Get Down: Smediums make no-ego promise

The way The Smediums formed is almost as wishy-washy as its name.

The Amarillo rock band derives its name from drummer Seth Havens' habit of wearing T-shirts a size too small (riding the small-medium line, though Havens, 31, insists he wears an XL - and, for that matter, that the rest of the band also wears their shirts too tight).

But the band didn't have a name when singer Curtis McGill, who'll turn 38 on Sunday, first came up with the idea about four years ago.

He hooked up with Havens, guitarist Scott Houdashell and guitarist Dane Everett for a gig.

It was the last time the band played an official show for a year.

"Our wives and girlfriends were, like, I don't believe you're in a band," Houdashell said. "They told us to (expletive) or get off the pot. We were content to just get together and hang out on Tuesdays."

But eventually, the band found its way back to the stage, performing regularly these days at Leftwood's, where they'll play at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

"You eventually come to the point where everyone in the band knows it's right," said guitarist Korte Jones, who joined during the band's hiatus. "You need to have other people hear you. As artists, you need to have someone else soaking it up."

In that long exile in the band's practice space, local musicians Luke Holder and Cody Downs jammed for a while, Jones joined up and keyboardist Tyler Andrews got talked into signing on even though he had only bought a keyboard the very day McGill asked him to come on board.

"I woke up the next morning and said, 'I think I joined a band last night,'" said Andrews, 28.

The band formed a philosophy over those long nights of rehearsal (and drinking. Don't forget the drinking.): "This is not a money thing, a fame thing. No egos come to the table," said Houdashell, 39.

Though most of the members have played in some of Amarillo's favorite bands (Jones in Kickin' Wookies, McGill in Washday Special, Havens in September Drive, Houdashell in 3-Man), the plan for The Smediums was just to have fun and play cover songs, not worry about writing originals.

On the repertoire? Modest Mouse, MGMT, The Pixies, The Flaming Lips and more.

"No song's a no," Houdashell said.

"As long as it makes people want to get up and dance," said Jones, 33. "That's important."

It seems to be working. At one recent gig, the bar ran totally out of beer and had to stay closed the following Sunday until it could restock.

One bartender was overheard by a band member describing the clientele the band attracts in impolite terms that we won't repeat here. Instead, here's Jones' translation: "A slightly upscale female audience that might be sort of more likely to try to have sex with you."

The band's Amarillo-famous, too.

"When you're at Waffle House and a girl says, 'You're a Smedium, right?', that's when you know you're famous," Andrews said.

"A dude stopped me on the way into the bathroom at Coconutz," McGill said. "We want people to recognize us going into the bathroom at Coconutz."