an email to this lady on the card that says that I said you're awesome."
What's that supposed to mean?

We also had random Austin kids (strangers) that recognized us while we were walking down the street. Sorry, we just had to share/brag about that. Sounds silly, but it's a good kind of weird feeling to be recognized in an endless sea of strangers by someone who likes the band and the videos.

Anyway - approachable as always, we'll be playing a house show tomorrow night for our second day at SXSW. It's at the Abstract House at 1608 New York ave
We play at 10p.
Come talk to us.

Caspian is here...

2010-03-16T11:31:00.001-05:00

Head on down to the Dragon's Den tonight. We're doing this thing:

Happy Birthday Justin

2010-03-12T00:55:00.002-06:00

We've created a beast.

Our stage right guitarist Justin Vicknair turned 25 yesterday, and so we dedicated episode #80 to him. Here is is:

Also, remember: We're playing Foburg Fest on Saturday.
Upstairs at Maison for the Static Showcase.
You can come give Justin some birthday wishes and a hi-five while you're there.

Speaking of all of that craziness, Wesley over at Static TV gave us some mad props on his blog today:
http://blog.statictelevision.com/2010/03/why-do-they-smile-with-knife-in-hand.html

That man called us the hardest working band in New Orleans (that he knows of).

Caspian

2010-03-04T14:04:00.004-06:00

We've got a lot of craziness coming up, but we want to focus on these blog posts as much as we can whenever we can.

Let's talk about something really important...

We've got a HUGE show with a group of post-rock instrumental gladiators that go by the name Caspian. If you like Explosions in the Sky, these guys will make you reconsider that thought. Caspian makes Explosions in the Sky look lifeless and sub-par on the "epic" scale, as clearly seen in this video below. This trailer WILL make the hair stand up on the back of your neck:

The Caspian show will be March 16th at the Dragon's Den.

Uh... do't. Do't big. Do't to't.

Re-cap // Static-Foburg

2010-03-01T17:25:00.004-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and Girls.
We've had a wild ride the past few days. Who came out to see us?

Jeez! Those We the Granada kids KILLLED it. With 3 L's. We don't need to fix that typo.

Let's take you along the journey for a second:

First, we played in Austin with those guys and got a taste of what they were all about:

That video had a bit of a, uh, "production error" in it.
Taking the fall for a "production error" is only fun when you're in Smiley with a Knife - ha! Here's our remedy to gear up for the Lafayette/NOLA weekend:

So, of course, we have one last rallying cry:

And then the weekend was upon us for some epic montage-worthy performances:

Not included in that montage is the whole lot of us - Wildfires, We the Granada, and Smiley with a Knife - plus a myriad of our Lafayette and New Orleans friends getting supremely wasted at the SWAK house until 7am when all of our work was complete. I went to bed early because I'm an old-man-nancy; however, I simply cannot wait for SXSW to roll around so that we can all put even bigger dents in the universe.

So hey, look. This weekend has been great with a capital 8.
Savor those moments until we get to hang out again.
Until we do get to hang out again, we're going to go into the studio to wrap up some songs for you guys and rehearse for Foburg Fest. We're on the Static TV showcase at Maison on Foburg's Saturday night. That's not this upcoming weekend but the next. Get ready, Freddy, 'cause we're comin' to getcha.

As always, tune into our youtube channel for more every-other-daily video blogging.

Stay fresh.
- Jared / drums

60 secs w/ SWAK

2010-02-17T23:48:00.002-06:00

This latest episode of 60 seconds came from suggestions that we got from Twitter. The "octopus" thing that Pat is holding comes from our friend and fan Adam Cheramie. These are the kind of things that make us continue to produce content, because when you guys get involved interesting things start to happen whether we're exhausted or not. Er... especially when we're not exhausted.

So here's the deal:
Search for SWAK on Facebook and for Smileywithaknif on Twitter.
Start suggesting ideas for these episodes, and if we can fit them in or find a way to use them, not only will we use them but we'll give you credit for it too.
And if you give us strange objects that we think are totally cool, they'll probably also make their way into an episode or two. Who knows...

Oh, and one last thing if you guys want to be super sweethearts and get REALLY involved -
Below is a piece of html code split into two halves.
If you copy the two halves and paste them back to back wherever you'd like (you know... your own blog, that myspace page you've got but you never check anymore, or that high-traffic message board that all the d-bags in your local scene frequent to talk trash about crappy bands right before a big Friday night all-ages show at the VFW Hall in the middle of the worst neighborhood in town) we would greatly appreciate it.

Here's what the code does:
Every time we upload a new episode of 60 seconds to YouTube, an embedded player will update itself with the new episode and will stick the other episodes in sequential order behind it. So if you want to provide someone with a direct link to all of our 60 seconds from newest to oldest, you have a quick and easy way to do so now!

Anyway, here's the code:
object height="337" width="416"
param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/cp/vjVQa1PpcFO9Fs95M-0-PV_v4CjSYOBKwBPrn-dzQvE="
embed src="http://www.youtube.com/cp/vjVQa1PpcFO9Fs95M-0-PV_v4CjSYOBKwBPrn-dzQvE=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="337" width="416"
/embed
/object

Remember to stick a "<" at the beginning of the code and a ">" at the end. Everywhere that we have pressed Enter to start a new line, replace with "><" and enjoy your new channel player.

Okay, as today's episode says very clearly, we are exhausted. So I'm going to sleep now. We've got practice tomorrow, and I don't want to fall asleep on my snare.

- Jared

60 secs w/ SWAK

2010-02-10T19:36:00.001-06:00

Episode #68 - Chicken Dance

If you don't care about Smiley with a Knife yet, this may change your mind: we own a Burger King costume, we dance with chickens during rush hour traffic, and we're partying on Lundi Gras.

CADDYSWAK / Smiley With a Whompus and other things

2010-02-08T19:45:00.087-06:00

What up peoples? Pat here -

So SWAK just got back from another awesome weekend of shows. We played the past 3 weekends with our brothers Caddywhompus around Louisiana and Alabama and a stop in Houston (minus Caddy). Below are some pictures and videos I took of the bands we played with as well as some sweet times when the camera just happened to come out.

