Smell the Thunder

Auggie Smith operates at a high-volume, red-faced sputter that works because he knows exactly when to ease off the throttle. On this album, which received a digital re-release from Stand Up! Records in 2022, he channels progressive-leaning irritation into a loud frenzy, taking aim at the exhausting mixed messages of public behavior. Compiled from live club sets in Kansas City, Boise, and Dayton, the material finds Smith reacting to the absurdities of the early Obama era. He delivers frantic critiques of the BP oil spill, the irony of drivers with religious bumper stickers screaming profanities in traffic, and the sheer weirdness of the MTV show Pimp My Ride. At the time of its original release, critics compared Smith’s delivery to Sam Kinison and Lewis Black, praising his ability to maintain a high-decibel rant without exhausting the room.