Each year thousands of students come to UCLA to advance their
education, but education isn’t the university’s only
attraction. Los Angeles is home to one of the world’s largest
entertainment industries, and for some students, homework
isn’t the only thing on their mind.
UCLA students Ryan Blakeley Smith, his brother Oliver Retford
Smith, Tyler Lawrence and John Gilmore have plans to lay claim to
their own piece of the Hollywood pie with their band Envy, which
performs next Sunday night at the Knitting Factory.
Their interests lay not just in the music, but in the allure of
stardom as well.
“We do it all, baby,” lead
singer/guitarist/songwriter Ryan Smith said. “Directing,
acting, performing, entertaining.”
Smith originally met Envy bassist Lawrence at an audition for a
Pepsi commercial. Lawrence snagged the role for the upright bass
and fiddle in the ’50s portion of the Britney Spears Pepsi
commercial that ran during the 2002 Superbowl.
“We’re stallions,” Smith said. “We do a
show, have a party at our house, sleep one hour, come to an
interview, go in the studio tonight. We rehearse all night long,
and then Tyler goes home and writes a paper at 5 in the morning and
then goes to class at 8. We have love for the art. We love to make
people feel good through music and make ourselves feel good through
music.”
Envy’s songs are slow to medium tempo, sentimental and
strewn with acoustic guitar chords and four-part vocal harmonies.
Solidifying the sound is Smith’s delicate, alto voice singing
heart-felt lyrics about relationships. The almost
over-sentimentality is apparent through the song titles
“Shooting Star” and “First Time.”
In “First Time,” Smith sings, “We walked the
shores of our lives; our footprints can never be washed away now
that we have become one.”
Since forming in April, Envy has played at various L.A. venues,
including the Knitting Factory, the Gig, the Whiskey and the Mint.
But the band members have known each other for many years. Gilmore
and Ryan Smith are from the same neighborhood in Avon, Conn. The
two began jamming on drums and guitar in their early
childhoods.
Smith went on to study acting at Ithaca College in New York and
later won an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
scholarship for graduate work in writing and producing music
through New York University. As a film student at NYU, Smith scored
the music for six independent films.
The name Envy began with Envy Productions, Smith’s film
production company at Ithaca College.
“All our music is very very positive, and it’s
really a metaphor for, instead of envying the band, it’s more
like envying yourself; love yourself,” Smith said.
The band sees music as a necessary outlet. For Lawrence, the
songs provide therapy.
“If you have a terrible day, or something’s
bothering you in life, whether it’s a girlfriend, or
financial ““ you know, anything that bothers people ““ if
you go and play the songs, and you jam them out, it always leaves
you feeling great.”
Even the process of writing songs is easy for Smith, almost too
easy; he describes the process as if he’s channeling rather
than creating the music.
“I write songs, and then I look back on it, and I
don’t even remember writing it,” Smith said. “It
was like it’s there; it existed already; it was kind of
filtered through me. It’s like a separate power; it just
happens.”
Although continually involved in film, Smith and Tyler prefer
music to acting.
“It’s great to work on a team and have a director
and whole ensemble.” Smith said.
“But still somebody else wrote it, directed it, had the
inspiration and idea,” Laurence said.
When it comes down to it, however, maybe the answer is a bit
more simple.
“Aw, we just like (music) better,” Laurence said.
“I’m a better musician than I’m an actor
anyways.”
Envy performs at the Knitting Factory on Dec. 7 at 9:30 p.m.
For more info visit envysite.com.