Nina Jo Smith profile picture

Nina Jo Smith

That's folkabilly, for ya.

About Me



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I was about 10 years old when I started playing guitar. That's when I stole my mom's little nylon-stringed guitar. Hers was easier to play than my tough little steel-stringed Christmas present from Sears, though that one lives in memory as the one that taught me the miracle of changing pitch by pressing the string against the wood of the guitar neck. Ooooooh. Now I just try to keep up with what the guitar is telling me so I can pull out the songs each one has to offer.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/16/2005
Band Website: redwoodrivermusic.com
Band Members: Nina Jo on vocals, 6, 12-string guitars and Temple (aka Tipple) guitars. Sometimes I'll throw in a harp, spoons, washboard, you never know. Listen at: http://www.rhapsody.com/ninajosmith
Influences: Patty Griffin, Woody Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, for lyrics, Marijohn Wilkins, Papa Carter for perfect songs; Cole Porter for melody & wit. John Fahey for inventive guitar... Johnny Cash for 100% integrity, Rosanne Cash for writing close-to-the-bone... Jean Ritchie, for real. Cyndi Lauper, Betty Carter, Etta James, Aretha, Bonnie Bramlett for THE BEST vocals. Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris for groove. Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sonny Landreth, Vince Gill, Wayne Perkins, Pete Guitar Carr for, well, guitar and, well, the whole musical package...Just about anyone you can name out of Muscle Shoals.... and Blaze Foley - they got it goin' on & soul to burn........And Lee Mallory, master musician, forever.& Miles, Miles... 'Nuff said.
Sounds Like: Woody Guthrie meets Joni Mitchell in the Velvet Underground.
View Nina Jo Smith's EPK
Record Label: Redwood River Music
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Computer Bug

My computer has a bug. No, not that kind, the big brown wiggly kind with six legs... it was struggling to free itself from the space bar when I opened my laptop just now. Aack! I flicked it away so fa...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:14:00 PST

People Places & Sings 6/1/08

People Places & SingsSunday, June 1, 2008, 3:46 PSTSan Francisco, CAThanks to Martin who provided: http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.htmlW for Australian Slang& and thanks to Jessica, who pi...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:06:00 PST

People Places & Sings 5/31/08

People Places & SingsSaturday, May 31, 2008, 3:25 PM PDTSan Francisco, CA"Walkabout is an Australian term referring to the commonly-held belief that Australian Aborigines would "go walkabout" at the a...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:55:00 PST

People Places & Sings 6/01/08

People Places and Sings 5/31/08Date: 2008-05-30, 11:16 AM PDTSan Francisco, CAFirst customer was a blonde in a baby blue Plymouth Valiant who had to have my old "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" LP to hang o...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Sat, 31 May 2008 11:26:00 PST

People Places and Sings 5/30/08

Date: 2008-05-30, 3:12PM PDTSan Francisco, CA"I'm heading out for a year on the road.Got books, housewares, chairs, a bike rack for car (used it on a VW squareback).If you don't see what you need, jus...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Fri, 30 May 2008 03:51:00 PST

People Places & Sings 5/23/08

10:59 PMSome people should not self-produce. Sonny Landreth is NOT one of those people. His new album, From The Reach, opens with the ballsy line, "He had a heck of a view from Air Force One" in Blue ...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Sat, 24 May 2008 11:09:00 PST

People Places & Sings 5/23/08

San Francisco, CA10:45 AMI haven't left San Francisco but my journey has already begun. I've met great people who are excited about my walkabout. Some who wish they could go, one who's been on her own...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Fri, 23 May 2008 10:44:00 PST

People Places & Sings

5:19 PMSomebody donated a pill. Was it for the two black newsboy caps? One was Lee's & one was mine. I found his after he'd passed, which explained the double take he did the rainy night I put mine .....
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Tue, 20 May 2008 08:41:00 PST

People Places & Sings

3:33 PMIt's gone well. Nice people trickled by my house all day taking what they needed & leaving what they could, a smile, a story, a small donation, a promise to make music in the world (that was th...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Mon, 19 May 2008 04:11:00 PST

People Places & Sings

And so it begins, with a posting on craigslist:going on walkabout  please lighten my load (bernal heights)Reply to: [email protected]: 2008-05-18, 11:20AM PDTI'm heading out for a year on the ro...
Posted by Nina Jo Smith on Sun, 18 May 2008 02:39:00 PST