The Cabin will get a rush of rock and blues this weekend

Caroline Smith will perform Friday and Saturday at The Cabin

Story by Spectator Staff

A Minneapolis artist will be featured this weekend by The Cabin.

Caroline Smith will be playing at 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. this Friday with a final performance on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Playing since 2007, Caroline Smith is a self-described Pop-R&B trio, which formerly went by Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps.

The band’s lead singer, Caroline Smith said the band now plays under her name.

“The Good Night Sleeps no longer exists,” Smith said. “At the performance, it will be the full band, with back-up singers and everything.”

Caroline Smith is returning to The Cabin with band members Arlen Peiffer and Jesse Schuster for the first time since April 27 and 28 of last year.

During the seven years together, the band’s sound has changed. The latest shift was with its release of Half About Being a Woman, Smith’s own reflection on becoming a woman.

“Our other records have all sounded different than this new one,” Smith said. “We are all maturing, and I took the reigns as the creative head of the band and wanted to create a record that I’d listen to.”

Smith said the band will be playing songs from the new record, but its set-list always has room for its old stuff.

“If people are familiar with our older music, we like to keep those people happy too so we mix it in,” Smith said.

She started playing music early in her life after her father taught her how to play the guitar.

“My mother taught me how to get motivated and to have the drive to be a musician,” Smith said. “She wanted me to try and make a living from it, and when the B.B. King opportunity came she pushed me to jump in .”

Her mother continued to push Smith to make a CD and promote herself. Once Smith opened for blues legend King, she realized the performance life could be her reality.

“I thought this was something I could actually do,” Smith said.

As a musician, Smith wants to continue developing as a songwriter and see where that leads her.

“I want to continue to keep writing and write better music,” Smith said. “The goal is to write timeless songs.”

Caroline Smith will perform at the Basilica block party on July 11 and 12 in Minneapolis.