KAILUA-KONA — Blues guitarist Josh Smith has had a natural connection with the instrument since he received his first one at the age of three.
“It felt right from the very first minute,” Smith said. “I’m all about being expressive as possible, and guitar is an instrument that really allows you to do that. If you’re aggressive, you can sound aggressive; then when you’re angry you can get that out, and when you’re sad and pensive you can get that out too. There’s not that many instruments that are that expressive.”
After a decades-long career expressing those emotions for audiences across the United States, Smith is finally crossing Hawaii off his list as he is touring the islands for the first time this week to promote his latest album, Over Your Head.
In Kailua-Kona, Smith will be playing two shows at Gertrude’s Jazz Bar on Alii Drive on Friday. The first performance begins at 5:30 p.m, and the other at 8 p.m.
A smaller, intimate setting like Gertrude’s is Smith’s preferred type of venue.
“For the kind of music I play, the small intimate setting is normally best, because as an improviser, I’m trying to connect with an audience and put across the way I’m feeling without saying anything vocally, although I do sing sometimes,” Smith said. “A lot of times what I’m trying to do is express how I feel through my audience, and when I can look at the audience and react to what they’re feeling and hearing, it makes for a more honest performance. I always prefer the small to medium-sized room where I can really connect with the audience.”
Smith has been playing guitar and blues music professionally since he was 12 years old. Since then, he has recorded eight studio albums and has worked and performed with other legendary musicians. His first album, Born Under a Blue Sign, was released when he was 14.
“I know I’ve been fortunate enough to do this a long time, but I’m still relatively young, as young as 38 can be I guess, and I’ve been able to do some really cool things,” Smith said. “I got to open up for B.B. King for two years in a row for a month at a time, and be around him and be around a lot of my heroes. Like I played at the Grammys with Mick Jagger a few years ago, and that was exciting and something I’ll never forget.”
Smith is also playing shows on Maui and Oahu for his first Hawaii tour, and he said he hopes the state becomes a normal stop for him while on the road. Smith also plays internationally, in places such as Europe, Australia and Japan.
While on the Big Island, Smith will also be hosting a guitar workshop Saturday from 3-4:30 p.m. at Hilo Ukulele &Guitar in Hilo, followed by a show at 9 p.m. at the Hilo Town Tavern.
“I like answering questions,” Smith said of the guitar workshops he hosts. “So normally, it’s guitar players asking very specific guitar questions, either about techniques or music or sometimes about gear. I’m very nerdy about that stuff, so I’m always happy to kind of talk about those things.”
Smith said he dabbles in playing drums, bass, steel guitar and banjo but “nothing in front of people.” Guitar is his area of expertise, and performing live is where he feels he can really shine.
“My favorite song to perform live is a ballad I wrote called ‘Penance,’ and it’s on a record I did about seven years ago. It’s always kind of a crowd-pleaser,” Smith said. “It’s a pretty somber ballad, but it’s one that I can really close my eyes and play and, hopefully, the audience allows me get into the zone a bit. Those are the moments as an improviser that I’m always looking for — when I can just shut off and really express myself.”
Being on the road is also where Smith finds a lot of his inspiration for writing new songs and music.
“I’m not the kind of guy that can force himself to write. A lot of people I know, or friends or other musicians, they treat it a little more like a job,” Smith said. “They write every day — they write a song every day, and they pick a time to sit down and write for an hour or so. For me, it’s whenever inspiration strikes, and that can sometimes be lyrics, sometimes it’s a melody and sometimes it’s a set of chord changes, and it can be a different style of music I’m writing in that moment. It’s always kind of whatever I’m feeling in that moment.
“A lot of times I write while I’m on the road, normally because I’m more inspired, because I’m being creative every night and my creative juices are flowing.”
Despite this being Smith’s first time in Hawaii, he said Friday’s performances at Gertrude’s is what he is most looking forward to.
“It used to be the sightseeing, and when you’re younger, the hours and the lack of sleep and the hassle of travel doesn’t bother you, so you’re just excited to be out there making music and being places you’ve never been before,” Smith said. “Now that I’ve been a lot of places, it’s less about that and more about the actual making of the music. Those two, three hours every day that I’m playing are the best part.”