Friday January 22nd 2010 - Baton Rouge, LA @ The Spanish Moon

Smiley With A Knife

Baby Boy

Caddywhompus

Saturday January 23rd - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks

The BLACKbELT Band

SWAK

Caddywhompus

Friday January 29th 2010 Lafayette, LA @ Artmosphere

Honey Pillow

SWAK

Caddywhompus

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This dude is Tyler he takes pics for a Lafayette music blog called Derailing The Bandwagon which has some more pictures of this show.

Saturday January 30th 2010 - Houston, TX @ Mango's

Female Demand

Big Rock Candy Mountain

Friday February 5th 2010 - Mobile, AL @ Alabama Music Box

Secret Cities

Caddywhompus

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Saturday February 6th - Birmingham, AL @ Magic City Wholesale

Caddywhompus

SWAK

Shapes Like Dinosaurs

So yeah, all in all it was an awesome time. The shows were great, the venues were awesome and the bands we played with were the shit.

On to other things....

So you may know we are working on a record right now. We hope to release it this spring. Below is some footage from the studio where we write, practice and record (The Music Shed).

More on that soon....

So we have a bunch of shows coming up including free ones all of February. We are really excited to be a part of Foburg music festival this march in New Orleans as well as our SXSW trip this year. In between those gigs we have a special one that means a lot to us. We are opening for Caspian & Arms and Sleepers when they stop in New Orleans Tuesday March 16th @ The Dragon's Den. This is the poster below (compliments of Credible).
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I am huge fans of these two bands. They put out 2 of my favorite records of last year.

With that in mind
Here is our spring show schedule.

February

Tues. 2/9/10 - @ Circle Bar w/ I Octopus (after SAINTS parade Free)
Mon. 2/15/10 - Lundi Gras @ The Maison w/ Groovesect, Bionica, White Colla Crimes & Autotomii (Free)
Sat. 2/20/10 - @ Encore (Austin, TX) w/ We The Granada & Paper Shapes
Fri. 2/26/10 - @ Sadies (Lafayette, LA) w/ We The Granada & Wildfires
Sat. 2/27/10 - @ Banks St. Bar w/ We The Granada, Wildfires & Autotomii (Free)

March

Sat. 3/13/10 - Foburg Fest
Tues. 3/16/10 - Dragons Den w/ CASPIAN & ARMS AND SLEEPERS ($5)
Thurs. 3/18/10 - SXSW @ Plush (Austin, TX)
Fri. 3/19/10 - SXSW @ The Abstract House (Austin, TX)
Sat. 3/20/10 - SXSW @ 21st Co Op (Austin, TX)
Fri. 3/26/10 - @ Cafe Prytania w/ Female Demand & The Acropolions

April

Sat. 4/10/10 - @ Dragons Den w/ A Living Soundtrack, Shapes Like Dinosaurs & Rabbit

All the 60 seconds videos from these shows are posted below.

If your looking for some free music i have a few bedroom records I made available for free @ Loomis.bandcamp.com and there are some great free records of old New Orleans bands available at The Memory Farm.

Thanks for checking everything out.
-p

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-02-08T19:02:00.003-06:00

Episode #67 - Mobirming Bowl

Episode #66 - Tetris

Episode #65 - Big Things in BHAM

Episode #64 - Monstrous

Episode #63 - Venue Food

Episode #62 - Ridiculous Moments

2010-01-26T03:22:00.004-06:00

Episode #61 - Happy B-day Pat

Episode #60 - Offbeat Awards

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-01-20T00:43:00.001-06:00

Episode #59 - Dr. Cosby

Episode #58 - Light Recording

Starting 2010 off right

2010-01-18T12:35:00.005-06:00

2010 is turning out very nicely for the four of us in Smiley with a Knife so far.

Let's get to the important news first:
Live shows. March Madness.
We'll be heading to SXSW again this year to play some unofficial showcases, and the INCREDIBLE lineups that we'll be included on are starting to pour in. The bands that we'll be playing with on our trip out to Austin and San Antonio include:
Cast Spells
Tera Melos
Native
La Dispute
Look Mexico
Bad Rabbits
We the Granada

Before we head out to SXSW, we'll be playing a very important show here at home as well. We'll be opening for the world-traveled instrumental indie rock titans Caspian with their support Arms and Sleepers. Volpi and I got a chance to see Caspian last year at SXSW, and it was bone-crushingly amazing. Guitars were flying everywhere, and I'll exaggerate even farther to say that it seems like all of the gentlemen in that band are 7ft. tall.

So that's right... we're comin' to getcha! We'll be swimming with some serious acts this Spring, and it all starts this weekend at home with Caddywhompus.
We'll be hitting up the Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge with them on Friday. Together, we'll be opening up for Man Plus Building. Fantastic.
The next night, we'll skip on over to One Eyed Jack's in the Quarter and spend some time with the BLACKbELT Band. Oh, ooh baby!

This will be our first major show in New Orleans in quite some time and our first Baton Rouge show since the Summer. We've played some small rooms in the area over the past several months and blew our friend Samantha's fundraiser out of the water, but we'll be bringing the heat this weekend.

Beyond that, we'll have 3 more shows with Caddywhompus:
- Friday, January 29th at Artmosphere in Lafayette, LA
- Friday, February 5th at the Alabama Music Box in Mobile, AL
- Saturday, February 6th at Magic City Wholesale in Birmingham, AL
Here is a video flyer for all 5 of the shows that we have with them.

Also fun to note is that after our Lafayette show, we'll be meeting up with Big Rock Candy Mountain to help them close their tour out Saturday, January 30th, in Houston. That show will be at Mango's, and we'll have a video flyer episode ready for that early next week.

So it looks like we started this year off right on the booking end, huh?
We're movin' on up in this game and it's all thanks to your support!

Beyond that, we started the year off right by topping off our 60-second video series with an hour's worth of content. As always, you can track our progress as a group every other day here and via our every-other-daily video blog aptly titled "60 seconds with Smiley with a Knife every other day." . We're not exactly namesmiths - we save our creativity for writing music and editing video.

