Derek Smith opens up his extended storytelling universe with ‘Rubedo’
Boston singer-songwriter and Cosmic Vultures frontman leans into the world around him on enchanting debut album
‘Rubedo’ is led by the magnetic first single ‘Fire In The Forest’: Listen on Spotify
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist
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BOSTON, Mass. [March 1, 2023] -- Some artists create because they hope to inspire those around them. Others create because they simply have no choice. For Derek Smith, his debut solo album was initially inspired from a little bit of both. The Cosmic Vultures frontman ventured out on his own terms this past December, self-releasing his debut solo album Rubedo, a spark of creativity that needed to be conceived, nurtured, and then unleashed.
The story Rubedo began at his Massachusetts home, Smith casually fiddling around on the couch with an acoustic guitar and a brain filled with melodies and lyrics. It quickly led the songwriter down a new path of collaboration, with producer and engineer Jonathan Chesbro alongside a host of familiar collaborators, that unearthed something new inside him.
“Rubedo is for daydreamers,” Smith says. “Those of us with our heads in the clouds. Maybe it’ll inspire someone to grab an instrument and create something. Maybe it’ll sit in the abyss of albums that are just kind of there to listen to when you want something different to hear. All I know for sure is that I love doing what I am doing.”
That love for his craft and the songs that swirl with ease through his mind and out into the wild is nothing new. With The Cosmic Vultures, Smith kept busy as the funky psychedelic band released full-length albums in 2018, 2020, and 2021, as well as four new singles hitting the streams this year and last. But Smith had something else brewing deep inside of him – not the least of which were an abundance of raw, almost primal songs he needed to see through to fruition.
Now Rubedo is available on all major streaming platforms. He may not have expected the immediate reaction – lead single “Fire in the Forest” has amassed more than 15,000 streams on Spotify through purely organic, word-of-month, playlist-adding means – but he was anxious to get these songs out and heard by the masses. And what he was crafting – compositions born from an acoustic guitar, then fleshed out into territories that line the edges of folk-pop, alt-rock, and classic rock – were entirely of his own manifestation, deserving of his name on the art as a bold, solo declaration.
“I have such a backlog of music that hasn’t been properly recorded or released, I decided it was time to do some spring cleaning,” Smith admits, adding he has volumes of new songs – and even albums – ready for release when the time is right. “The Cosmic Vultures have a slow but steady pace when it comes to releasing music. But I just need to get out a couple of albums within a 12 month period to feel accomplished. Maybe it’s crazy – but it works out in my head.”
It starts with Rubedo, an 11-track opus that positions Smith’s songwriting lens out towards the world around him. Its storylines evoke feelings of youth, memories, and warm environments we can only return to mentally; Smith wants his music to transport us to far away-places, far from the chaos and aggression of the modern world as he illustrates real people dealing with real circumstances. The folk-like nature of the songs extends a certain delicate nature that is belied by the more serious undertones of the lyrics at play. From “The Ludwig Brothers” taking a sonic cue from dreamy ‘90s alt-rock to the guitar-driven folk-pop trance of “Hangman” opening a lyrical portal to the dark web.
Smith summarizes the breadth of lyrical content with relative ease: “Rubedo deals with childhood, wearing masks in public (more about hiding who you are, not Covid-related), a person’s thoughts before their execution, the fear and excitement of moving to a new location and starting over, snaring at wealthy people who think they are better than you, a grandfather and a grandson’s relationship when family breaks down, a Tarantino theme and just some thoughts on human nature and our inevitable end.”
It’s weighty stuff, but that’s by design. And perfectly appropriate for an album that takes its title from a Latin word meaning “redness.” According to the internet, “Rubedo” was adopted by alchemists in the 15th and 16th century to define the fourth and final major stage in their magnum opus. It jumped out to Smith as the overarching title that bounds each storyline to a higher definition, and sets a stage for what’s to come.
