Kendra Smith (born March 14, 1960)Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, is an American

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

who was a founding member of

The Dream Syndicate The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the b ...

, a member of

Opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silicon dioxide, silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% and 10%. Due to the amorphous (chemical) physical structure, it is classified as a ...

, and later recorded as a solo artist.

Biography

Smith,

Steve Wynn Stephen Alan Wynn ( Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He was known for his involvement in the luxury casino and hotel industry, prior to being forced to step down in 2018. Early in his care ...

and Russ Tolman met as students at

UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

, where all three had shows on KDVS. With Steve Suchil on bass, Gavin Blair on drums, Wynn and Tolman on guitars, and Smith on lead vocals, they formed a garage band called the Suspects, who released one privately pressed single. Smith and Wynn then formed

in 1981 and went on to record an EP and an album, with Smith playing

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, before she left in 1983 to join former Rain Parade guitarist David Roback in Rainy Day (she had worked with Roback before, providing backing vocals on the Rain Parade album '' Emergency Third Rail Power Trip''). Rainy Day released an album and a single in 1984 before Roback and Smith became a duo in the psychedelic-tinged band Clay Allison, later

.Phares, Heather " Kendra Smith Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'', Macrovision Corporation Opal only released one record, the ''Northern Line'' EP, and one album, '' Happy Nightmare Baby'', before they split up but had recorded enough material for the ''Early Recordings'' compilation.Strong, Martin C. (1999) ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', Canongate, Smith left Opal during the band's final tour and was replaced by

Hope Sandoval Hope Sandoval (born June 24, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. She has also toured and collaborated with other artists, including the Jesus and Mary Chain and Ma ...

, with Opal changing its name to

Mazzy Star Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal (band), Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal ...

after the tour. Smith formed a new band, The Guild of Temporal Adventurers, with Jonah Corey and A. Phillip Uberman,Ankeny, Jason " ''The Guild of Temporal Adventurers'' Review, ''

'', Macrovision Corporation who released an eponymous

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...

in 1992, with Smith playing the

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

. Her next release would not be until 1995 when the

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

label issued her debut solo LP, '' Five Ways of Disappearing'', described by ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' as "an impressive — and colorful — achievement".Schoemer, Karen & Robbins, Ira
Kendra Smith
, ''

'' Not much is known about her after the solo album came out except according to 4AD she had moved to the woods of Northern California in the early 1990s, living in a small cabin with no electricity, and returned there after making two appearances to promote the album. In 2017, Smith sang vocals on the last track on The Dream Syndicate's reunion album '' How Did I Find Myself Here?'', her first appearance on a musical recording since 1995, and returned with the Syndicate for her first live performances since Terrastock 2 in 1998. In 2018, she contributed the song “Moon Boat” to the soundtrack for the film ''

Leave No Trace Leave No Trace, sometimes written as LNT, is a set of ethics promoting conservation of the outdoors. Originating in the mid-20th century, the concept started as a movement in the United States in response to ecological damage caused by wilderne ...

''.

Discography

With Suspects

*"Talking Loud" 7" (1979)

With The Dream Syndicate

*''The Dream Syndicate'' mini-LP (1982) Down There ( UK Indie #25)Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, *''

The Days of Wine and Roses ''The Days of Wine and Roses'' is the second record and the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band the Dream Syndicate. It was released in October 1982 through Ruby Records, a division of Slash Records. Produced by Chris D. (o ...

'' (1982) Ruby/ Rough Trade (UK Indie #7) *''Tell Me When It's Over'' 12" EP (1983) Rough Trade (UK Indie #11) *"Kendra's Dream" from ''How Did I Find Myself Here?'' (2017)

Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. Founded by Andy Kaulkin, Anti- first gained attention by releasing Tom Waits's Grammy Award–winning '' Mule Variations'' in 1999. Other veteran recordin ...

With Clay Allison

*"Fell From the Sun" 7" (1984) Serpent

Kendra Smith and David Roback and Keith Mitchell

*''Fell From the Sun'' EP (1984) Serpent/Enigma ( UK Indie #16)

With Rainy Day

*''Rainy Day'' (1984) Llama/Rough Trade *"I'll Keep It With Mine" (1984) Rough Trade ( UK Indie #36)

With Opal

*"Northern Line" 12" EP (1986) One Big Guitar (UK Indie #17) *'' Happy Nightmare Baby'' (1987) SST *''Early Recordings'' (1989) Serpent/Rough Trade

With The Guild of Temporal Adventurers

*''Kendra Smith Presents the Guild of Temporal Adventurers'' mini-LP (1992) Fiasco

Solo

* '' The Guild of Temporal Adventurers'' (1992) Fiasco * '' Five Ways of Disappearing'' (1995) 4AD :"Alle Morgens Parties" from '' Cinnamon Girl/ Alle Morgens Parties'', The Dream Syndicate/Kendra Smith (1987) The Bob Magazine #31 (promo) :"Stille Im Meine Hamburg" from ''Stille Im Meine Hamburg/Clothesline'', Kendra Smith/Keith Levene & Hillel Slovak (1990) Overzealous Editions :"Bold Marauder" from ''All Virgos are Mad'' (1994)

:"Valley Of The Morning Sun" (1995) Warner Bros. (promo only) :"Heart and Soul" from '' A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division'' (1995) Warner Bros. :"Moon Boat" from ''

'' (2018)

References

External links

Kendra Smith
at discogs.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Kendra 1960 births Living people Musicians from San Diego 20th-century American singers American women rock singers American women bass guitarists Singers from California 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists 20th-century American women singers University of California, Davis alumni The Dream Syndicate members Rainy Day (band) members Opal (band) members 21st-century American women musicians