Among other great things this new year, our recording process is moving along swimmingly. We're continuing work on that in the next several weeks. If you check out episodes #51, #52, #53, and #58 you can gain a little bit of insight into some of the work that we've put into the new record so far. Sure, it's only 5 minutes of insight, but it's pretty insightful insight. You can see some of the shenanigans that we got into with our producer and our engineer who both work with me on a daily basis at the Music Shed studio in New Orleans. You can also watch us play with a light theramin, turning into 12-year-olds laughing at fart sounds all the while.

The main grunt work of our recording behind us, though, and it's time that we all start having personal, intimate moments together again. By that, I mean we're about to start playing live shows again and you guys should totally be there. But if you were excited in strange ways you've never felt before, keep in mind that Pat Bailey is single and loves video games, ladies. Me-ow!

We'll see you guys again starting this weekend!

- Jared / drums

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-01-15T11:55:00.004-06:00

Episode #57 - Smileywhompus

1/22/10 - Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge, LA
1/23/10 - One Eyed Jack's / New Orleans, LA
1/29/10 - Artmosphere / Lafayette, LA
2/05/10 - Alabama Music Box / Mobile, AL
2/06/10 - Magic City Wholesale / Birmingham, AL

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-01-14T11:49:00.001-06:00

Episode #56 - In The Oven

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-01-12T11:46:00.001-06:00

Episode #55 - 011110

Episode #54 - The Suitcase Monster

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-01-06T20:56:00.001-06:00

Episode #53 - Dogs and Roomba Time!

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2010-01-04T01:02:00.002-06:00

Episode #52 - Actual Productivity

Episode #51 - We've Reached An Hour!

Episode #50 - Pre Production

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-12-21T11:34:00.001-06:00

Episode #49 - Holy Shit Sam!

Benefit Show For Samantha!

2009-12-17T11:43:00.002-06:00

Episode #48 - Benefit for Samantha!

Friends of Smiley with a Knife,

We'll be heading into the studio next week to record. But before we do, we're going to play one last show for you guys at Hey!Cafe on Magazine street this Friday, December 18th. This show is very important to us because this show is to benefit our good friend Samantha Horn.

In 2007, she lost use of her legs and partial use of her hands in an accident. Her ultimate goal is to move back to the New Orleans area, but she would need improved mobility in order to do so. The "Roll 2 Walk" program is an aggressive physical therapy program that provides the education, environment, and exercise training necessary to help her achieve her goal of walking again.

Our goal is to raise $2,000 to help her pay for the "Roll 2 Walk" program. With your help, we can make that happen.
Here's the plan:
Greg Rodrigue of Fatter than Albert and Community Records now owns Hey!Cafe on Magazine St. (formerly Magazine Perks, next to Ms. Mae's)
We are going to set up in the middle of his tiny coffee shop, and we're going to play a full set.
The Rooks, The Craft Brothers, and Rabbit will all be doing the same starting at 7pm.
What we're asking you to do is to cram in around us, in front of us, next to us... heck - sit on my shoulders while we play if that's the only place you'll fit.
Wish Sam a happy birthday, and give her a little bit of money while you're squeezing into the last crevice of the room that you'll fit into.
Oh, and buy some coffee, "alternative beverages," food, or something from the art auction while you're at it.

If 100 people show up, we can pull this off at $20/head, which is feasible if you're eating, drinking, and showing some Christmas spirit.
If you're light on cash, the solution is simple - bring a friend! Your friend can help Sam out too! And hear us!

If you can't make it, you can donate online here:
http://www.communityrecords.org/news/?page_id=1562

Also, be sure to visit us every other day for our 60-second video series:
http://www.youtube.com/smileywithaknife

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-12-17T11:41:00.002-06:00

Episode #47 - The story of "Lucky Harms"

Episode #46 - Production Schedule?

Episode #45 - r2w4sh

60 Seconds w/ SWAK

2009-12-12T13:13:00.002-06:00

Episode #44 - Polish Night

Episode #43 - Tired Text

Episode # 42 - Our Wish for Samantha

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-12-03T17:08:00.003-06:00

Episode #41 - Happy Birthday Volpi

Live Vids 11/28/09 @ Bisbanos Lafayette, LA

2009-12-03T17:06:00.003-06:00

Egyptian Porridge

Sexy Butcher

As The Blade Drops

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-12-03T17:04:00.002-06:00

Episode #40 - Upload Day

Episode #39 - Shakin & Bakin

This week in shows...

2009-12-01T11:04:00.002-06:00

Coming off of an epic Saints victory last night, I'm sure you're all hungover (in the best way possible) and ready to take a breather tonight. Don't sink too deeply into the couch, though, 'cause we've got a huge week ahead of us.

Let's look at this backwards from Sunday.

Sunday, December 6th, we're playing at the Contemporary Arts Center for the 50 people 1 question event. If you haven't seen any of our promo for this, scroll down and take a gander at 60 seconds episode #37. We'll be playing a score that we wrote to an 8-or-so minute short film that digs into a simple yet complex question: If you could have anything by the end of the day, what would you wish to happen?

Also performing will be our good friends A Living Soundtrack and the Craft brothers performing a score by Chaz Knapp.

On Saturday, December 5th, our compadres in Antenna Inn will play their final show at One Eyed Jack's. Sad, yes. But I think cramped stages and stressed sound men across the city of New Orleans will all crack open a beer and enjoy the savory flavors of a job well done after this one.

The night before on Friday, a good many of those handsome Antenna Inn fellas will be backing a certain Mr. John Michael Rouchell. I hear his name is John Michael. As in... Michael isn't his middle name. That boy's got TWO FIRST NAMES! Neal Patrick Harris, you watch yourself, 'cause there's a new game in town!

So then there's Thursday. What could possibly happen on a Thursday worth getting excited about? Unwed Sailor. Our heroes. At the Allways Lounge. A pretty awesome dig. We'll see you there, I promise you. That means you have to go too.

