DUST is “a song for grief,” says Minnesota-based folk musician Kelley Smith. Moved by the loss of a loved one to cancer, Smith ruminates on the visceral longing for one’s physical presence after they’ve moved on. The smell of their clothes; the sound of their voice; the warmth of their skin.

Written beside an open window in springtime, she crafts a landscape for the griever’s imagination: A rising and setting sun; birdsong; flower beds. Dust welcomes listeners to have mixed feelings; a juxtaposition of hope, and the despair of longing for something that can no longer be grasped.

Spoken words have never come easy for Smith. Raised in the woods of MN by musicians, she had always been musically inclined, but it wasn’t until her late 30’s that she began songwriting. She did so as a practice in freeing herself from social anxiety. “I was tired of being tongue-tied,” she says, “…I just wanted to paint little word pictures of what was in my head with no pressure to be profound, or correct or catchy. Just me, my soul, coming out.” 

When she posted a video of DUST, freshly written, on the internet in the early days of the pandemic, she caught the attention of producer Joel Schwartz, who suggested they make an album. Dust is the song that started Smith down the path of recording music, and so it seems fitting that it should be her first release.

Moon Child

Dust

Folk Musician
From the North Country, USA

Moon Child EP out 11/14/22

Kelley_Smith