Portland Oregon’s acclaimed family music artists Aaron Nigel Smith and Red Yarn released their first collaborative album, Smith & Yarn, on April 29, 2022. The spirited collection mixes their signature styles of reggae, funk, folk, country and roots rock into a unique blend of sounds and cultural traditions. The music is fused with lyrics that celebrate unity, activism and friendship in a warm and welcoming way. 

Aaron Nigel Smith is a GRAMMY®-nominated producer, teaching artist, and nonprofit leader and Red Yarn, aka Andy Furgeson, is an award-winning Texas-born family folk-rocker and puppeteer. Smith and Furgeson have been friends and colleagues in the Portland family music community for the last decade. They’ve worked together on events, taught side-by-side, and sung on each other’s projects, but Smith & Yarn this is their first in-depth creative collaboration. 

After talking about making a record together for years, Smith pitched the idea for a country-reggae hybrid in fall 2020. They were sharing a livestream studio to weather the pandemic and began writing and recording songs together. For a year and a half, they each brought new songs to the table, fleshed out tracks in Smith’s home studio, and invited guests to contribute remotely. Smith & Yarn represents a long, organic collaborative process that pushed both artists outside of their comfort zones, yielding songs and sounds that neither would have created alone.

Track Listing & Guest Musicians:

1. Brothers & Sisters w/ Jake Blount (banjo)
2. Mix It Up w/ Dean Jones (keys, trombone), Tony Jones (sax)
3. Never Be Alone ft. Rissi Palmer w/ Benjamin Hunter (fiddle)
4. Truth ft. Kelli Welli, Mo Phillips, SaulPaul w/ Cathy Fink (banjo),                    Marcy Marxer (mandolin)
5. The River w/ Brady Shammar (vox), Paul Brainard (pedal steel)
6. Shine On Me (recorded in the field)
7. Swing Your Partner ft. Karen K w/ Benjamin Hunter (fiddle, banjo)
8. Make Some Change ft. Father Goose w/ Miss Jessie (vox), Dean Jones (drums, keys)
9. Don’t Pass w/ Paul Brainard (dobro), Ivy School students (vox)

Lead Musicians:

Aaron Nigel Smith: vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, percussion

Andy Furgeson: vocals, guitars, banjo, harmonica

Jubba White: drums

Dale Haslan: bass

Arcellus Sykes: bass

Co-Produced by Aaron Nigel Smith & Red Yarn. 

Engineered by Aaron Nigel Smith. 

Mixed by Adam Selzer. 

Mastered by Dana White. 

All songs by Aaron Nigel Smith (Aya World Productions, BMI) & Andy Furgeson 

(Red Yarn’s Notebook, ASCAP). 

Photos by Lissa Hahn. 

Design by Heather Lin. 

PR by Mayers Consulting. 

Distributed by Tuff Gong International. 

© 2022, Aya World Productions & Red Yarn Productions.