Page 32 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 107

BV107 pg 30-35 Tuk Smith centre.qxp_BV107 pg 32 02/12/2022 21:56 Page 3

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Though, when we ask what advice he’d give to other Tuk explains, “I can’t get into it too much about why
lost souls, he replies, “I don’t know, I’m definitely not a I left my other label, but I left and they took the album,
role model, by any means. I don’t have any fuckin’ ad- and the album was shelved, and I had the option to shop
vice. I used to cope with a lot of drugs and alcohol, to the album to labels, to buy it back, and nobody wanted
keep me kind of numb to it. It wasn’t sustainable, so, it. And it was a really big, commercial, bad-ass, rock ‘n’
what keeps me grounded nowadays is writing songs roll sounding record. It was produced by Rob Cavallo.
and producing bands, and trying to be as creative as It was great, and I think people would really love it, but
possible. That’s what keeps me grounded… Creativity.” no labels, especially coming out of the pandemic,
wanted to touch a guitar rock record, because there’s
uk has definitely been very creative of late – and just not a big audience. It’s more of a risk. So, as soon
Tthis is infinitely better than drugs and alcohol. as I accepted the realisation that nobody was going to
Songs such as ‘Ain’t For The Faint’ on ‘Ballad Of A Mis- buy back the shelved record, I called my manager and I
spent Youth’ are proof of that. Tuk’s creativity comes said, “I’m going to go and record six songs. I’m going
from the heart, showing honesty and vulnerability. to put it on my credit card. I’m going to press up some
He sings ‘Got no direction home, like I’m stranded vinyl and sell it myself, because, at the very least, on my
on my own’. We ask Tuk to tell us about some of the mo- death bed, I’ve got to know that I, at least, just put out a
ments when he’s felt stranded on his own in music. solo record,” because it’d been three-something years
“I didn’t really choose what I wanted to do. You can’t in the making. So, I recorded the six songs and ordered
help what you want to be,” he says. “You can’t help who the vinyl and in between that time, over the year, my
I’ve set myself on a path to try and really change who I am as a person. I
know it sounds cheesy, but I did a lot of things to try and change who I am

because I didn’t like who I used to be” - Tuk Smith

you love. And, for some reason, I don’t know what manager and Marti ended up getting a subsidiary label
drives me to continue to want to make music. It’s not through Universal, and they were like, ‘We’ve got to put
like going to college and getting a degree and then you your record out,’ because their whole stance on their
get a job. There’s no set path, and you are kind of out label is they want to put out music that they like. And
on your own. I have a great team of managers, but, es- they want to put out a rock ‘n’ roll record, and I already
pecially the last couple of years, I’ve felt very, very lost had it made.
– like a lot of people did, because of the pandemic, but “I’ve written some songs with Marti and he’s an awe-
also as being an artist, you’re trying to find your place some guy and super-talented, he’s got a great studio to
in this world right now. Is it important or not? And, I work out of. And John Greenberg, my manager, has
think, anybody that chooses an alternative career path been with me through thick and thin, since Biters, and
or is an outsider or anything, probably feels like that, so he’s stuck by me. It means a lot to me to be able to put
you’ve kind of got to be willing to take a lot of risks to out a record with people who believe in me. It’s just a
live this lifestyle.” great team and it was all for the love of it. There were no
In ‘Ain’t For The Faint’, he sings about blood and pre-conceived notions, no A&R’ing to death, it was just
tears, but says he hasn’t cried about music. a very pure process. And they’re an indie label. It’s not
“No, that’s definitely metaphorical. I’m not much of some big thing. Hopefully, it’ll turn into that. It’s just
a crier. When my dog died, when my best friend died re- great to have people that believe in you.”
cently, and things like that, yes, I cry, but, to me, the
blood, sweat and tears is metaphorical. Metaphorically, year or two ago, Tuk picked up sticks and de-
I’ve cried a lot of tears. A lot.” Acided to move to Nashville. Nashville is known
A lot of people don’t realise how much blood, sweat as music city and is the home of country music, but also
and tears does actually go into being a musician. is home to all sorts of songwriters and musicians from
Tuk agrees, “I think, today, with the same way Hol- all sorts of musical genres: rock, pop, Americana, blue-
lywood kind of glamorises being a doctor or a police of- grass, gospel, jazz, blues and more.
ficer or a drug dealer or whatever the story, everything Tuk tells Black Velvet that he moved there because
is glamorised. A lot of the rockumentaries and movies his band was there, “so it’s really good to be next to
that come out are not an accurate portrayal or what them”. He adds, “I think that the thing about Nashville
being a musician is, especially nowadays. I’m not being is there are so many talented songwriters and musi-
negative; there are a lot of things I’m super-blessed for cians and people who are really, really diehard musi-
and wouldn’t change it, but, yeah, there are difficulties, cians. It’s just very inspiring to me to be around this
more than ever, being an artist. I don’t think it’s sup- element, so I enjoy it. And it’s a beautiful city and super-
posed to be easy, though, because it kind of weeds out fun, and there are studios and bands playing every
the lifers very quickly.” night. There’s a great rock ‘n’ roll scene here, so it’s just
So, what has kept Tuk going on, being a committed a healthy place to be for a musician.”
lifer, when he’s had a setback? What has given him Has anyone inspired him lately, we ask, musicians
hope? or otherwise?
He replies, “If you want me to be completely honest, “I don’t know if anyone in particular,” he replies,
I have no fucking clue what drives me. Sometimes I go, “but I’m always looking for people, it could be a musi-
‘Why can’t I be a ‘normal’ person?’ And I don’t know if I cian or an actor, somebody I meet, that is able to keep
have this message I need to get out, I don’t know if, at their composure when times are really, really hard and
this point, I’m just running on autopilot. It’s really, really continue to keep the faith in themselves no matter what,
weird, but, to me, it’s almost, to get this record out, after because it’s really easy… I can watch Rocky and be in-
I’ve been through so much the last couple of years, just spired, you know, just a movie or something, but I’m at-
to get it out is a victory unto itself. Whether people like tracted to the underdog and I’m very attracted to people
it or not, just that it came to reality is a victory. So, I’m that are self-made, that really didn’t come from a lot, that
happy about that.” were able to build their visions to reality. Anything like
that is inspiring to me.”
he album was released on November 4th on
TMRG (Music Recording Group) – Marti Frederik- n ‘Forgive But Won’t Forget’, the eighth and final
sen and John Greenberg’s label imprint. Tuk has said Isong on the album, Tuk sings ‘I was always the
that the album is a testament to the human spirit and one who was hell-bent on revenge, until I learned it’ll
the underdog. wash out in the end.’ We ask how he learned that it’ll
TUK SMITH & THE RESTLESS HEARTS