Audrey Smilley
The Provo band known as Audrey Smilley originally formed in 1988 and performed together until the early 90’s. The band is named for a young lady a band member met in England. The members of the group were former members of the Arizona death/goth band Theatre of Ice and were in college when they decided to form Audrey Smilley. Drawing on influences as diverse as Blue Oyster Cult, KISS, Neil Diamond, and the Beatles, they played all the Provo and Salt Lake City clubs.
According to their official website, “The band’s blend of acoustic and electric guitars with tight three and four-part harmonies stand out immediately. Lyrically, Audrey Smilley is eclectic, ranging from love songs to dark humor.” The band also recorded a self-titled album which was released 1 October 1990. However, the band was “plagued by an almost endless procession of drummers” and struggled throughout this period “to share its original music with a public steeped in a top 40 mentality.”
In December 1990, the group relocated to Los Angeles, California, to live the musician’s dream and make it big. However, according to their official website, “their brand of guitar-based alt-rock was not to break through the hair band stranglehold on the charts until about 1992 (Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Refreshments, et. al). Sadly, by then Audrey Smilley was long gone.” After a successful debut at a Huntington Beach California nightclub, the band broke up in the summer of 1991. Band member, Dale Garrard, said, “[It was] bad timing, of course. In retrospect, we should have done Seattle. We, unfortunately, grew up and got real jobs and moved away from each other.”
At the request of some of their fans, the band reunited in Provo, Utah, in 2013 and booked a triumphant reunion show at Velour in July 2013, the same venue that helped launch the careers of such groups as Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons. Both old and new fans begged for a re-issue of the group’s original album, so they did a Kickstarter, funded a re-master and digital pressing (the original recording was analog and was released on vinyl and cassette tape), and the album Audrey Smilley was reborn. You can listen to their 2015 remaster on ReverbNation.com. The album is also available for purchase on iTunes and for listening on SoundCloud. A documentary called “Audrey Smilley: The Life of a Struggling Band by Kels Goodman, chronicling the bands pre-California days and their lives at their peak was also created.
About the band’s self-titled album, Dan Weston for Divide and Conquer Music commented:
As far as their music goes I was thoroughly enjoying what I heard on their self-titled album Audrey Smilley. The music sounds like it came from that time. There is just no denying that. It doesn’t sound contemporary and doesn’t sound over-produced. It sounds like a band rocking out in a room. I really liked the sound and it has an undeniable celebratory rock feel [to] it that is very similar in my opinion to the band KISS and Blue Oyster Cult.
Dan continued, “The thing that I really liked about this album was how much the music seemed to encapsulate rock n’ roll. It felt pure and natural to me. I also love the redemption story behind the music.”
Follow Audrey Smilley
Recent Posts
YouTube Sensation, World-Famous Entertainer, Lexi Mae Walker to Perform with Southwest Symphony Orchestra
At the young age of 11, Lexi Mae Walker became a YouTube sensation, starring as Elsa in Alex Boyé’s Africanized tribal cover video of Disney’s smash hit song “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen. Now, at just 17 years of age, the young Latter-day Saint has had the honor...
Father and Son, Merrill and Justin Osmond’s New Video Podcast Series “Sound Advice”
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Aaron Elvis Presley, who passed away at the age of 42 after suffering a heart attack, and the Osmonds had a very special relationship. He particularly had a special bond with the matriarch of the Osmond family, Olive Davis Osmond, as she...
Alex Boyé, An Ambassador for Suicide Prevention, to Release Two Life-Changing Songs
Alex Boyé, a multicultural, multigenerational, global, independent artist with over 1 billion views on his YouTube channel, was born in England to Nigerian parents. He lived in Nigeria for a short time during his childhood but was then raised by foster parents in...
“Song of My Heart” – A Musical, Spiritual Journey
American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive, William “Smokey” Robinson Jr., is quoted as saying, “Songwriting is my gift from God.” And English singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor, Edward Christopher Sheeran, is...
A Latter-day Saint Musician’s Journey from Writing Punk Music to a Grammy-Award Winning Composition
After purchasing an electric guitar at a flea market for $15 when he was a teenager, Lansing McLoskey soon discovered that writing punk music had a “do it yourself” kind of vibe. With his new found passion for the more popular genre, he wasted no time in giving up...
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square Presents a Special Easter Service
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Bells on Temple Square, and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble are pleased to announce a special Easter service - He Is Risen: A Sacred Easter Presentation. The service will take place on Friday, 19...