SC native plays shows on the street to promote Good Vibes
Good Vibes have made their way through Europe, from Santorini to Zurich to Barcelona, by way of South Carolina’s curbside prophet Allen Smith.
With his Ray-Bans, beanies and guitar in tow, Smith — who left for his singing tour of Europe in August — took three months to promote his acoustic music and the mission of his company Good Vibes.
The Daily Gamecock sat down with Smith, a USC graduate and Summerville, S.C. native, in August to preview his journey, which all circled back to Good Vibes and Smith’s dream.
The Good Vibes brand lends itself to the larger purpose of working to help youths recognize and pursue their dreams despite any bumps in the road.
“Keep calm and carry on. Everything works out in the end — go do what you love,” Smith said. “We want to see young people striving to be all they can be. We want to see people doing what they love doing.”
Smith started his trip in Santorini, Greece, surfing couches (via couchsurfing.com) and staying at hostels while playing on the streets from country to country. He made friends with the locals, playing with a few native artists along the way, turning his hostels into stages and forums for his mission as well.
From Greece, Smith jumped from Istanbul to Bosnia to Croatia and almost everywhere in between, playing music and soaking in his surroundings.
“Each country is so unique in its own way — it’s so different than America. Every 100 miles, there’s a completely different culture,” Smith said.
The artist and USC alumnus spent five days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and used the city’s history to shape his songwriting. Smith wrote a song inspired by the painful memories a local, who was 13 years old in 1992 during the heat of the Yugoslav wars, shared of bombs falling and the devastation of the city, which was left tattered by bullets.
Smith took time to tour in Budapest, visit Anne Frank’s home in Amsterdam and almost get arrested in the Czech Republic for playing without a permit on the streets before stopping in Munich for Oktoberfest. At the world-renowned annual German festival, Smith stayed at “The Tent,” a collective of botanical gardens where he was able to play with other artists in a “campfire” setup.
All of his adventures were building up to the Oxjam charity music festival, hosted by Oxfam International, in London. Oxjam is a month-long event that raises money for Oxfam’s cause. Smith played a 45-minute set of original acoustic, feel-good songs for what he was told was one of the biggest crowds of the festival.
Through his music and time in each country, Smith lived out what he said is the goal of Good Vibes and his overarching reason for the excursion.
“It’s all about doing what you said you were going to do,” Smith said. “And I learned that everybody’s here to help.”
After London, he continued on to Scotland where he “jammed” with local musicians to traditional Scottish tunes — something that tied back to his family’s heritage — visited old study-abroad friends from his days as a USC student while in Paris, and came to the real conclusion of his trip during his time in Barcelona.
“This is your time to really shine and come out of your shell,” Smith said. “The world is looking for a new leader.”
Smith is back in the United States, and there are few new things to come for both Good Vibes and his music. He hopes to take Good Vibes on the road next fall, touring college campuses to “showcase students that have a passion for what they’re doing.”
Smith is in the process of moving to Nashville to pursue his acoustic slow jams and work with labels in the music capital.
To learn more about Good Vibes and watch videos from Smith’s trip across Europe, visit livegoodvibes.com. Music from the singer’s EP “Self Discovery” can also be found at www.reverbnation.com/allensmith.