CaFleureBon Profiles In American Perfumery: Meredith Smith of Sweet Anthem + I Love Rock and Roll Draw

 

 Pr ofile: I didn’t have any grand designs of being a perfumer when I was a kid. I didn’t have any interest in gardening or plants and herbs – it was an acquired taste . As a  kid, my time was consumed by music and books. I took piano lessons from an early age, and then played the French horn in the school band. In a small town in West Texas, there wasn’t much to do, and I didn’t have many friends who shared my interests. So I spent much of my time pouring over sheet music I had rifled through from my grandmother’s collection, or reading any book I could get my hands on.

 

It was in my 2nd high school, however, that I was hired by a group of friends to play drums for their punk band, and they began to show me, through a fusion of punk and ska and grunge and rock and roll, what my small town had been missing. For the next six years, my life was consumed by performing in bands and promoting indie music. I played in four or five different bands in a subculture that shared band members so rampantly nobody knew what was going on until a bill was announced. If you’ve ever read a single issue of Rolling Stone, you’ll know this usually ends in drama. But that’s another story.

 

The original Sweet Anthem studio in Capitol Hill

 

 In 2002, I founded Sweet Anthem after a summer semester spent at the University of Washington, where I had discovered the DIY music movement. Initially, Sweet Anthem was a small press run by a collective of friends; we published small “zines” and poetry chapbooks. We wrote about music and about things we loved, and interviewed musicians and artists about the same. Sweet Anthem Press disbanded in 2004 when I went to study abroad.  I returned to Seattle in 2005, and found myself as a freelance graphic designer. Around this time friends introduced me to the online perfume trading communities. We began collecting together, and I fell so far down the rabbit hole that I’m not sure what side I’m on these days. I was focused then on many indie brands like L’Aromatica, CB I Hate Perfume, and Gabriel’s Aunt. I had heard of perfumers like Mandy Aftel and began to seek out the DIY movement of perfume through the then-young perfume blogosphere.

 

 

Meredith and her husband Phil

 And then, one curious day, I learned that perfume making and music have such faithful similarities. I was entirely bewitched. I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood. I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.

 

 

Perfume oils by Sweet Anthem

  Sweet Anthem was, in a word, reformulated. I began in a small, Ballard bedroom with just a few notes, and let friends in those trading communities have the first whiffs. Whether they were just being nice then is anybody’s guess, but they urged me to set up shop. Since then, Sweet Anthem has taken over computer desks and second bedrooms in Capitol Hill while I moonlighted as an Etsian.

  

When my husband Phil and I got married in 2010 and he moved in with me, we knew that Sweet Anthem wouldn’t last much longer in such a small space. We bought a live/work loft in West Seattle in August 2011 where I now concoct my fragrances from a fully operational lab behind my flagship retail store. 

True, it’s a far cry from publishing zines and chapbooks and playing drums in punk rock bands, but it feels like I was destined to be here all along. After all, I still tell stories and make music every day!

  

Lou Reed

 

Favorite artist: For probably obvious reasons, my favorite art form is music. It’s the fabric of much of my life, and I would be remiss to not mention a musician here. My favorite musician is Lou Reed – front man of the Velvet Underground. If anything, Lou Reed was one of the greatest storytellers of rock and roll history – few pale in comparison – and he pioneered an honest, earnest form of rock that still keeps me tapping my foot and left a legacy in so many modern musicians and artists that I love. (An aside, my married name is Tucker, and my old nickname used to be Moe, since I played the drums – after Moe Tucker from the Velvet Underground. It should come as no surprise, then, that there are about 4 VU-inspired fragrances in my catalog.)

 

 

Most of my fragrances are music-inspired, hence  Lou Reed as favorite artist (and, well, the name Sweet Anthem) – there are several Velvet Underground inspired fragrances. I don't generally divulge which is which because I like to leave a bit of mystery, although my most recent fragrance, Joan , was based on Joan Jett, whose "I Love Rock and Roll" was #1 the week I was born.

 

 

On American perfumery: While I have daydreams of Grasse, I can’t imagine being a perfumer anywhere else – and certainly not outside the Pacific Northwest. Tama’s recent Ca Fleure Bon piece about the Sisterhood of West Coast Perfumery pretty much sums up my thoughts on this subject. There are so many pioneers on the left coast that have come before me that have paved the way so I can do what I do without much worry. And I’m so thankful that my boutique allows me a way to support the American perfume community alongside my own creations – we sell fragrances by other indie perfumers like Nikki Sherritt, Ayala Moriel, Ellen Covey, and Charna Ethier – I just can’t imagine being anywhere else!

