Dakota Smith of Peel
Where plugging comes with a price
Victoria Renard
People are always asking us to help plug something of theirs—an upcoming show, a new record, some book they wrote. Because we’re not in the pandering business, we think there should be a trade-off. Debaser allows these folks to plug whatever they want, with one caveat: They also have to tell us something embarrassing about themselves. This week, Dakota Smith of local band Peel promotes this weekend's MakeMusic TalkMusic party and reveals what he and Britney Spears have in common.
Decider: What's happening with Peel during this year's SXSW that's different from any other?
Dakota Smith: Well, one thing is we're actually going to be attending shows this year. In years past, we've played more shows than days of SXSW. Now what we want to do is actually enjoy it. You can take it a lot easier as a local anyway, because you're sleeping in your own bed. We just want to hang with our friends from out of town and catch up, and we're having a party during Interactive on Saturday. I really like playing SXSW Interactive. “SXSW Music” is sort of like saying “SXSW Cassette Tape.” It's probably going to end up being similar.
D: Obsolete?
DS: It's possible. So, we're playing at the Beauty Bar with Neiliyo and...MVSCLVZ? I know his music, but I don't really know how to pronounce his name. John-Mike Reed of Bleep Labs will be there with Thingamagoop, and some filmmakers and artists are playing videos. It all leads into rebuilding our website. We're going to have all of our albums posted there, two EPs, and a couple of live shows.
D: According to your bio, you're the “honky-tonk cowboy” in the band. Is that still true?
DS: That's still definitely there. I still want to put together some kind of honky-tonk band. There are elements in country music that sit in a part of my musical heritage. There's this despair or sorrow built right into it. It's really easy for me to go there. Country music is about things going wrong—things you didn't foresee, like being home by yourself on a Saturday night.
D: Do you listen to much contemporary country?
DS: Contemporary country is a different animal. But I'm friends with San Antonio’s Two Tons Of Steel. Their guitar player and I have had several sessions together. I like The Black. I think they pull off a good honky-tonk sound. I listen to the old stuff. Today, before I came here, I was singing Kris Kristofferson songs. Even older stuff, like Ray Price, or Faron Young, or any of the old Texas country music is great.
D: We've lulled you into a false sense of security. Now it's time to humiliate yourself.
DS: When I was 20 or 21, I made these T-shirts that read “I Kissed The Dakota Smith,” and went to this art show in San Antonio where these friends of mine had an installation. I was going to hijack it, and I was giving out these shirts to people if they kissed me—because I was 20, and it seemed like the thing to do. I met this girl that night, and the next day we ran off to Vegas and got married. That was really hard to explain in the aftermath. I just dropped her off in San Antonio afterward and came back to Austin. We'd only seen each other maybe three or four times after that. My mom was freaking out; it was a disaster. I eventually got it annulled, because after I saw Britney Spears’ wedding in Vegas, I knew I could go to the judge and explain, “Well, I also got married in Vegas and want it annulled.” That worked out really well. I still have the marriage certificate. I should frame it to remind me that sometimes things have repercussions. I don't embarrass very easily. There are a lot of other embarrassing things I've done in my 20s, but this is the most shameful one: marrying a stranger.
Dakota Smith: Well, one thing is we're actually going to be attending shows this year. In years past, we've played more shows than days of SXSW. Now what we want to do is actually enjoy it. You can take it a lot easier as a local anyway, because you're sleeping in your own bed. We just want to hang with our friends from out of town and catch up, and we're having a party during Interactive on Saturday. I really like playing SXSW Interactive. “SXSW Music” is sort of like saying “SXSW Cassette Tape.” It's probably going to end up being similar.
D: Obsolete?
DS: It's possible. So, we're playing at the Beauty Bar with Neiliyo and...MVSCLVZ? I know his music, but I don't really know how to pronounce his name. John-Mike Reed of Bleep Labs will be there with Thingamagoop, and some filmmakers and artists are playing videos. It all leads into rebuilding our website. We're going to have all of our albums posted there, two EPs, and a couple of live shows.
D: According to your bio, you're the “honky-tonk cowboy” in the band. Is that still true?
DS: That's still definitely there. I still want to put together some kind of honky-tonk band. There are elements in country music that sit in a part of my musical heritage. There's this despair or sorrow built right into it. It's really easy for me to go there. Country music is about things going wrong—things you didn't foresee, like being home by yourself on a Saturday night.
D: Do you listen to much contemporary country?
DS: Contemporary country is a different animal. But I'm friends with San Antonio’s Two Tons Of Steel. Their guitar player and I have had several sessions together. I like The Black. I think they pull off a good honky-tonk sound. I listen to the old stuff. Today, before I came here, I was singing Kris Kristofferson songs. Even older stuff, like Ray Price, or Faron Young, or any of the old Texas country music is great.
D: We've lulled you into a false sense of security. Now it's time to humiliate yourself.
DS: When I was 20 or 21, I made these T-shirts that read “I Kissed The Dakota Smith,” and went to this art show in San Antonio where these friends of mine had an installation. I was going to hijack it, and I was giving out these shirts to people if they kissed me—because I was 20, and it seemed like the thing to do. I met this girl that night, and the next day we ran off to Vegas and got married. That was really hard to explain in the aftermath. I just dropped her off in San Antonio afterward and came back to Austin. We'd only seen each other maybe three or four times after that. My mom was freaking out; it was a disaster. I eventually got it annulled, because after I saw Britney Spears’ wedding in Vegas, I knew I could go to the judge and explain, “Well, I also got married in Vegas and want it annulled.” That worked out really well. I still have the marriage certificate. I should frame it to remind me that sometimes things have repercussions. I don't embarrass very easily. There are a lot of other embarrassing things I've done in my 20s, but this is the most shameful one: marrying a stranger.
