ABOUT THAINE SMITH

MUSIC

I have always been a music lover. I grew up listening to classic rock favorites (ZZ Top, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath) curated by my dad. In my teens I discovered a love of metal and would say that Opeth and Tool remain my biggest non-jazz influences. They are so atmospheric, and I love the long-form song structures, as well as the chugging heavy riffs! I found jazz in high-school when I moved from outside of Philadelphia to NYC in 2013. While attending the Institute for Collaborative Education (ICE) as a high-school senior, I completed an internship with Ohad Talmor and was exposed to NYC’s vibrant jazz scene in 2014. Enraptured by jazz harmony, and improvisation, I studied jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2014 – 2018 while completing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. While competing my B.S. in Psychology, I completed a departmental honors thesis in my senior year looking at the associations between yoga philosophy and common mental health issues. 

I have been writing original music since 2015, and developed a catalogue of unrecorded tunes in the years since. In 2021 I finally “saw the light” and decided it was time to start putting my music out in the world! My first single “Noctilucent Clouds” releases September 3rd, 2021 on all digital platforms and I sincerely hope you enjoy! I am also very excited to announce my first full-length album VISIONS is in production and scheduled to release in early 2022. Being an independent artist is very important to me, and I feel it really enhances my creative process to stay with the music from start to to finish. My goal is to self-produce my entire catalogue of original music currently around 26 tunes! Stay tuned for many years of new music releases and big shout-outs to Matt Twaddle and James McCarthy for their contributions to VISIONS. 

YOGA

I was exposed to yoga from my mom. Something about the poses, breath work, and philosophy grabbed my strong interest, despite being only 13. From age 13-18 I attended many different yoga classes including a profound personal experience with yoga therapy at the YogaLife Institute (then located in Wayne, PA). After moving from NYC in 2014 to start my undergraduate stint at UMass Amherst, I pursued a 250hr Yoga teacher Training certification at YogaLife Institute, and having completed his certification, immediately started teaching yoga on campus at UMass. I graduated UMass in 2018, and immediately enrolled in YogaLife’s Comprehensive Yoga Therapy 3-year program to further my classical yoga education, which I completed in July 2021. I am an experienced yoga teacher and IAYT certified yoga therapist, who is currently taking clients!    

When asked why I like yoga so much, I often point to its practical benefits on calming the mind, and the personal motivation derived from establishing positive habits in one’s life. I am an avid meditator as well. 

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

I'm am an MBA graduate from the Villanova School of Business, working in Finance. I have over four years of experience in Clinical Research Operations, and am a passionate student of finance with advanced modeling capabilities and experience in creating financial models for start-ups.