The Jesse Ray Smith Interview: That Bay Area Sound, Music as a Way to Cope, and the Definition of a Great Album

Today we have Jesse Ray Smith. He’s a singer-songwriter out of California. His sound is reminiscent of those famous crossovers from the 70s like Fleetwood Mac, Joe Cocker, Eagles, and Jackson Browne with a fresh take. It’s not a carbon copy of that sound, but a resurgence with creative compositions, lyrics, melody and production good enough to rival. Basically they’re just good songs. We’re ecstatic to have Jesse Ray Smith.

Chapters

• 0:14 Introduction
• 0:44 Marin County and the Bay Area Music History
• 4:30 USC SanDiego
• 5:20 Music to Cope with a Parent's Addiction
• 7:57 Love for Songwriting
• 9:00 North Star Lesson from a Fellow Songwriter
• 10:35 The Album Back to Yesterday
• 15:11 Definition of a Great Album
• 17:27 Being Free of "If Only Moments"
• 19:08 Best Work Comes in Times of Need
• 21:38 Single "The Show"
• 26:28 Outro
• 26:56 Clip from Next Week's Interview