 

Meredith Smith, Perfumer and Owner of Sweet Anthem

 

 

For our draw Meredith is offering  four 10ml  vegan eau de parfums of your choice  to one CaFleureBon reader (her collection has 16). To be eligible please leave  a quote that resonated with you or what you found fascinating about Meredith's profile and the four edps you would like to win.  Draw closes May 20, 2012

 

Editor's Note: If you live in the Seattle area, stop by and meet Meredith and visit her perfume boutique (for more information http://www.sweetanthem.com/). Meredith loves literature and Russian history as well as music. (There are three fragrances that have a Russian context – Anton, based on Anton Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard"; Catherine, based on Catherine the Great; and Peter, based on Peter the Great).

 

 

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

6 ÷ 3 =

44 comments

  • “I learned that perfume making and music have such faithful similarities. I was entirely bewitched. I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood. I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.” … I thought this was such an interesting perspective to perfume making and I can imagine that it’s very true.

    I would love to win: Anton, Miho, Joan, Caroline

  • Funny how she was named Moe after Moe Tucker. My favourite Velvet Underground song is After Hours, sung my Moe.
    I’d love to win Catherine, Peter, Sophie and the exciting-sounding Anton.

  • Since I work for the Rock Hall library I certainly found this interesting:”In 2002, I founded Sweet Anthem after a summer semester spent at the University of Washington, where I had discovered the DIY music movement. Initially, Sweet Anthem was a small press run by a collective of friends; we published small “zines” and poetry chapbooks. We wrote about music and about things we loved, and interviewed musicians and artists about the same.” And I like that she seems to have a true enjoyment of what she loves and gets involved in! Very fun!

    The fragrances sound amazing…I’d love to try Anita, Emily, Elliott & Rebecca.

  • Rachelle S says:

    I like it when Meredith says “it feels like I was destined to be here all along” because that’s such an important feeling to have about where you’re at in life!
    I’d love to win Anita, Caroline, Emily, and Miho.

  • Christy C says:

    I thought it fascinating that she published zines–my sister is a long-time zine writer and I have always enjoyed her work and that of other zine authors.

    I would like to try: Catherine, Corrin, Rowena, and Juliet.

    Thank you!

  • “…through a fusion of punk and ska and grunge and rock and roll, what my small town had been missing” We never really know what we’ve been missing!
    I’m a fan of SA and would love to try ANY four! Perfumers choice!

  • Joan , was based on Joan Jett, whose “I Love Rock and Roll” was #1 the week I was born

    What a neat fact about Meredith! I love music and natural perfume and the story of how she got to where she is now is inspiring..thank you for sharing!
    I like Caroline,Juliet,Joan and Miho

  • amberosmanthus says:

    I love this quote from Meredith: True, it’s a far cry from publishing zines and chapbooks and playing drums in punk rock bands, but it feels like I was destined to be here all along. After all, I still tell stories and make music every day!” She illustrates so beautifully how at first glance two things might seem completely unrelated, but actually have so much in common on a deeper level. Yay for new explorations that might turn out to be “home” after all.

    I would love Caroline, Catherine, Miho, and Juliet

  • “I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood. I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs” Is such a cool thought. I don’t know much about making music, but the image is so vivid! It also helped explain the opening paragraph where she talked about how perfume for her was an acquired taste.

    I would love to win Rebecca (omg blue bonnets in a perfume!!! I am a texan so am going to have to try that), Peter, Madeline, and Emily.

    There are some really unique sounding compositions!

  • Caitie O. says:

    ” I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.”

    Like Lisa R. above I love the idea of perfumes being like music in that when you add all the notes together you get something that is more than the sum of its parts.

    I would love to win: Annabelle, Juliet, Caroline, and Anton.

  • “There are so many pioneers on the left coast that have come before me that have paved the way so I can do what I do without much worry. And I’m so thankful that my boutique allows me a way to support the American perfume community alongside my own creations”

    I would love to win Miho, Cordelia, Rebecca and Annabelle

  • Cheesegan says:

    I found it fascinating that she came to independent perfumery through her experience in the independent music scene. Her quote “my most recent fragrance, Joan , was based on Joan Jett, whose “I Love Rock and Roll” was #1 the week I was born.” resonated with me as it makes me feel very old.