Then there's Wednesday. This one is a toughie.
There's an all-instrumental show at Cafe Prytania. Our brothers, our partners in crime, those rascally kids in Rabbit are playing at Cafe Prytania. The AcropoLions and Charlie McGinnis' lit-on-fire saxophone in Autotomii are both playing as well.
BUT our boys in Caddywhompus are opening up for CURSIVE at One Eyed Jack's.

Jesus... what to do here.

Hmm... we're going to practice hard and party hard this week. If we don't see you out at one of these shows, we'll see you on Sunday at the CAC. Behave yourselves.

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-27T17:14:00.000-06:00

Episode #38 - Double Header!!!!

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-24T11:26:00.001-06:00

Episode #37 - 120 seconds of real work on 50p1q

Justin's Reeses French Toast

2009-11-21T12:47:00.003-06:00

French Toast + 2 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups + Syrup = Excellent

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-20T11:55:00.002-06:00

Episode #36 - 50 People, 1 Questionable Riff

Episode #35 - Volpi's Sweater

Episode #34 - Happy B-day Jared

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-11T16:47:00.002-06:00

Episode #33 - Stage Banter

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-09T11:24:00.002-06:00

Episode #32 - RIP Jerry Fuchs

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-05T11:20:00.001-06:00

Episode #31 - Russian Circles Field Trip

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-11-03T11:30:00.003-06:00

Episode #30 - The Beast

Episode #29 - SWAK's Fuzzy Math

Episode #28 - Jazzercise

Episode #27 - Maserati Re-Cap

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-10-21T11:53:00.001-05:00

Episode #26 - Beer & Anagram Night

A reflection on two years together, MASERATI

2009-10-19T23:15:00.009-05:00

Tomorrow, we'll be opening for Maserati at Maison Musique on Frenchman Street. BLACKbELT will be opening the show, and we'll be sandwiched comfortably in the middle.

Before I get into the gravity or sentimentality of what this opportunity means to us, let me brief those of you who are unfamiliar with Maserati:

Maserati is currently on Temporary Residence, the record label that nurtured Explosions in the Sky into the unstoppable icons of post rock that they have become. While Explosions in the Sky is familiar to and loved by the general public for creating spiritually epic sound scapes that possess the beauty of slow-moving twenty-ton icebergs, Maserati conquers that skill and dismisses it as quickly as their namesake Italian sports car can flee a Mafioso crime scene. While they look the same on the surface to a casual observer, Maserati is, quintessentially, Explosions' evil twin - behaving with a fiery temper and a rowdy spirit that rarely emerges from their distinguished brethren.

Maserati operates with the precision of a highly trained stunt car driver, as their name appropriately suggests. With their faces lit a cool blue from the light piercing through Jerry Fuchs's acrylic 70's era drum set, this band has a knack for placing its listeners in the drivers' seat of their fantasy car - that blue glow transformed from the most humble of stage lighting to the dim radiance of an odometer reading 150mph. With each delay-drenched guitar line, muscular bass riff, and fist-pounding drum beat zipping by, listeners can hear the helpless drone of police sirens trailing behind them. Their songs echo the emotions of fast-paced victory as they weave from lane to lane, shifting in calculated movements that push that song-car to the edges of what physics will allow. With every dripping ounce of pun and double entendre unashamedly intended, Maserati's sound can hardly be described more accurately than as "driving music."

Below is a video of a live performance of their song "Inventions."

We cannot stress how important this show is to us as a group since it is coming along at such an exciting time for us in our development as a band. This past September marked the second year since the rebirth of Smiley with a Knife as an instrumental indie rock group, and this October - heading into Halloween season - marks our second year of live performance together in this instrumental format.

It's amazing to see how far we've come together in just two short years from our first show in the living room of a Halloween keg party to having opened for an impressive array of flagship bands in our niche with yet another such opportunity staring us down as we enter our third year together. We have a number of strong moves planned ahead of us as we roll through to the end 2009, including plans for recording, videos, touring, and of course more of the beloved 60 second adventures that you've so enthusiastically shared in.

Before we start our legwork for the rest of this fall season and lay the groundwork for our next year's work, though, come out to Maison Musique tomorrow night to help us celebrate two successful years as Smiley with a Knife and a victory for the instrumental and indie rock communities of New Orleans as a whole by welcoming Maserati with all your hearts, all your souls, and all your dancing bodies.

60 Secs w/ SWAK #25

2009-10-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

Episode #25 - Avoid The Noid

60 Secs w/ SWAK

2009-10-19T11:40:00.001-05:00

Episode #24 - The Almost Perfect Episode

3 minute episode

2009-10-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

# 23 - We got crapped on

60 Seconds w/ SWAK

2009-10-07T17:45:00.002-05:00

#22 - Interview With A Volpire

#21 - The First 120 Second Episode

60 Seconds w/ SWAK

2009-10-04T01:59:00.002-05:00

Episode # 20 - The Maserati Announcement

Episode #19 - We Can't Be Interesting All The Time

Episode #18 - Birminghamin' It Up

Episode #17 - Injury Report For Friday

Episode #16 - Typos

60 Seconds w/ SWAK

2009-09-18T16:02:00.001-05:00

Episode #15 - Aluminum Cannon

Episode #14 - Feed Me, Seymore!

Episode #13 - Strobin'

Episode #12 - Lyrics?

Episode #11 - Banantics

Episode #10 - We're going to Lafayette on Friday

60 Seconds w/ SWAK

2009-09-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

Episode #9 - Brotherly Light

60 Seconds w/ SWAK

2009-09-05T13:07:00.002-05:00

Episode #8 - Riffs & Rubbage

Episode # 7 - Action Figures

Episode #6 - September Shows On Paper

60 seconds w/ SWAK every other day #5

2009-08-29T00:21:00.000-05:00

Episode #5 - cleaning before a show

60 seconds w/ SWAK every other day #4

2009-08-27T02:21:00.000-05:00

Episode #4 - Reading Rain-go-to-this-show

Zack Smith @ our 8/29 Carrollton Station show

2009-08-25T15:51:00.002-05:00

Zack Smith, photographer extraordinaire and drummer for beloved New Orleans indie rock staple Rotary Downs released the following statement in regards to the role he will be playing in our show this upcoming Saturday:

I will be setting up a very unique portrait project this Saturday, August 29th - on the 4 year Anniversary of Katrina.

