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Bradley Grant Smith, also known professionally as Sad Brad Smith, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He gained recognition in 2009 for his song, "Help Yourself", which featured in the Oscar-nominated film Up in the Air, starring George Clooney and Anna Kendrick. He wrote, directed, and scored the film Our Father (2021), which was nominated for the Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival.

Career

While attending the wedding of friends Philip Sternberg and Catherine Reitman, Smith left a CD of home recordings in a mutual friend's car. After hearing them, Sternberg passed the recordings on to director Jason Reitman, thinking they might be right for his new film in pre-production, Up in the Air. A year later, Smith's song "Help Yourself" was placed in a pivotal scene at the emotional climax of the film.

Chicago Reader called it "the best thing about Up in the Air. . . it will probably break your heart." Oscar buzz for the song was strong, but "Help Yourself" was pulled from consideration by Paramount Pictures due to technicalities required by the Academy, which some deemed arbitrary. Smith had been undiscovered up until that point and had not released any music prior to the film.

To coincide with the rapidly shifting timetable of the film's release, his debut album, Love is Not What You Need, appeared quickly, made up of 12 songs culled from the same home-sessions as "Help Yourself." A party and concert were held at Schubas, in Chicago, on January 23, 2011, to celebrate the physical release of Love is Not What You Need on vinyl, and Smith performed the album live, backed by a new band. In a review of the show, Consequence of Sound called the group "tight, talented, and entertaining," and observed that "Smith has a charming, low-key stage manner that quickly invites you in, and you can’t help but stay with him."

In 2014, he released the single "On the Beach," which was described by PopMatters as containing "a touch of ringing melody to sweeten his twangy folk sound," along with an official music video directed by Alex Thompson and starring legendary character actor Austin Pendleton. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the 2014 album Magic expanded the song's sound to contain "early Beatles harmonies, traditional folk instruments, country guitar, and melting studio atmospherics collectively create living cinema for your mind."

A frequent collaborator of Chicago filmmakers Alex Thompson and Kelly O'Sullivan, he most recently appeared on screen for them in their 2024 film Ghostlight, for which he also composed the children's song, "That's Enough."

Discography

Sad Brad Smith

• 2009 - "Help Yourself" - Up in the Air (soundtrack)
• 2009 - Love is Not What You Need
• 2014 - Magic
• 2019 - Sweet Dream
• 2024 - From a Barn on an Island (Live at the Almanack Arts Colony)

Filmography

Acting Roles

References

1. Petlicki, Myrna (September 2, 2020). "Pandemic gives Sad Brad Smith a chance to finish some shelved projects". Chicago Tribune.
2. Small, Nina (2014-04-16). "Song Premiere: Sad Brad Smith, "Magic"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
3. Freed, Nick (January 25, 2011). "Listen: Sad Brad Smith". Consequence of Sound.
4. ^ Pirnia, Garin (January 25, 2010). "Sad Brad Smith: From Starving Musician to the "Up in the Air" Soundtrack". The Wall Street Journal.
5. ^ Goldberg, Matt (2009-11-10). "The Academy Drowns Out Sad Brad Smith's Songs for UP IN THE AIR". Collider. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
6. Gorham, Luke (2021-03-18). "Our Father | Bradley Grant Smith". In Review Online. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
7. Hailu, Selome (March 26, 2021). "SXSW Interview: Bradley Grant Smith's "Male Gaze Gazes on the Male Gaze" in Our Father". The Austin Chronicle.
8. "Sad Brad Smith: The Extended Interview and Performance". WBEZ. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
9. Moser, Whet (2009-12-06). "Sad Brad Smith: The best thing about Up in the Air". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
10. "'Juno' director Jason Reitman's latest, 'Up in the Air': Hear his hand-picked soundtrack star here". EW.com. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
11. Pond, Steve (2009-10-07). "'Up in the Air' Sounds Great, Too". TheWrap. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
12. "2010 Oscars for Best Song: Worst nominations ever?". EW.com. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
13. "'Up In The Air' Schedules a New Date of Departure". We Are Movie Geeks. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
14. "Sad Brad Smith Cheers Up, Talks New Album". The Chicagoist. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
15. "Sad Brad Smith charms Chicago's chilly Schubas (1/23)". Consequence. 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
16. "Sad Brad Smith – "On the Beach" (audio) (Premiere) | PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
17. "A-Sides with Jon Chattman: Sad Brad Smith "On the Beach" Music Video Premiere; Susan Catteneo Opens Her Heart". HuffPost. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
18. Guarino, Mark (2014-06-30). "Chicago songwriter Sad Brad Smith strikes mystical tone with new pop album". Mark Guarino. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
19. ""Ghostlight" Finds Healing in Unexpected Places". Sundance Institute. June 6, 2024.
20. "Bradley Grant Smith | Actor, Composer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-12.

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