Spotlight: DM Stith
Talking about DM Stith is easy. His story is one that you want to tell.
Before this CASH fundraiser craziness started I had never met him or even heard his music. My friend Marisa Handren introduced me to Michael Kaufman at Asthmatic Kitty, suggesting I ask them for help. It was at a point where the effort was taking a toll, and organizing a fundraiser on top of a full plate of development and artist support was just feeling like too much. Michael changed all that. It was an incredibly positive conversation, a lot of it focussed on how great he felt this artist named DM Stith was. Michael said he’d talk to DM for me.
So before I could even listen to all the tracks on DM Stith’s site, he had written to say that he’d love to help out with the fundraiser. (In fairness, he posts a lot of music.) He led with kindness and generosity, winning a fan for life in the process.
It was his paintings that first struck me. Beautiful compositions that blend colors and techniques, perfectly framing his music. Somber fields of black, broken up by ink blown textures mask subtle vibrancy and an underlying grace.
That last sentence works for his music too. It’s haunting, elegant, and rich — but in a hidden way like the subtleties of his painting. There are layers of small sounds, strings, and echoey choruses floating from a distance. He sings, really sings, often over piano and acoustic guitar. The result is a song that brings its own space, and environment where it lives as you listen.
As if it’s not obvious, I really like it. There’s a depth to it that’s worth a few listens, each time bringing something different.
As for the fundraiser, well in truth it’s all an elaborate ruse for me to get a print of his art. He’s donated a limited run of up to 100 signed/numbered giclée prints of the painting featured on the cover of Pity Dance.
