Biography

Made up of four friends from Richmond, Virginia, Little Smoke initially formed in the Summer 2012 as a vehicle to perform songwriter Kenny Hamilton's (SpaceMonster) lo-fi bedroom pop in a dynamic, live atmosphere. Finding common ground in bands like Real Estate, Pure X and Yuck, the band quickly began crafting its own brand of fuzzy indie pop featuring Hamilton's off-kilter melodies and the group's penchant for the hiss of Twin Reverb amps. Little Smoke's first effort, ON HOLIDAYS EP was recorded over the late Summer 2012. Self-produced at home by bassist Ian McQuary, the band was lucky enough to have complete freedom and control over the production of the album. The EP received praise for its moody, textured songwriting, which invoked "the easy vibrations of a late summer day" (yvynyl).  With drummer Gene Stroman in San Francisco and guitarist Andrew Kieffer in Chicago, the 9-track BANDIT (2014) was recorded over two years via web collaborations. An "homage to Appalachia and the paths that end and begin in the River City" BANDIT is a collection of dynamic and sonically layered songs - a bold statement from Little Smoke. Many of the songs featured on the album (“Reservations,” “I Should Have Told You,” “Dregs”) had been in Little Smoke’s repertoire since before 2012, whereas others were penned in 2013. These recent tracks were the product of a fruitful collaboration between Hamilton and multi-instrumentalist Derek Zuk.