I have customized an old sign to become a portrait light box and will be photographing individual faces at a show in New Orleans. This is not just any show, this collection of fairly new New Orleans rock ensembles exemplifies the new influx of experimental and unique rock bands Post-K. I think this fresh scene is just at
it's beginning, and I will be there to shoot the faces of this renaissance.

Big Rock Candy Mountain
w/ Smiley With a Knife
w/ Caddywhompus

--
Zack Smith

60 seconds w/ SWAK every other day #3

2009-08-25T02:10:00.000-05:00

Episode #3 - Pedal Bored

60 Seconds w/ SWAK every other day #2

2009-08-23T04:12:00.000-05:00

Episode #2 ---- Short People & Lesbians

60 Seconds w/ SWAK every other day #1

2009-08-23T04:06:00.002-05:00

Episode #1 ---- The Pilot Episode

Operation Kegger: Results

2009-08-02T15:21:00.002-05:00

The results are in!
Our Operation Kegger video contest was an absolute success.

In the end, it came down to two videos.
For the win, we have Kelle Ory and Andrew Landry's lego-themed video for "The Executioner Says" with a total of 3187 views at the time that we checked.

Take a moment to view their winning video here:

Kelle and Andrew are now entitled to the following:
- They get a party with Smiley with a Knife and 50 of their friends
- They get a credit on our next album for helping us record extra sounds (like claps, screams, etc.)
- They get guest list passes to all of our shows through the end of 2010
- They get some free merch
- We're going to be doing a little interview with them to stick up on the blog
- We're handing their video over to Static TV

Congratulations to the two of them. We want to thank them for all of the hard work that they put into their submission. It looks awesome!

Our runner up is Sarah Devlin, whose video features cut-outs of the four of us playing "As the Blade Drops," culminating with our decapitations. Her video had 770 views when we checked for the count.

Take a moment to view her video here:

Sarah put forth a valiant effort, and we cannot thank her enough. Her video is awesome! As a token of our appreciation, we're inviting her and a guest to the party, loading her up with merch, and giving her video to Static TV to show if they feel so inclined.

Now that Operation Kegger is done with and we've declared our winner(s), we'll be coming out of hiding with four new songs for you guys.
They are named as follows:
- Nine Out of Ten Butchers Think That's Sexy (or Sexy Butcher)
- Randy Newman Says "Quack"
- Either Oranges or Ether
- Cosmonauts are not so Cosby Nazi

Keep and ear out for these songs at our fall shows. There is plenty of room in each for the occasional "whoo," clap, or scream. They are also all very easy to hum or whistle along to. Dig it.

Writers' Block #1

2009-05-27T10:28:00.002-05:00

In case you've been wondering how our writing process has been going since our last show, here's what you have to look forward to when we start playing again in the fall:

Also, if you missed our last show, here's a tad bit of what happened:

While we continue to write, we urge you to keep working on your Operation Kegger videos for us. We're going to start taking submissions on Monday, but you can turn them in at any time you want - even on the day that we tally up the views if you want.

We've heard a lot of huffing and puffing from people who feel limited by equipment needs but have a flurry of ideas. We've heard a lot of grumbling from people who have video cameras and time but nothing in the cranium to get them started. This is why we urge you guys to team up!

Also, anybody with a Mac will have iMovie (which is what we edit the SWAK videos with, ha!). There are also a number of PC programs that you can download for free off the internet to help you edit your masterpieces. You don't have to have the cinematic eye of Hitchcock to win this thing. Just tape one of your friends kicking a bunch of old men in the nuts in the mall and slap that over one of our songs. Whatever works for you. We literally spend 15 minutes shooting most of our videos and about the same amount of time editing them.

And in case you have no idea what we're talking about with this Operation Kegger thing, you can find a full description here:
http://smileywithaknife.blogspot.com/2009/05/operation-kegger.html

Operation Kegger

2009-05-18T11:52:00.010-05:00

We talked about Operation Kegger a lot before our Tipitina's show.
It was always in cryptic terms. Always shady.

Well today, we're here to clear all of the rumors. We're here to explain what your mission as part of Operation Kegger is. Before we get into the nitty gritty of this, here's a little video to cover the gist of what this is all about:

Okay, so now that we've got that out of the way, let's get into the details:

The Music
- You can use any song on How a Reign Comes to an End that you choose.
- If you don't own a copy of How a Reign Comes to an End, you can purchase the full album or whichever song you choose to use via Amazon
- If you don't own a copy of How a Reign Comes to an End, and you're too cheap to purchase a copy, please steal it from one of your friends
- Please do not use material from our This is What Happens When EP or anything of ours that pre-dates that release.
- Please do not alter our songs - especially please do not add any lyrics

The Video
- The video content should be all original material. Make sure that nobody else owns the copyright to it.
- You can use material from http://www.archive.org/ if you really need to use pre-fabricated video footage. Just make sure that the videos that you use from there are in public domain.
- Basically, don't use any copyrighted material besides the songs from How a Reign Comes to an End
- A note regarding decency: we won't accept anything overly violent, grotesque, or pornographic.

So you've picked your song, shot your video, edited it, and you're ready to submit. What now?
Send an email to Smileywithaknife@gmail.com with the subject line "Operation Kegger Submission."
Be sure to include your name, age, location, and a link to your video.
We'll need all of this information so that we can determine the plans for your party if you win.
You can post your video online whenever you want, but we won't start looking for it in our email box until June 1st.

