The Smile Makers & Jacob Haller At Sandywoods

Saturday, March 2, 2013 - The Smile Makers & Jacob Haller
7 pm, doors open 6:30 pm
BYOB & food allowed
$8 advance, $10 at the door
The Smile Makers is the musical brainchild of Eric Donaldson and Nicole Sutka. These two multifaceted musicians draw influences from funk, folk, ska, bluegrass, and alt-rock. Their original music mixes seamless vocal harmonies with poetically crafted lyrics to create songs and performances that have been described by reviewers as "hauntingly beautiful." Their music is… Show more full of nuances and instrumental gems, encapsulating troubled experiences with melodies that conjure up both hope and foreboding. The cross-genre influences and complex rhythmic song structures put them in a musical genre all their own. This group is not all cute and cuddly. Their softer side is well-balanced with rip-rocking tunes and roaring bass lines that will make you want to get up and dance. Eric Donaldson (vox, guitars, ukelele, harmonica), Nicole Sutka (vox, bass guitars, flute, recorders, piano), Jeff Mac (electric guitars).
Jacob Haller grew up in Holland, Massachusetts and still remembers the music parties his parents used to throw, where friends and families would bring their instruments and sing all kinds of music, from old traditional songs to Motown hits. When Jacob was in college, he picked up the guitar and started learning some of those songs, and eventually started writing songs of his own, mostly strange little songs he wrote to entertain friends.
In 2010 Jacob was nominated for "Best Singer/Songwriter" in the Providence Phoenix. He currently performs solo and with a backing band, The Running Commentary. He is also a member of two other bands, the Killdevils (a blues/soul/rock band) and the Double Decker Dance Band (an afro-beat/dance band).
Jacob has been a member of the Rhode Island Songwriters Association since September of 2006. In 2011, his song "The Ballad of Anne Hutchinson" was one of those selected to be played in "Singing About Providence," a show celebrating Providence's 375th anniversary put on by Hear In Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Songwriters Association.
Jacob has released two CDs, Circumstantial Evidence and Mistaken Identity.

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