laptop travel music. 6 tracks, 25 min.

Follow-up to 2008’s Go Mode! Another album made with only a laptop and headphones, except for vocals on Duck General (the Devin Smith Challenge: no midi controllers, etc). Go Mode 2 was the target of a theft (well, my laptop was the target I guess) back in 2009.

Additional Credits: Denny Denny Breakfast and DJ Cutlet, vocals track 3

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quiet, pretty percussion music. 6 tracks, 12 min.

Percussion trio premiered in 2010 in Montreal, recorded a couple years later. Proof that I can write music that isn't loud. For the live performance, we used headphones with clicks at different tempi, and played the interlude parts on three different cassette players. There's a score/files available, if anyone wants it.

Credits: Eric Derr, vibes; Zach Hale, marimba; Patrick Hart, percussion.

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vanity pop album. 7 tracks, 25 min.

This album has a little something for everyone; 90's rock (2,5), a couple actually nice songs (1,3), acousmatic percussion pieces (4,6), an awkward grunge-industrial mistake with a sweet chorus (5), and even an ultra-confusing dance track (7). It's also possible that I am the entire target demographic.

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unicorn punk-metal. 10 tracks, 22 min.

The last big project, and also probably my favorite, that I did in Miami. We rehearsed twice, played two shows, then in an epic day-long session, recorded this album in the back room at the Honor Roll (this is before it got fancy, when it was still just a giant concrete box). Guitars and bass are in drop C.

Credits: Amy Smith, vocals; Rainer Davies, guitar; Devin Smith, guitar; Mike McGinness, guitar; Joe Rehmer, bass; Patrick Hart, drums. All music by Patrick except track 8, by Devin; all lyrics by Amy. Recorded/mixed by Patrick.

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epic pop. 1 track, 4 min.

Super-commercially appealing! Will eventually be part of the Pop Villains album, when I get around to making it.

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oh, the speed, the fury! 1 track, 15 min.

Brutal precision! Mind-numbing speed! Relentless intensity! All of the best things in one place! There is a 7-channel surround version too, for anyone who is so inclined, let me know.

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feeding the dog general midi. 1 track, 7 min.

Premiered as a piece for oboe and recorded audio, here with a synth in place of the oboe part. Sound sources are from the first general midi soundfont, and Finale's first sound font… I used the same template for 700 club. Ending features a neat lowest-common-denominator repeating measure trick that I've been trying to do whenever possible since then (see Destroyer, track 7).

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recorder monster music. 1 track, 12 min.

A piece for recorder and live electronics, premiered at McGill in 2010. Sufficiently louder and more terrifying than the recorder music you played in school as a kid! The album page has a 7-channel surround recording, as well as the electronics patches and scores.

Additional Credits: Rebecca Molinari, Recorder.

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terror-pop vegetable world song cycle. 4 tracks, 10 min.

A short song cycle about love and war in a fantasy vegetable world. Starts out super-catchy but turns rather brutal by the end.

Additional Credits: Bob Ladue, guitar (track 1,2); Joe Rehmer, bass (1,2,3); Read Fasse/Aileen Robertson, violin; Brian Robertson/Aileen Robertson/Devin Smith/Mike McGinness/Madison, group vocals (1, 3).

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prog-dance-pop. 6 tracks, 22 min.

Ah, such a fabulously sleazy-looking band. The band dissipated before we finished an album proper, but an appearance of "This Time" in Jersey Shore prompted the quick polishing-off of a half-dozen songs for an EP.

Credits: Devin Smith wrote and produced everything. Band: Devin, vocals; Rainer Davies, guitar; Patrick Hart, keyboards; Joe Rehmer, bass; Richard Hargett, drums.

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atmospheric hibiscus. 1 track, 21 min.

For some reason we switched to point releases for this Hibiscus, and jammed everything into one long, pretty free-form take. Recorded in Nancy Greene hall at u.miami; we were interrupted in the middle by a tour group led by the music dean, but we just kept going and they toured the hall like normal (which was probably pretty strange for the tour group).

Credits: written/performed by Andrew Maguire, Devin Smith and Patrick Hart.

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weird squashy pop. 5 tracks, 16 min.

Bob joined for the third Hibiscus, and it also includes the first "Quiet Hibiscus."

Credits: Bob Ladue, guitar/drums/bass; Devin Smith, keys/guitar/perc; Patrick Hart, accordion/drums; 1,4 written by Bob, 2 by Devin, 3 by Patrick, 5 by b/p/d

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terror-overload acousmatic music. 10 tracks, 21 min.

Super-detailed, overwhelming compositions for way too many synthesizers and samplers. I think the sound design holds up well… it's mainly stock Logic synths, and all the drum samples I recorded myself, but the sheer quantities involved end up sounding pretty neat (well, I think). Pitch materials and formal structures are kinda weak, or just not very developed. Probably helped in getting into grad school.