Yes, you read that correctly: plans for your party.
P-A-R-T-Y

If you get the most play counts by the time July 31st rolls around, we're going to do the following for you:
- Keg party (beer or root beer, depending on your age or preference) for you and 50 of your friends featuring a private performance
- Studio time with us to help record overdubs (crowd sounds, clapping, etc.)
- Guest list spots for the rest of 2009 and all of 2010 for EVERY show that we play. Each spot comes with a +1
- A copy of the new CD when it comes out. Yes, the one that you'll be on.
- Shirts, Stickers, Buttons, etc.
- Your video premiers as our Official Video for the song that you used at one of our Fall performances
- A video blog interview to be placed on our blog so that you can explain your concept, if you even had one

Sounds like a hell of a good time, right?
Well here's a few suggestions to help you on your way to partying like a low-rent rockstar:

- Make sure that whatever site you upload your video to keeps track of play count. We suggest YouTube. Myspace works as well; however, YouTube works on iPhones while Myspace does not.
- Vimeo has the best resolution on the web right now, but it doesn't keep track of play counts. If you would like to display your video on this site, we'd suggest holding off until after all of the plays are counted. Same with Facebook - they don't keep track of play counts either.

- If you work in teams, you will come up with better ideas, your video will get made faster, and you'll be able to spread it farther with more people behind it and pushing it.
-- Keep in mind, though, that if you work in groups, your guest list for the private party will still be 50 in total and not 50 per person.

- YouTube and Myspace both have areas for describing and tagging your video submissions. Once again, we recommend YouTube because they do not have a limit on the number of tags you can use while Myspace does.
- The more creative you get with your tags, the more searchable your video will become.

- Speaking of creativity, we suggest that you make your video incredibly creative. Come up with the most oddball concept you can think of.
- We also suggest that you make your video follow a story line that evokes a strong emotion. It seems like funny videos move up the ranks fastest, but your video doesn't have to be funny at all.

- The key to this is the get your video to move up the ranks. We will help you by posting links to your submissions on Twitter, Myspace, and Facebook, but we suggest that you take active steps to get your video noticed.
- Try submitting your video as a YouTube response to our video blog post.
- Email a link to the video to as many people as you can. See if you can get them to do the same for you.
- If you use Twitter, make sure that you build up some hype for your video on there.
- Create Facebook events inviting people to view your video.
- Submit your video as early as you can so that you'll have more time to let your play count rise.
- Pick a song from How a Reign Comes to an End that you think few others will use in their submissions. This may make your video stand out.
- Ultimately, you should try come up with a concept that will push itself. Remember that stupid "New Haircut" video on YouTube? It's hard to explain what that video has that makes people love it so much, but whatever it's got works.

Alright everybody - enough suggestions. We'll let you guys go on your merry way while we go off to write some more music for you!

Good luck everybody!

Keep it funky, Gucci

2009-05-11T00:19:00.005-05:00

It's absolutely amazing to us how people can speak so clearly and sincerely through their instruments. Sometimes a collection of the English dictionary's finest and most appropriate words with all of their definitions and connotations in tow are not enough to describe thoughts, emotions, and attitudes. This is why the four of us in Smiley with a Knife want to carry the flag of instrumental indie rock to the ears of all who understand this sentiment and agree so rabidly.

One thing that we've noticed in our journey through the world of instrumental indie rock is that, much like spoken language itself, the same phrases said by one individual can hold a vastly different meaning when used by another in the same tone and timbre. People with an advanced grasp of what they are capable of doing with their instruments have no choice but to release their inner being and personality through their appointed tools. Conversation is key, and the friends that influence us along the way help us to reflect upon the subtleties of our unique phrasings and styles as we observe theirs with bliss.

With this philosophy in mind, it is our great honor to announce that this upcoming Thursday, during our last performance before we begin our arduous writing journey, we will be inviting our dear friend Chris Guccione on stage with us to help us close out what has been a rewarding show season.

He eats and sleeps this shit, son.

Guccione's light-hearted, funky personality shines through in his playing in a way that is uniquely New Orleanean. He will be joining us with his unparalleled swagger during "... and There was a Pig Involved," cramming bounce and flare into every nook and cranny and adding pep to your step all along the way.

Oh no. You don't want to miss this.
Bring your dancin' shoes.

Next move: writing

2009-04-29T23:50:00.006-05:00

Our Monday show with Tera Melos, Caddywhompus, and NeckBeard was great.
That Nick Reinhart fella is a pretty photogenic guy. We were able to sneak this photo of him:

We played our asses off to a lot of new faces, which can mean only one thing - you guys have been spreading the word. Keep up the good work, 'cause we're going to need you to continue. We've got some really cool ideas coming up for you guys to chew on. Just you wait 'n' see!

What's next for us, though?
Well, since we've penned two new songs recently, we need to keep it up while we're on a roll. We know you guys aren't quite finished digesting How a Reign Comes to an End, but we've decided to go back into the kitchen to bake up some dessert.

We're playing one last show at Tipitina's with A Living Soundtrack and Antenna Inn (see the flyer below). That show is on May 14th, and it looks to be scrumptious.

After our Tip's show, we're going to be taking a break from the rigorous show schedule we've been keeping to write some new material. Expect to hear something a little faster, a lot thicker, a tad more epic, and a bit more conversational. You'll be in for some tasty digs - trust it, trust it.

Expect our show schedule when we return to be filled with wonderful new ideas and more diverse and exciting lineups.

Before we take this moment to creativise, we'd like to thank our sponsors:
- Every Louisiana and Texas instrumental band that we've met, helped, and been helped by over the past year and a half
- The Music Shed who has been gracious, generous, and enormously crucial in fostering nearly all of our productivity
- Our families and girlfriends who sacrifice quite a bit to help us make this all happen
- Jenny and Smokey for... being dogs... 'cause we love dogs
- And most importantly, You - for showing us unbelievable amounts of love and support, for being open-minded and willing to try new kinds of music, entertainment, and art, and for thinking that our wacky shenanigans are amusing and worth being a part of

We'll be posting more about the Tipitina's show soon. Until then, stay cool.

An episode of MTV's Cribs

2009-04-26T14:01:00.027-05:00

We're over here at the SWAK house waiting for Justin to come back from a hunting trip. He's got a caveman-looking club thing that he keeps in his car at all times that he claims is meant for hunting wild boar. Crazy. We're not sure if he uses only that club to hunt these huge beasts, but we're cool with it as long as he comes back with all of his fingers working.

