Ground Control Ep 5 - Gavin Smith (Achievable Heights)

Gavin Smith is a man of passion and restraint. By day, he works to transform the legal landscape through his work in environmental law. 

His slight physique and quiet voice might conjure ideas of a bike-riding gentle soul, book smart and funny if you corner him at an event. Maybe you think he closes his eyes when he really likes a song, or feels the power of a bassline run through him. Well, if that’s what you think, I think you might’ve thought right. 

Gavin’s musical stylings venture from soft, fingerpicked pharyngal voicing that to me, remind me of a soft seventies offering akin to Seals & Croft or -- and he’d likely be embarrassed if he heard me say this -- Nick Drake. 

To hear this, find his work under the name Wedgwood on Soundcloud. 
https://soundcloud.com/gavin-smith-973200710

But then, he flits into this upbeat and driving bass player with the band Starlight Pines, with bouncing bass lines that start in your stomach and move through your body. The other two thirds of Starlight Pines are singer/guitarist Jordan Mitchell and drummer Gerilee McBride.

https://thestarlightpines.com/music/

I spoke to Gavin before he met with Achievable Heights band member Brennan Anderson at their practice space in the alleyway, swatting away mosquitos and letting my recorder run out of card space.

Hosted, edited and produced by Pammer

The song Phantom Limb was written and recorded by Pam Halen
Music by Ketsa

The last song on the episode is Safe Journeys by Wedgwood