Sky Smeed was born and raised outside of Chanute, Kansas in an old, one-room schoolhouse that his parents bought and turned into a home in the early 1970’s. In 2017 he sold the country home he built by hand and migrated to Lawrence, Kansas, a place that has provided a non-stop supply of creativity and community, and began settling into an old fixer upper on the north side of the Kaw River.

Smeed has been touring and performing full time for sixteen years. He’s zigzagged across the United States many times and has brought his folk music overseas for two tours that covered England, Scotland and Wales. Sky has released eight full-length albums, and his music has recently been featured on NBC’s crime drama The Blacklist. His songs can be heard almost every Sunday on the legendary Trail Mix show curated by folk DJ Bob McWilliams on Kansas Public Radio.

He also wrote The Lawrence Humane Society’s theme song! In addition to his performances, Sky runs a home recording studio where he produces music with his longtime musician friends and collaborators.

Sky’s shows are full of stories and songs, with a good dose of humor and a few singalongs thrown into the mix. His songs cover a wide range of subjects including love, heartbreak, fishing, travel, squirrel meat, barbeque personal ads, bumper stickers, trail running, and good luck. “Listeners often compare Sky’s music to Gram Parsons, Neil Young and John Prine, though his easy-going, off-the-cuff banter and transparency link him to contemporaries like Todd Snider and Paul Thorn” No Depression Public Performance/Exhibition Information
Sky usually plays 2 one-hour sets with a short intermission in between.

This regular format can be adjusted if necessary. He travels with a medium size, high-quality P.A. that can be used at no additional charge.

$500-$1,000 (Varies depending on travel distance to the event.)

Insight Into Creating Songs A one-hour workshop led by Sky about his process of creating melodies and songs, using examples of interviews, photos and other tools to capture feelings, stories and memories.

The best way to learn about songs is to write one. We will put our discussion to immediate use and write a song together as a class.
Participants will be encouraged to pick a theme and contribute lyrically and musically as we explore the different and unexpected directions that a song can take. Please bring a pen and a notepad.

$300 for 1 hr Insight into Creating Songs.

$100 for a thirty minute acoustic set.

Sky loves playing for elderly folks and would be more than happy to play a thirty minute set of acoustic music at a nearby assisted living home while he’s in the area.

Performance Recording

More Links

• https://skysmeed.com/press
• https://skysmeed.com/house-concerts
• https://www.nodepression.com/album-reviews/sky-smeed-drive-all-night/
• https://iheartlocalmusic.com/2020/11/21/sky-smeed-finds-true-love-in-quarantine-isolation/
• https://iheartlocalmusic.com/2022/08/05/sky-smeed-releases-song-about-squirrel-meat/