Smith’s Cloud steps up to the Lincoln music scene

For the past year, Travis Bossard and Evan Todd have been meticulously sculpting the sound of their new folk-rock creation, Smith's Cloud.

The band's lyrical impresario, Todd, has spent his musical career as a drummer in various local bands, but with Smith's Cloud, he has unleashed his inner singer-songwriter with fantastic results.

Smith's Cloud's first album, "A Change of Days," took the band more than a year to record. During those long hours spent in Bossard's basement recording studio, the band developed a musical rapport that allowed for whimsical creations to spring from their eager, harmonious minds.

"When I'm writing something, I have a certain sound in my head for the song," Todd explained, "and Travis is great about helping to translate those ideas into reality."

Smith's Cloud was initially a duo consisting of Todd and Bossard, but six months ago the band added Mick Szydlowski on bass, Mike Janssen on keyboard and Joe Heider on drums for their live performances. Even though Smith's Cloud's emergence on the Lincoln music scene is a recent development, the process of constructing the band is years in the making.

Bossard and Todd have known each other since adolescence.

"We played ‘Stairway to Heaven' at a middle school talent show." Todd said with a laugh.

When listening to Todd and Bossard discuss their musical and personal relationship, a great admiration is evident between the two. This mutual respect helps bolster the creative environment that allows Smith's Cloud to thrive.

"Last year when Evan approached me with these songs, I was really intrigued." Bossard said. "I had been working on film scores, and Evan came to me and asked if I'd help him flesh out these new songs he wrote."

The resulting album plays like a bold and beautiful soundtrack for American life. The lyrical content and instrumental arrangement conjure up comparisons to Neil Young, Bon Iver, and some of Bright Eyes' less whiny stuff, but in the end, Smith's Cloud is in a class all their own.

The band's next show is this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Bourbon, 1415 O St. The band has only played a handful of shows in the past few months, including a notable performance at Duffy's Tavern with Oregon-based indie band, Archeology. This newly formed live band means that Smith's Cloud is still discovering its onstage potential and as with any new band, every new show brings more confidence.

"It's hard for me to gauge how a show's going during the performance." Todd said. "I really just try to just focus on the lyrics instead of worrying too much about the technical aspects of it."

When watching the band practice in Travis' basement, Todd's influence on the band is evident. He is the creative ringleader of Smith's Cloud, but his presence is never harmful. As the band's primary songwriter and singer, Todd knows how he wants his songs to sound and he instructs the band when creative input is needed. Halfway through one song, Todd stopped the band and calmly told them the tempo was too fast and they needed to restart it. His tone was quiet and respectful and his demeanor was calm. The band replayed the song and corrected their mistake.

During their rendition of Bill Withers classic tune "Grandma's Hands," Todd winced and belted out the soulful lyrics like a man on a mission. His guitar playing was smooth and expressive, and Bossard's accordion playing added an impressive dimension to the typical folk-rock sound.

Smith's Cloud plays their music with pride and excitement. During their song "Chicago," Bossard and Todd were so in sync with each other that it was hard to differentiate their live performance from the album version.

With a few shows and a solid album under their belt, Smith's Cloud is starting to find their place in the Lincoln music scene. Travis and Evan's personalities are mellow and welcoming, much like their music. They relish the music they've created and they are excited at the possibilities for the future.

When reflecting on the creation of the band and their first record Todd said, "I remember saying to (Travis), ‘Let's make a record, there's no reason we shouldn't and there's no reason that it can't be good.'"

The album is indeed good, and if their first album is any indication of things to come, Smith's Cloud is poised to become one of the best bands on the Lincoln music scene.

matthavelka@dailynebraskan.com