Anyway, once our very own Ted Nugent comes back, we'll be heading off to practice to gear up for our opening set tomorrow. Not just any opening set, though. We're opening for TERA MELOS!

This show is going to be amazing.
Tera Melos puts on an action-packed show. Nick Reinhart's pedal trickery is a finely choreographed rain dance that seems to work every time as bassist Nathan Latona and newest member drummer John Clardy drip-drop syncopation from every pore of their being. Look them up on YouTube to get an idea of how crazy these guys are. They make it rain. Like woah.

With this wonderful opportunity comes a note of sad news, though. Our friends in Good Day for an Air Strike will be hanging their hats up after this show. If you've never seen them before, this will be your last chance to catch it.

This show is all ages and the rock solid lineup is as follows:
Doors at 6:30
Caddywhompus hits at 7p on the stage
NeckBeard barrels through next on the ground
Good Day for an Air Strike takes the stage for their final set
We'll do the pee-pee dance with you on the ground before Tera Melos destroys the stage with a bang and a splash.

In other SWAK news, we're in a bit of a transition phase right now.
As many of you may know, Jared's mother moved out of his house. Then Pat & Volpi moved in.

Along with Pat came Smokey, the grey Cairne Terrior on the bottom left, and along with Jared stayed Jenny, the red fox-looking Finnish Spitz that Jared is holding. We've got 6 TV's in the house due to varied circumstance, but they've gone greatly ignored because we've had so much fun watching these two characters interact.

Their only beef with each other comes at dinner time or when some owner-dog loyalty issue arises. Other than that, we've seldom had to exercise our conflict resolution skills.

We have a YouTube clip up right now that documents their first encounter with each other. Go check that out if you get a second.

Who wants to see the rest of the house?

Jared only moved 1 room over; however, he's still living in a bit of disarray.

He's the only one with an actual bed, though.

Pat is settled in with his PS3 and direct access to the backyard.

Volpi has also taken the box spring/mattress right-on-the-ground option.

Volpi lives his whole life very simply, though.

With all of the computers, TV's, dogs, and moving, he prefers the backyard and some non-required philosophy reading. Let's take a moment to make fun of him.

How 1880's of you...

Mmm, Nietzsche!
Dork.

Nice water bottle ya got there.
Dork.

Just you wait. We'll have a whole post of Justin's greatest hits: a revue of portraits au la Volpi. He'll be thoroughly made fun of soon enough.

Speaking of Justin and living simply, Justin doesn't pay any rent, but he'll be living HERE quite often, most likely.

The only truly clean part of our house right now is the backyard:
When we get settled in completely, we'll probably do a lot of video blogs back here.

If you need absolute proof that we're not settled in yet, there's still a lot of crap in our poor kitchen. :( We'll be putting in a lot of time here after practice to clean up, organize, and take tally of what we need to properly operate:

poor kitchen. :(

That's the closest to MTV's Cribs you'll get out of us. We'll try to get back to you on Tuesday with a re-cap of the Tera Melos show. Until then, try to stay cleaner than us and we'll work on the same.

Unwed Sailor Re-cap, other crazy stuff

2009-04-08T01:47:00.015-05:00

Last weekend was nuts. We opened up for Unwed Sailor and played in Lafayette... oh, and we played in Rob Landry's above-ground basement for his birthday.

Let's see here...
I've got a video from the Unwed Sailor show for you guys. It's right here:

When we went to Lafayette, A Living Soundtrack came with us. Perhaps it was their "scooby-doo song" floating in the air or the free coffee and cheap beer that Caffe Cottage offers to bands, but there were a lot of biscuits consumed on this outing. Where better for biscuit's than Mel's diner in the heart of Lafayette?

The ALS crew sat right in front of the dishwasher and made his job easy.

Clean plates o-plenty, and a badass shot of the four of them, too!
We ate more biscuits on the way home the next day at Cracker Barrel, but since all Cracker Barrels are the same, we felt no need to show you any pictures.

When we got back in town, we ran over to Rob Landry's for his birthday.
After we played a few of Rob's favorite SWAK songs, he tore the house down with his band NeckBeard. We took this very demon-like photo of him at the party:

By the way, if you haven't heard NeckBeard yet, they're super badass and you need to check them out. They're playing with us at the Tera Melos show (Monday 4/27 @ the HighGround) and at a show that our friends over at Southern Soundscape are putting on Friday at the Dragon's Den.

Speaking of this week at the Dragon's Den, we'll be playing there Thursday with Pumpkin and High in One Eye. That show starts at 7p. Do it.

BIG NEWS! TERA MELOS!!!!

2009-04-02T14:38:00.004-05:00

WE'RE OPENING FOR TERA MELOS!!!!
My girlfriend hates them, and understandably so because they're loud, fast, spastic, and make me drive like a maniac. And that's exactly why all of you in the rest of the world out there should love them.
Here's a live performance video with their new drummer, who - by the way - was INCREDIBLE at both shows that we saw at SXSW:

Anyway, March is over and April is now upon us.

Oh, what what... Our show with Unwed Sailor was great. Those guys are always a blast, and we're super stoked about being able to play with a group that we look up to so much. We took some video of that, which we'll be posting soon. Our boys over at Southern Soundscape will probably be posting some video of that soon as well.

Speaking of posting media to this blog, that should get a whole lot more frequent and easy from now on as I (Jared) have an iPhone now. Fancy shmancy pantsy, eh? Yes.

If you're going to be in Lafayette tomorrow (Friday, Apr 3rd), go to Caffe Cottage. We're going to be playing with a Living Soundtrack and Magic Legs. It will be sick, and you'll love it.

