Damon Smith

Damon Smith (born October 17, 1972) is an American free improvising bassist. He has worked with Cecil Taylor, Peter Brötzmann, Marshall Allen, John Tchicai, Elliott Sharp, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Jim O'Rourke etc.

Biography Smith spent his childhood in eastern Washington but moved to Oakland in the mid-1980s. He took up bass in his late teens, inspired by the Minutemen's Mike Watt. Eventually Damon was fortunate enough to meet Kaiser and the two have collaborated for over twenty years including more than ten recordings together.

Initially an electric bass player due to his love of Minutemen and Watt's followup band fIREHOSE,

Smith studied with Bill Douglas, The latter expanded to become Astral Plane Crash with the inclusion of Vinny Golia and Bob Moses.

Smith has also collaborated with Werner Herzog on soundtracks to his documentary films Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World.

Discography Color Architecture (Limited Sedition, 1999) A Tribute to John Stevens and the SME with Sextessense (Balance Point Acoustics, 2006) Winter Solos (Balance Point Acoustics, 2019) Contradictory Consequences 1999 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020) Variations for Double Bass 1961 Benjamin Patterson (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020) Whatever Is Not Stone Is Light (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)

With Emergency String Quartet Hill Music (Spring Garden Music, 2001) Motions Last (Visible Dog, 2002) On the Corner (Public Eyesore, 2002)

With Alvin Fielder From-to-From (Balance Point Acoustics, 2013) Song for Chico (Balance Point Acoustics, 2016) The Shape Finds Its Own Space (FMR, 2016)

With Vinny Golia Healing Force (Cuneiform, 2007) Grosses Messer (ugEXPLODE, 2009) Astral Plane Crash (Balance Point Acoustics, 2018) Relations (Balance Point Acoustics, 2015) The Celestial Squid (Cuneiform, 2015) Indestrucible Fantasy (Fractal Music, 2016) Nearly Extinct (Balance Point Acoustics, 2016) More Requia (Metalanguage, 2019)

With Weasel Walter Revolt Music (ugEXPLODE, 2006) Firestorm (ugEXPLODE, 2007) Large Group Performances 2007–2009 (ugEXPLODE, 2009) Invasion (ugEXPLODE, 2010)

With others Jaap Blonk, Hugo Ball: Sechs Laut-Und Klanggedichte, 1916 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2014) Jaap Blonk, North of Blanco (Balance Point Acoustics, 2014) John Butcher, The Catastrophe of Minimalism (Balance Point Acoustics, 2017) Carlo Actis Dato, USA Tour & April 2001 & Live (Splasc(h) 2001) Marco Eneidi, Ghetto Calypso (Not Two, 2006) Marco Eneidi, Marco Eneidi & the American Jungle Orchestra (Botticelli, 1996) Peter Evans, Oculus Ex Abyssus (ugEXPLODE, 2008) Peter Evans, Untitled (ugEXPLODE, 2008) Burton Greene, Life's Intense Mystery (Astral Spirits, 2019) Pandelis Karayorgis, Cliff (Driff, 2018) Pandelis Karayorgis, CliffPools (Driff, 2020) Peter Kowald, Mirrors Broken But No Dust (Balance Point Acoustics, 2001) Joe McPhee, Six Situations (Not Two, 2017) Kenny Millions, Fuck Music... Tell Jokes You'll Make More Money (Unhinged, 2018) Gino Robair, I, Norton: An Opera in Real Time (Rastascan, 2009) Richard Thompson, Music from Grizzly Man (Proper, 2018) Dave Tucker, Tenderloin (Pax, 2004) Bertram Turetzky, Thoughtbeetle (Balance Point Acoustics) Fred Van Hove, Burns Longer (Balance Point Acoustics, 2013)