For those of you that have been watching....here's a...uh...somewhat kinda recent picture. If you want more, (and you know you do) go here.


In case you haven't guessed, I am Kerry Smith. This is my personal page. I'm currently focusing on anathemadevice.com My HTML is pretty crusty. I stopped following it at HTML 1.0. I just muck around with WYSIWYG editors lately until I get soemthing I like. But, the info is here. and I'm a musician, not a programmer. Be forewarned, the bio here is pretty old and a little narrow by my current standards.

Here's Some Vitals:

The Darkness:

If you can't tell by the photo, I favour the darker side of life. At least asthetically. I don't walk around all mopey, and bemoaning existence. I had a brush with that, and I prefer being happy, and stable. The darker side of things is always more intriguing though. The darkness adds an balance of mystery and depth. [Plus, almost EVERYONE looks good in Black] I don't dwell on it much these days. When I was younger and insecure I was constantly trying to assert my preferences, to make it obvious to everyone who I was. Now I'm much more comfortable who I am and can focus on what I want to accomplish in life. I'm still likely to scare or freak out some people on my way to a club, or to play a show, but the rest of the week, you might just stare at me for a few seconds. I tend to think that people who repress their darker sides have more problems than those of us who live in balance with it. Want to know more? You'll just have to ask.

For Profit:

I'm a composer, living in NYC. I work 9-5,6,7,8.... writing music and creating sound design for commercials, film trailers, network ID's, yadda, yadda, yadda at Elias Associates, a major bi-coastal music house. We generally get quality work. We try to elevate all the jobs we get in. The composers at Elias NYC are definitely more in it for the integrity of the art, and what works than the money (although the money's pretty good) I've done memorable tracks for.... a lot of people. A few include: Visa, Audi , Oldsmobile Intrigue, Molson Ice, Volkswagon, Sprite, Levi's for Women. (including that little "Shine" ditty that everyone seems to love), and TONS more (average of 80 tracks written, 40 sold for a year) I've won 4 CLIO awards , and was placed in the Museum Of Modern Art twice. (another sort of award, i guess) My favorite work lately is a spot for a Audi sports car, the TT. It's a very minimal, beautiful film, and I have Mary Fahl (of October Project) wailing above it. Plus, the Sprite "Skateboarding" spot. A Big Nasty rock track on TV. I love it!

The Rest of the Time:

I'm busy trying to make my other musical projects happen. The performing ones are especially gratufying. There is NOTHING like the thrill of being on stage in front of a pulsating throng. Right now (summer 2001) I'm performing sporadically with the live band for my project, Anathema Device .I also play guitar for St. Eve sometimes, and keyboards, for the band, evulva, featuring 99kowalski of Front242's "OFF" record. I've also worked on some material with Mary Fahl. We'll see if anything happens with that. I cut my net-surfing down in the past few years. If I'm looking for something, I know how to find it now. I was into the net for about 3 years before it exploded, and the Web became graphic, etc...To think that no one I knew used to have an e-mail address. *shudder* Living in New York City, there's never a lack of real things to do. I grew up in the suburbs, and I could never imagine going back. I can just walk forever and discover new things... But like I said...the music takes up most of my time. It's hard, because i've watched the "industrial" scene deteriorate, and splinter over the last 10 years. Not many people are making very inspired, creative music. I'm very carefully carving a niche for myself, without painting myself into a corner, stylistically. I've put up soundfiles, so you can evaluate for yourself.


What I Listen To:

I enjoy music by all kinds of artists, (if they are any good) but I lean heavily towards (and write) what would have been called "industrial" music in the early 90s. . Now, there's a big debate out there over what IS and ISN'T "industrial". I don't care. The public is going to call Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, etc... "industrial", so I will too. Newer "Synthpop" (Apoptygam Bezerk, Wolfsheim,Covenant) is seeping under my skin. Though all the bands can get pretty damn repetitive. Especially when they're spun every time you go to a club. Big Beat seemed to pick up where mid 90's industrial and rock left off, and then it kind of petered out. I still hold over a penchant for "goth" as well, although it doesn't excite me like it used to. I like listening to it at home, and several of my friends are self-proclaimed "goths". Outside of that, I like artists who write from the heart, like Tori Amos. I studied classical music in college, so I feel pretty much burned out on it now. I still love the really heavy-duty orchestral stuff (Beethoven, Orff, Sravinsky, Mahler), and the really naked, intimate solo instrument pieces, but I don't usually seek out those CDs too often. I am crazy about the score to Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I think you should be too.. I use a basic criteria as for all music: If the artist writes strong, interesting SONGS, they'll rise up to the top, and I'll probably like them as well.

Politics:

Personally, I hate politics. I grew up around Washington, D.C., so I got to see firsthand just how fucked up the process of politics is. Who becomes a professional politician anyway? What sort of qualification do you need? Can you do anything else? Personally, my politics are pretty blurry. I used to consider myself a liberal, but now that I've lived in NYC (the land of the socialist) for a few years, I've realized how conservative some of my views are. I don't consider myself a moderate, because my opinions tend to be violently towards one side or the other. Here's how it breaks down. So the problem in American politics today that I have is that most conservatives (Republicans) are basically fundamentalist redneck Christ-mongers who don't think that Americans can take care of themselves, so they're going to censor everything. Myopia...lovely.....Which brings me to my next issue....

god?:

Is there a god? I don't know. If there is, I doubt that creature is anything like what any of the religions portray. My experience with religion ended like this: I was in, maybe 5th grade. We were studying Greek and Roman Mythology. I asked the teacher:
So the Greeks and Romans really believed in their gods, but now we say they don't exist.
That's right.
So how do we know God exists?
I think that many people get too wrapped up in what's in these holy books that were written by man, and disregard what their own senses tell them. How is the human race to move forward if we trap ourselves in the ignorance of the past? Plus, I've seen a lot of hypocrisy, mainly from Christians, since that's mostly who I've known. These people feel pressure to maintain this "proper" front, denying their very nature, but then do all kinds of fucked up things when no one is looking. This behaviour is often reinforced by the fact that many other members of a community may be doing the same thing. And what do they say when they're caught? "I'm only human." When did you forget that, my friend? But, it is fun to ruminate about the coming of the apocolypse and all of that silliness.

Here are a paltry few links that lead to parts of my life. check them out.


NYCGoth.com The NYC Goth-industrial website. Who knows when it was last updated.
Contempt. The monthly "DIY" club night I'm involved with."
Kerry in 1988 A funny look back at me as a fashion statement.
Band Links Assorted music-related links
Drop me a line:kerry@anathemadevice.com

++++++++ This site was last [somewhat] updated July 2001.

All the preceding text and images are sole property and copyright of the author, Kerry Smith, 1996-2001.
Steal too much, and I'll sue your ass off. ;)