Meet Cari Smith | Musician with Late to the Station

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cari Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cari, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think one of the primary things that I have learned is that you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you are trying to create something new, you have to accept that the first draft is not going to be very good, There is a risk in facing your own imperfections, but if you don’t allow yourself that crappy first draft, you’ll never progress past the idea phase into actual creating.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We started a duo called Late to the Station in 2019. We are a unique musical offering, because we are both multi-instrumentalists. I play guitar and sing, while Paul plays bass with his hands and percussion with his feet. We have recorded three EP’s of original music. The hardest part is trying to describe our music. We swing pretty wildly between genres. Partly because we listen to all types of music: jazz, rock, folk, classical, reggae, country, R&B…. When you love the variety of sounds, rhythms and treatments it becomes impossible to stick to one flavor. I think that’s why we end up calling it “Americana” or roots music. I like to use a quote from Ray Wylie Hubbard…. our music has to have, “grit, groove, tone and taste”.

One of the reasons I believe that we have had success, is that we are always learning and reflecting. We have kept a journal of all of our musical activities since May of 2019. Sometimes you may think you aren’t making any progress, but I can flip back in the journal and see the momentum.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a huge fan of public transportation, so the first thing I would do is buy a Trinity Metro ticket! That way we could take the train to Grapevine, walk around the downtown, maybe do a wine tasting or hit up Esparza’s for a margarita and some Mexican food. Then zip on that train into downtown Fort Worth. I love the last stop at the T and P station. The architecture is amazing, and I am thrilled that it is being preserved. From there…walk across the street and visit the Water Gardens. Next, do some strolling up and down Magnolia stop for a cold beer and some chips and queso loaded with burnt ends from Heim Barbeque.

Of course shopping in DFW is a MUST!!! As a vinyl enthusiast I would start out around the HEB area, Rag and Bone is a gem! Pick up ANY record in the shop, and the owner, Heather, can tell you all about it! If you’re more on the Fort Worth side, Panther City Vinyl and of course, Doc’s Records and Vintage. Montgomery Street Antique Mall is a day trip in and of itself!

Finally, we would need to plan our evenings around live music. There are so many excellent venues: The Twilite, Tulips, The Cicada, Lola’s, Magnolia Motor Lounge… it can really be hard to make a decision, but you really can’t go wrong with the local music scene!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It sounds very cliche, but the first person I have to recognize as a major player in my success would be my husband Paul. It’s something more that encouragement…it’s belief. We are old school analog…pen and paper…list makers at our house. We will sit down and talk about what we want, what does that look like on a day to day basis, and then map out the steps to get there. I once read a quote that said, “The amateur waits to be inspired, the professional gets to work.”

And there is tons of work to do.

Website: www.latetothestationmusic.com

Instagram: @latetothestation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StationLate

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWHu9CcZd87jZAphlAwENRg

Image Credits
Brooks Burris Shawn Demyan Jessica Waffles Scott Carson Ausburn