Meet Elisa Smith | New England’s Honky Tonk Queen””

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elisa Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elisa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think risk taking is all about being comfortable with being vulnerable. And as an artist, being vulnerable is my job. Taking a risk is scary because you don’t know at the onset how it’s going to play out. It could work in your favor or it could completely backfire. Being vulnerable in my music is much the same. Every time I write a song or perform, I’m opening myself up and I’m not sure how it’s going to go – people may love it and accept me, or people may hate it and reject me. Or even worse, people just might not even pay attention or notice that I exist.

I think artists are forced to overcome a fear of risk/vulnerability everyday. Otherwise we wouldn’t be very good at what we do.

The biggest risk I ever took was performing a song after Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood invited me up on stage. I hadn’t been playing much at the time because I had terrible stage fright – I think I was afraid of being vulnerable. But I took a risk and it changed my life forever. Taking that risk immediately rekindled my love of performing and I was able to perform in front of anyone and any size crowd. Sure I still get little butterflies, but I embrace them. I am able to embrace being vulnerable because I took a risk.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I grew up in a small town in Illinois. I’ve loved music from an early age – my earliest memory is gathering my stuffed animals and cuddling in my dad’s guitar case while he practiced gospel tunes for church. As a kid, I was enraptured by my grandmother’s stories of Nashville and the Opry in the 50’s and 60’s. I also shared my father’s love of classic rock from the 70’s. And I fell asleep my mother’s lullabies (which, as an adult, I learned were the dust-worn ballads of Woody Guthrie). Rock n roll and vintage country run in my blood.
I moved from my small town to the big city to attend Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, I studied music business and music production. It was during this time that I found my passion for education. Fascinated by the science of music and fueled by my desire to increase access to music education, I enrolled at Harvard to and received my Masters degree in Arts Education. It was here that I met Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and it was here that my life changed forever.

After I was “baptized by fire” by Garth Brooks, I returned to my roots. I began writing and performing with an unquenchable ferocity. My songs elicit feelings of nostalgia, pride, wanderlust, heartbreak, and good ol’ fashioned boot-stompin’ mischief and my sound has been likened to Loretta Lynn meets The Rolling Stones. In 2018, I released my debut EP, “Hitch A Ride.” Featuring Grammy-winning and platinum-status talent, the 6-song EP was produced by Johnny Duke (Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton).

I then released my first full length album “Baptized By Fire.” Produced by Caleb Gilbreath (Brett Eldredge, Mandi Sagal) and Eddie Bayers (Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson). The album tells the story of redemption through love, family, and faith.

I’ve played all over, been nominated for two BMAs for Country Artist of the Year, and two New England Music Award for Country Artist of the Year. I’ve been referred to as “Boston’s Honky Tonk Country Queen” and “one of the best original country acts in New England.” I’ve been featured on The Bull, Country 102.5, and indie radio stations across the country and the world. I’ve headlined and performed at festivals throughout New England, performed on local television, and I have been featured in WBUR’s the ARTery, HarvardEd Magazine, and music blogs from around the world.

Currently, I’m working on ramping up for the release of my new EP titled “Spirit on the Run” and I’m writing my next full length album.

It’s been a wild ride, but I’m just warming up.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many places!

I’d definitely take them to grab coffee at my favorite spot Three Brothers Coffee. And I’m a huge outdoors person so we’d have to take an early morning walk at Percy Warner.

I also love shopping so 12 South would be on the list. I usually try to avoid Broadway but when folks come to town it’s always fun to head on over so obviously line dancing at Wildhorse is a must.

We’d grab some Goo Goo Clusters and head on down the Natchez Trace and hit up The Loveless. I’m a history buff, too so I’d take them to the Meriwether Lewis Monument.

I’m a big fan of tattoos so we’d head on over to Black 13, get some new art, and grab a drink at the Patterson House. Then of course, we’d catch a show at the Basement.

We’d definitely catch a show at the Opry and of course, visit the Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, and last but not least, grab lunch at Mitchell’s Deli.

Phew!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to send a shout out to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. If it wasn’t for them, I would not be where I am today and I would have never gotten back up on that stage.

I’d also like to thank my amazing, incredible, and loving husband who always supports me in everything I do. And last but not least, my partner in crime, Erin Bonnie, who gives me the fire and inspiration to keep on going even when I feel like giving up.

Website: www.elisasmithmusic.com

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0DuQ6P0o7YsP22YeiCOFJc?si=ldS6_Tu1RduFac-LVKkHjw

Image Credits
Red 13 Studio