About Misner & Smith

Just when you thought you’d heard all that the Americana/Folk revival could show you, Misner & Smith bring a freshness and lyrical vitality you won’t find anywhere else. When you hear these two you’ll think they were born to sing together, with an exceptional vocal blend that cuts right to your soul. At moments raw and powerful, and at other times hauntingly subtle, extraordinary two-part harmonies anchor Misner & Smith’s unique and compelling original music. Megan Smith plays the upright bass and mandolin while Sam Misner plays guitar, and with stellar award-winning songwriting to boot, Misner & Smith retain a connection to roots music that has been described as “the perfect balance between traditional and contemporary”. Though it is not always easy to put their music into one category it is evident that the tradition of duets is truly alive and well in these two performers. You will be amazed at the fullness of sound and depth of songs from Misner & Smith.

The duo began their musical collaboration after working together as actors on a production of the musical Woody Guthrie’s American Song and immediately recognized a mutual love of Americana music, particularly focused on vocal harmonies. Since then, the two have been touring regularly and have built a steady and loyal following. They have performed on the main stages at both the San Francisco and El Cerrito Folk Festivals, and recently headlined at Berkeley’s famed acoustic venue, the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse.

In a recent review of the duo’s second album Poor Player, Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal called Sam “one of the most promising songwriters I’ve heard in quite some time.” Hicks With Sticks Magazine described Misner & Smith as “a Bay Area treasure to be shared…with a touch for taking simple ideas and infusing them with unexpected meaning, metaphor and imagery.”

Balancing their careers as actors and musicians is no easy task, but the two have found the art of storytelling to be one of the common threads running through both forms. Characters of various types inhabit their songs. Some are fictional, some are autobiographical, and some are even historical, as in the tune “Triangle Factory Fire”. Based on the true story of the infamous fire at the Triangle Waistcoat Factory in New York City in 1911, the song combines researched facts and invention to retell the tragic story from a first-person perspective.

Crafting original songs rich in meaning and texture, the duo’s sound is centered around unique vocal harmonies and evocative lyrics, and in 2007, “Madeline (Paradise Cracked)” won the West Coast Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year competition. The title track of their most recent release “Poor Player” (2008) was nominated in the New Folk category in one of the world’s largest international song contests put on by the Just Plain Folks music organization. It is the combination of strong songwriting and vocal delivery that drove RARwriter.com to declare “this is truly inspired vocalizing, this is ‘shivers up the spine’ singing!”

Misner & Smith Press:

"*Misner & Smith* make a strong case for folk Americana without baggage and for music with intricate simplicity and lyrical dignity. This duo is a Bay Area treasure that needs to be shared."
-From a review of the album "Poor Player" for hickswithsticks.com by Jose Segue

"...this music is...joyous noise."

"...lots of folks sing good together but this is truly inspired vocalizing...a unique blend...this is shivers up the spine singing!!"

"The new Cd release by Misner & Smith, Poor Player, is a celebration in song by a duo of very formidable talents."
-From a review of the album "Poor Player" for RARwriter.com by Doug Strobel

"Both Misner and Smith have great singing voices individually, and when they perform together, the harmonies are truly inspired."
-Feature article in the Davis Enterprise by music critic Landon Christensen

"They have an easy self assurance, professional to their finger tips, displaying an awesome command of Americana music."
-Neil Dalton, Willington, England The Real Music Club

Quotes From Our Fans:

"They make some damned gorgeous music. No bells and whistles here, just pure heart and craft." - Matt D'Amico

"Intimate, mesmerizing and magical." - Lisa Hogan, House Concert Host Boulder, CO

"Singing almost all originals, the two voices in Halfway Home blend beautifully. This CD is better each time I listen to it. Triangle Factory Fire deserves to be heard far and wide."
-Jim Douglas, Seattle, WA

". . . .their effortless, heart-tugging harmonies make me eager for more. The sweetness of tunes like Henry & Lil is balanced by good old fashioned fun on traditional songs like Blue Ridge Mountain Blues. Misner and Smith deliver lyrics that sneak up on you, surprise you with their honesty, and beg an immediate second listen." -Meg Devine, Rochester, NY

"I've listened to your CD more times a day than I probably should and every time I do, I hear something new that I like. It's replaced my Van Morrisons' Tupelo Honey which I can also listen to over and over again. Your work is both beautiful and meaningful. I love it!" -Christina, Cotati, CA

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