Mike Smith died on January 18, 2006, after a fall from a ladder in his woodworking studio. He played with our band, Round the House, for seven years, and with Sharon and Dave for several years before that. Performing and playing with other musicians brought enormous joy to his life. Although he rarely spoke on stage, no one could see him perform without understanding how absolutely present he was. Mike was always there and always molding to the musical moment. It was his fine touch and unique chord voicings that formed the backdrop for everything else we did as a group while he played with us. It is really hard to believe he is gone and we will miss him always.
Beyond music, Mike was an elegant, thoughtful, kind man who lived his life to the fullest, made beautiful things everywhere he went and approached each day with cheerful optimism and spirit. He was a full participant in life - constantly embarking on new projects and he spoke enthusiastically about each and every thing he was involved in. He expressed that positive attitude in every conceivable situation - whether talking about his latest home improvement plan, creative projects for clients and friends, a new piece of sound gear, a session in the recording studio or plans for upcoming gigs with Round the House. Mike had a wonderful habit of calling each of us after nearly every performance, just to say how much he enjoyed it, what a great job we did, how warm the audience was, or some other positive thought.
Mike really liked small sessions the best, where you could really hear all the instruments playing. He tailored his part to fully support whatever the melody was doing. He would listen and play something totally complementary, all while giving you a big smile that said, 'This is what it is all about.' When we went on the road, Mike and Dave would often end up in good acoustic music shops. Dave would find a nice mandolin, and Mike would try all the good guitars. At one shop in Durango, Colorado, the owner of the store kept bringing out guitars from his private collection for Mike to play, and we would just crank tunes with one guitar after another. It was a great way to spend an afternoon with Mike.
Mike was devoted to his lovely companion Cate Bradley, and was a proud father to his son Josh and newly acquainted with his sweet grand-daughter Sofia. As Cate said..."Mike died with no regrets. I know that because he lived every day to the fullest, and that's the gift he left me.... Every day, Mike said, 'I love you' to me. That was one of the most important things in his life, to say that, and to make time to relax and to cherish his beloved cup of coffee that he nursed all day. He just was a very present fellow."
We hope when you listen to our CD's "Keep This Coupon" and "Til the Wee Hours," you can take a moment to appreciate the fine guitar playing of Mike Smith. We are so glad that our CD's carry his music forward. It was our honor to play with him and he will always be in our hearts.