EDIT: hmm... i guess it would help to tell you when the Tera Melos show is, right?
all of our shows for April are as follows:

04/03/09 - Friday - 18+ - Lafayette, LA - @ Caffe Cottage w/ Magic Legs and A Living Soundtrack
04/09/09 - Thursday - All ages - New Orleans, LA - @ the Dragon's Den w/ Pumpkin and High in One Eye
04/11/09 - Saturday - 18+ - Mobile, AL - @ the Blind Mule w/ A Living Soundtrack and TBA
04/17/09 - Friday - 18+ - Baton Rouge, LA - @ the Spanish Moon w/ Spring Break Shark Attack and A Living Soundtrack
04/23/09 - Thursday - All Ages - New Orleans, LA - @ Satchmo's in Loyola Underground (FREE!) w/ High in One Eye and NeckBeard
04/25/09 - Saturday - 18+ - Athens, GA - @ the Globe w/ A Living Soundtrack and TBA

And the BIG ONE:

04/27/09 - Monday - All Ages - Metairie, LA - @ the High Ground w/ TERA MELOS!!!!!!!

We love Tera Melos to death. If you have no idea who they are, we hope that you check them out.
We love Tera Melos to death. If you know exactly who they are, then... HOLY CRAP!!! WE'RE PLAYING WITH TERA MELOS

Battle with the Flu

2009-03-24T11:05:00.016-05:00

Hello internets world.
Pull out your fruity drinks, kick your feet back, and let us tell you a thing or two...

yes, like that. exactly.

Our story begins in a place not so far away, in Anywhere, USA - a place called Katy, Texas - where the Smiley with a Knife boys stopped in at a Starbucks for some refreshments on their treck to South-by-SouthWest in Austin.

Deciding that a caffienated beverages would displease him, Jared decided he'd rather some juice. And so while wearing his girlfriend's sunglasses over his regular glasses and wearing a quite ridiculous Marine Corps shirt with a horrible pun sprawled across it, he thought it a fine idea to order a Large ("We don't have large," said the passive-aggressive Starbucks employee) Strawberries and Cream - under the impression that it was going to be strawberry juice with coffee creamer in it.

Oh, mocking ensued as he looked like the most fabulous log-cabin Republican of them all.

But all joking aside, Smiley with a Knife got back from SXSW earlier this week where we played a New Orleans showcase with our friends Magic Legs, Man Plus Building, Hat Talk, I, Octopus, and Caddywhompus among others. It was great fun. We squeezed ever-so-tightly into Snake Eyes Vinyl on the east side of downtown.

Here's what it looked like:

The rest of the time we spent there, we got to see Tera Melos twice and Maps & Atlases too! Both of those bands are heroes of ours, and we want very badly to be associated with the Sargent House group that they are on. Maybe one day, but it's not entirely necessary for us to chase after.

Aside from that, Volpi and Jared got the chance to see Look Mexico, Constants, and Caspian at Plush, the holiest-in-the-wall-iest venue that any of us saw in downtown Austin. That's kind of sad, because some of the places that we've played make Plush the Austin venue look pretty damn plush.

Oh. It's probably also worth mentioning that we saw one of the worst bands ever in the Pita Pit that we ate at while we were there, too.

Anyway, we were looking forward to playing in Hammond on Saturday night, but both of our guitarists came down with the flu. To all ye Hammond folk, we apologize profusely. We will reschedule and have great times and profound laughter. It was pretty bad, though - neither of them made it to work on Monday and we had to cancel our Sunday show at the Dragon's Den with buzz-machines DD/MM/YYYY as well.

Hopefully Pat and Justin be better by the time our show with Unwed Sailor comes around next week. Speaking of which, that's going to be March 31st at the Dragon's Den, 10p, with NeckBeard.

Bio Post

2009-03-09T22:02:00.004-05:00

Smiley with a Knife has the ingredients of a New Orleans institution. Raised in Algiers, childhood friends Michael Volpi, Patrick Bailey, and Justin Vicknair have been romping around the Westbank as or with members of New Orleans’ punk/ska legends Fatter than Albert for years. During Fatter than Albert’s 2005 summer tour just one month before Katrina, the three agreed to an experimental project that for nearly two years hosted a rotating cast of temporary drummers. When the group recorded at Loyola University in the fall of 2007, they recruited the recording session engineer, native New Orleans drummer Jared Marcell, to permanently fill out their lineup. Marcell, a Loyola Music Industry Studies student at the time, graduated the following year with a management position at the Music Shed recording studio and rehearsal facility already in store. Smiley with a Knife as it is today was born, and since then the group has managed to successfully sear its own brand of quirky yet sleek instrumental indie-rock compositions with a uniquely New Orleans flair.

Smiley With A Knife's first full length, How A Reign Comes To An End, debuted in November 2008 and has garnered praise from local and regional press. On their behalf, there has been a tireless effort to unite the instrumental groups of the South East into an organized regional movement. With the beginnings of this instrumental armada, Smiley With A Knife initiated the first annual New Orleans Instrumental Fest in March 2009, a week before their performance at SXSW. Aside from their impressive local allies, SWAK has had the honor of sharing the stage with such traveling talent as Unwed Sailor, Tera Melos, Native, HEALTH, Maserati, Arms & Sleepers and Caspian.

While instrumental rock certainly is not a novelty by any means, it is indeed a refreshing medium that has taken a strong hold in New Orleans, and Smiley with a Knife has lead that charge in recent years. Sans singer, instrumental musicians cannot hide: they can't cheat or "pull a fast one." The sounds that radiate from bare, basic instrumentation will collapse if not buffed and buttressed by true musical ingenuity. Smiley with a Knife has pondered these tenets and faced these challenges head-on. They brew together the classic with the new, lithely striding along with sonic hooks and anchors to keep their fans and “to be” fans captivated. They blend the upbeat, joined-at-the-hip bass and drum combo mastered by bands like the Meters with the chilled demeanor of a definitive modernity established by bands like Explosions in the Sky and Maserati. The skills of Patrick Bailey (guitar), Justin Vicknair (guitar), Michael Volpi (bass), and Jared Marcell (drums) lie in their ability to pay homage to their influences and forbearers without reinventing the wheel. Their innovation stems from their ability to temper their more jocular, tickling tunes with other more eerily emotive numbers.

In August 2010, Smiley With a Knife released their new album, Long Now. People say it's awesome.