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avant-organ surf-punk. 12 tracks, 17 min.

Probably the most rad album here. We performed live as Captain Speedbanger twice – instead of playing instruments we built the SpeedBox, a giant plywood box full of lights and amplifiers and a TV, and did karaoke to tracks played off a VHS. Proved to be more confusing than anything, and after the second show at the Upper East Side Garden we left the box behind to rot outside in the rain.

Additional Credits: Richard Haig, vocals.

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laptop travel pop. 3 tracks, 10 min.

I missed a flight in the Charlotte airport and made the first track killing time, then decided to make an EP using only a laptop (no midi controllers or recorded instruments — Devin Smith style). Lots of neat piano roll tricks that got rolled into Villains Goes to Miami.

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big-band art-rock. 3 tracks, 12 min.

Sort of like metal arrangements for 10-piece big band. These were performed live in 2006, and recorded a couple years later for my grad school application. The first two were written on the road, hence the naming convention.

Credits: Nolan Lem, alto/tenor sax; Jesse McGinty, flute/trumpet; Jason Kush, bari sax/bass clarinet; Miles Fielder, trombone; Rainer Davies, guitar; Adam Varner, bass; Patrick Hart, drums. Written/recorded by Patrick at the Honor Roll.

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dog-inspired art-rock. 5 tracks, 10 min.

Salvaged from 20+ tracks comprising an aborted attempt at a sequel to Activist's Guide were these 5 pretty solid tracks. Nearing the end of a "making too much art-rock" phase.

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weird squashy pop. 5 tracks, 16 min.

The Hibiscus concept suddenly became a concept, and Andrew Maguire joined for this album. For this and subsequent Hibiscuses, we picked a recording date on a day's notice, wrote out ideas, and spent the next day recording. It's all pretty much pop music, much of it pretty strange and all of it way over-compressed, but with some nice moments.

Credits: Andrew Maguire, vibes/drums; Patrick Hart, piano/acc/drums; Devin Smith, guitar/piano/bass. Track 1 written by Andrew, 2&4 by Patrick, 3&5 by Devin. Recorded by Patrick, mixed by Devin.

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hasty live art-rock. 1 track, 12 min.

There was a brief time when we were playing enough at Studio A with various bands that we were afforded some liberties, like throwing together a prog band on a week's notice and reading music on stage. Then somebody got shot at hip-hop night and it closed down. Qué lastima. We tanked a couple sections, but for one rehearsal I guess it's not terrible.

Credits: Rainer Davies, guitar; Paul Bender, bass; Richard Hargett, drums; Devin Smith/Patrick Hart, keyboards; written by Patrick, performed live at Studio A in Miami, June 2007

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dirty punk rock, 4 tracks, 8 min.

This 7" was pressed by New Art School records in Miami, and is still available for purchase (on purple vinyl, no less!). Its release launched a tour of the dirty south, in the summer, in a minivan with no A/C. The smelliest Hooker record.

Credits: Richard "Ace Roller" Haig, vocals/guitar; Devin "Jack Switchblade" Smith, bass; Patrick "Johnny Thunder" Hart, drums. Track 1 written by DHBC, 2/3 by Haig, 4 by Smith. Mixed by Patrick.

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bashy art-rock. 12 tracks, 30 min.

Special Bonus! Click here for live recording, performed in Miami in 2006, of Hunting and Gathering vs. Gathering and Hunting.

Reasonably solid for the first half, then turns into filler material. Rejected as an honor's thesis. Includes incomprehensible pdf.

Additional Credits: Andrew Maguire, marimba/vibes; Sam Bottoni, guitar track 1, Read Fasse, Belinda Ho, Corrine Stokes, Yun Young Lim, Ryan Dougherty, Lisa Espinosa, Andrew Claassen, Gerry Braun, Paul Bender, strings.

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weird squashy pop. 6 tracks, 15 min.

Hibiscus started as a Devin Smith album; a handful of spacey pop songs crushed to hell. I played drums, he did the rest, including chopping the drums into funny places.

Credits: by Devin Smith, drums by Patrick.

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creepy vacation music. 11 tracks, 20 min.

In 2006 I spent the summer in Montreal, and also bought Logic Pro, so I made this mostly to learn the program. Lots of weird keyboard riffs over internal-mic ambient noise.

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dirty punk rock, 5 tracks, 10 min.

The first Hooker album and the first Atomisk release, recorded at the old Ponce house. Ah, memories! As the Hookers progressed we got better, but this is the band when we were least competent and, ergo, most punk rock.

Credits: Richard "Ace Roller" Haig, vocals/guitar; Devin "Jack Switchblade" Smith, bass; Patrick "Johnny Thunder" Hart, drums. Track 1/3/4 by Haig, 2 by DHBC, 5 by Hart/Smith. Mixed by Patrick.

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