“I was reading about an old alchemic practice called the Magnum Opus or the ‘Great Work’. They basically believed that you could use certain materials to create the philosopher’s stone. The elixir of life or turning mercury into gold or silver,” Smith says. “Yes, it’s mythical… but I always hoped there was some truth to it. One of the steps was to ‘redden’ the materials and I believe the Latin word for it was ‘rubedo’. The word stuck with me for years as well as the concept. Its mystic aura and ties with occultism has always fascinated me. One day I will write my ‘opus’ – I hope. But I felt that Rubedo is a step toward something bigger.”
Helping Smith take that step with Rubedo is Chesbro, one of his closest friends and musical confidants. Chesbro would collaborate and conspire with Smith daily over each of Rubedo’s tracks, their conversations usually starting with mixing and eventually shifting towards life in general. Nothing was out of bounds, nothing to crazy an idea, the two friends linked through the internet and other modern means of close communication. It added a gravitas to the crafting of the record – an alchemy, once again – where the two focused on keeping the sound crisp and spacious, where each note or chord existed in its own galaxy, part of the larger Rubedo universe.
From there, the collaborations fell into place; Smith contributed all the vocals and rhythm guitar, adding percussion and Peruvian cajon to select tracks. His Cosmic Vultures bandmates, Dylan Gagnon and Steve Constantino, added lead guitar and bass, respectively, to a handful of songs; with Jeff Dafonte also contributing guitarwork, and Renegade Cartel’s Stephen Damon-Tilley providing bass. What was born as a solo project was actually a collaborative affair amongst those Smith trusts to bring his vision – and abundance of thoughts-turned-compositions – to life.
“I picked people based on what they bring to the table musically,” Smith adds. “I could have used my extremely talented drummer Dalton DeLima on this record, but I decided against going with a full acoustic drum kit and ended up using my cajon on a couple tunes. I wasn’t able to get my insanely talented guitarist Michael Strakus on this record due to timing and scheduling issues, but I was able to grab a few other band members: The melodic genius on guitar, Dylan Gagnon, and the musical prodigy bassist Steve Constantino. Dylan and Steve added a lot on several tracks and I am so grateful for them. My friend from Renegade Cartel, Stephen Damon-Tilley, dropped some bass on a few tracks and I was able to get Jeff Dafonte to play lead guitar on several tracks. All of these guys are great and added so much flavor to these songs.”
And now they are out into the wild, a new batch of songs already coming into creative view. Because that’s what Derek Smith does. He’s a storyteller, he’s a songwriter.
“I want people to hear what I hear and feel what I feel,” Smith concludes. “I hope this record reaches a lot of people. And I hope they take the journey.”
Media Contact: Reach Derek Smith directly at serderek12@gmail.com.
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‘Rubedo’ album artwork:
Design Credit: Derek Smith
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‘Rubedo’ track listing:
‘Fire in the Forest’
‘Orangedream’
‘Hangman’
‘Golden Gardenias’
‘Somewhere in New Hampshire’
‘Taking a Train’
‘Cold Coffee Lullaby’
‘Love and War/All the Fools’
‘Sun and Moon’
‘The Ludwig Brothers’
‘The Ending’
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‘Rubedo’ credits:
All songs written by Derek Smith
Produced, mixed, and mastered by Jonathan Chesbro
Vocals and rhythm guitar by Derek Smith
Lead guitar by Dylan Gagnon on ‘Fire In The Forest’, ‘Orangedream’, ‘Somewhere in New Hampshire’; ‘Taking a Train’, and ‘Cold Coffee Lullaby’
Lead guitar by Jeff Dafonte on ‘Hangman’, ‘Love and War/All the Fools’, and ‘The Ludwig Brothers’
Bass by Steve Constantino on ‘Orangedream’; ‘Taking a Train’, ‘Love and War/All the Fools’
Bass by Stephen Damon-Tilly on ‘Hangman’ and ‘The Ludwig Brothers’
Cajon and percussion by Derek Smith on ‘Hangman’, ‘Taking a Train’, ‘Love and War/All the Fools’ and ‘The Ludwig Brothers’
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Derek Smith Full Press Photo:
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Press and Artist Contact: serderek12@gmail.com