MODERN DRUMMER
June 2000

Barry "Frosty" Smith

Funk Agenda

by David John Farinella

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There are some things you just never want to hear on your voice mail, especially in a thick Texas drawl. "David, this is Frosty. I hear you're lookin' for me." Yikes. This guy sounds bad. Yet the truth of the matter is that I'm not the only person looking for Barry "Frosty" Smith. From the first time he picked up sticks, through stints with such memorable artists as Lee Michaels, Sly & The Family Stone, and Dr. John, Frosty has made quite a name for himself as an innovative funk drummer.

It's a bit of a shocker, then when he freely admits, "I don't borrow, I flat out steal." Frosty's talking about how he'll draw ideas from certain artists, like recently when he blended some of the technological touches of Cibo Matto and some Afro-pop flavor from Youssou N'Dour into his own playing. "I steal it," he says, "and then after a while it becomes unrecognizable as anything else but mine. Like The Chemical Brothers do with their loops, where you can't recognize a song that you had recorded because of what they've done to it - that's what I do." Smith should know, considering his work with Lee Michaels is some of the most sampled bits of music ever recorded.

Lately Frosty has had the chance to bring all of his influences to the Austin-based group Papa Mali. With a litle blues, a little funk, a little 'Nawlins, and even a bit of voodoo, Papa Mali is a dynamic project. While they recorded their smokin' new album [Thunder Chicken] (available from Fog City Records) with a full band, the band essentially consists of singer/guitarist Malcolm Welbourne, Frosty on drums, and a variety of guest instrumentalists.

Frosty's agenda is clear. "To leave behind a body of work," he explains. "In other words, to not be thought of as talented through association, but rather to let my work stand up and hopefully influence somebody else down the line."

Check out Papa Mali's website at http://www.fogworld.com/pmi for more info on the band and their tour schedule. You can also listen to their entire album online, in stereo and for free!

First published in Modern Drummer
, June 2000. Copyright © 2000
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