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

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

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 silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms ...

, and later recorded as a solo artist.

Biography

After one privately pressed release with Suspects in 1979, Smith formed

in 1981 with

Steve Wynn Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...

, and went on to record an EP and an album as

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

with the group before leaving in 1983 to join former

Rain Parade The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012. History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86) Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...

guitarist

David Roback David Edward Roback (April 4, 1958 – February 24, 2020) was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star. Early life Roback was born on April 4, 1958 and raised in Los ...

in Rainy Day (she had worked with Roback before, providing backing vocals on the Rain Parade album ''

Emergency Third Rail Power Trip ''Emergency Third Rail Power Trip'' is the debut album by American rock band Rain Parade, released in 1983. It is one of the most prominent records in the Paisley Underground movement of the 1980s. Critical reception In a contemporary review ...

''). 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 Kendra is a female name of disputed origins. Kendra is a moderately popular female first name, ranking 403 out of 4275 for females of all ages in the 1990 U.S. Census. The name was at its most popular in the United States from the mid-1980s to mi ...

, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', Macrovision Corporation Opal only released one record, the ''Northern Line'' EP, and one album, ''

Happy Nightmare Baby ''Happy Nightmare Baby'' is the debut album by the American band Opal, released in 1987 by SST Records in America and Rough Trade Records in England.Raggett, Ned ''Happy Nightmare Baby'' Review, AllMusic. Retrieved April 17, 2016 It was the only ...

'', 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 who is the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including Massive Attack, for whom she san ...

, 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. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal. Mazzy Star ...

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 vinyl 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 ...

in 1992, with Smith playing the

pump organ The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

. Her next release would not be until 1995 when the 4AD label issued her debut solo LP, ''

Five Ways of Disappearing ''Five Ways of Disappearing'' is an album by the American musician Kendra Smith, released in 1995. It marked a full-album return to music for Smith, who for much of the 1990s had been tending to her northern California organic farm. Smith did not d ...

'', 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 to ...

'' 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? ''How Did I Find Myself Here?'' is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band the Dream Syndicate. It was released on September 8, 2017, almost 30 years after the band's last album, and after three years of touring. The recording ba ...

'', 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''.

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 full-length album by American alternative rock band the Dream Syndicate. Produced by Chris D. (of the Flesh Eaters/ Divine Horsemen), it was recorded in Los Angeles in September 1 ...

'' (1983) 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. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...

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) *''

'' (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 ''The Guild of Temporal Adventurers'' is an EP by Kendra Smith, released on 1992 through Fiasco. Track listing Personnel ;The Guild *Jonah Corey – vocals, Harmonium, organ, engineering, recording *Kendra Smith – vocals, bass ...

'' (1992) Fiasco * ''

'' (1995) 4AD :"Alle Morgens Parties" from ''

Cinnamon Girl "Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Neil Young. It debuted on the 1969 album ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'', which was also Young's first album with backing band Crazy Horse. Songwriting Music Like two other songs from ''Everybody Knows This ...

/ 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) 4AD :"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 '' Leave No Trace'' (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 Women bass guitarists Singers from California 20th-century American bass 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