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Article: Destiny Kaus – A & C Writer

Father-son duo Andrew and Zachari Smith make their voices heard

Andrew and Zachari Smith, a father and son duo from British Columbia, recently released their new folk album Stumbling Horse.

Zachari is attracted to the folk genre because it does not have a lot of rules.

“We do what we feel like doing. This album is not traditional folk,” said Zachari, who explains how he and his father do not follow typical folk arrangements in their music. They enjoy “messing with everything in the studio” to produce a unique sound, combining indie, folk, and rock.

Both Andrew and Zachari drew inspiration for this album from changes in their lives and favourite musicians, such as Neil Young, Simon Garfunkel, and Ron Sexsmith. Since Andrew grew up in a musical household, he latched onto music early on in life.

“My dad was a fiddle player,” he said, crediting his father for teaching him how to play guitar.

As Andrew grew into his 20s, his love for music continued. He toured Canada and Europe with a musical trio, and then took the solo route, touring on his own for quite some time.

Andrew and Zachari both play a host of instruments, one being the mandolin /image: Wendy Mcalpine

“I got tired of touring by myself,” Andrew said. So, he joined forces with his son, Zachari. The two played gigs and wrote music together, and decided to become a folk duo.

When asked if they ever encounter conflicts or just have tons of fun producing music together, Andrew said, “Both! Lots of disagreements and tons of fun.”

Since they both stem from different backgrounds, skirmishes do arise, but, as Andrew stated, “it never comes to blows.”

Andrew appreciates Zachari’s different approach to folk music by not being bound by rules.

“Sometimes I win out and sometimes I don’t,” Zachari explained.

This duo hopes to bring to light certain matters that could potentially plague the environment, such as the pipeline that is supposed to run through Northern British Columbia. Both wish they could join the frontlines to protest this issue.

“I care about political and social issues,” said Zachari, who finds political and social inspiration for their songs from current issues in today’s society.

“We want to add our voice to the many,” Andrew added. He and his son seek to take a stand against these issues through their music.

In concerts, father and son perform 90 per cent original music, but believe they could dedicate an entire show to Canadian folk songs from Canadian artists. Zachari, who can play dobro, guitar, and drums, adds to Andrew’s talents of playing guitar, banjo, and mandolin. These two mesh their unique skills into a unified one.

The dynamic duo has a new single, Race to the Bottom. This song and music video combination adds to Andrew and Zachari’s vast musical repertoire.

On Thursday, Sep 26, Andrew and Zachari will be putting on a show for all ages at The Club in Regina sponsored by GrassRoots Regina. Their show starts at 8 p.m., with ticket prices set at $15.