    I would choose the following:
    Caroline, Cordelia, Elliot and Joan.

    Thanks for another great interview with an independent perfumer and for the great blog

  • It’s interesting how she sees the similarity between music and fragrance. They’re not called notes for nothing. I liked that Meredith is a drummer too. Female drummers rock!

    My choices if I were to win in the draw are:
    Catherine, Caroline. Juliet and Rebecca

  • Loved this article. My favourite quote was,
    “I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood”.
    Music is a love of mine too. I was vocally trained in my youth, and as a creative person myself, I can relate to the discovery of how perfumery can weave its way into the artistic field.

    If I was so lucky to win, I’d love to be the proud owner of Anita, Catherine, Miho and Sophie.

  • I completely get her penetrating love for the Pacific Northwest. When I left NY I could have gone anywhere in the United States I wanted and here’s where I wanted to be. As a Seattle resident she is part of a blossoming industry of women scent witches brewing mischief up and down the Pacific coast.

    My ladies of choice are Juliet, Rebecca, Sophie, and Joan.

  • Tourbillion says:

    I love Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground too! They were so ahead of their time.

    If they are giving their stuff away, I’ll take Annabelle, Catherine, Joan, Miho and Sophie.

  • wow!!! So inspiring!! I have often thought of music and perfume sharing similar notes. I often find myself drawn to the base notes…the depths. I often imagine cellos. I too am very much a music lover. I imagine the rhythmic trance of the melodic beats with the grace of perfume. I always create with music:))))

  • it’s fascinating how Meredith found the similarity between conjugating notes in music and mixing notes in perfumery a source of inspiration for her creations..a great artistic endeavour!!
    I would love to try Annabelle, Phoebe, Joan, and Elliott
    Thank you for the draw

  • Paul Bunch says:

    I like to play music as well, and I especially like that these perfumes are vegan. I am glad that she is catering to my lifestyle.

    I would like to try: Elliott, Anton, Anabelle, Phoebe and Rebecca.

  • ringthing says:

    . I don’t generally divulge which is which because I like to leave a bit of mystery, although my most recent fragrance, Joan , was based on Joan Jett, whose “I Love Rock and Roll” was #1 the week I was born. What a great concept. As a life long musician, I can totally see how composing chords and melody in perfume would be. My choices: Anton, Elliott, Rebecca, Madeline. Thanks!

  • It is always so inspiring when somebody follows a dream and loves what they are doing. If I would be so lucky to win, I would choose Caroline, Juliet, Sophie, and Rebecca. Thanks for the draw!

  • just breathe says:

    what I found fascinating is that Lou Reed is her favorite artist as my mom was in a punk rock ballet company and used to dance to his songs at CBGGs in NYC.
    I have a sweet tooth so I would love to try Emilu, Miho, Anita and Annabelle.

  • It was the very beginning of her story that most resonated with me, as I also was into books and music growing up, took piano from a young age and played in band, although for me it was clarinet/saxophone oboe. There was a “me too!” moment there.

    Susan over at the blog Fine Fragrants has been working through the Sweet Anthem line to find a fragrance to gift all the guests with, and it’s been a really fascinating read.

    Four favorites? I’d choose Elliot, Juliet, Rebecca and Sophie.

  • I love music and perfume, and it’s noce to read about such a creative person that made these loves her life’s work. I would like to try Annabelle, Anton, Caroline and Juliet, Also, I’d like Catherine and Miho and Peter…oh all of them!

  • Favorite quote:

    “And then, one curious day, I learned that perfume making and music have such faithful similarities. I was entirely bewitched. I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood. I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.” ROCK ON, GIRRRRL!! 😀

    What a time I had choosing just four! I have narrowed it down to these:

    -Anton
    -Elliot
    -Rebecca
    -Cordelia

    What a wonderful profile and great story! Thanks for the draw opportunity…

  • Scentual healing says:

    Fascinating profile
    Playing in 5 or 6 bands and then leaving that world for perfumery
    I had never heard of sweet anthem so it is an underground discovery
    All of the fragrances sound intriguing
    I choose Joan,miho,Cordelia and Anton if I was lucky to win

  • I enjoyed reading her comparison of the composing of perfumes to making music–she is intimately familiar with both, from the creator’s pov. I feel the same way but from the listener/smeller’s pov. my fave bit:

    “And then, one curious day, I learned that perfume making and music have such faithful similarities. I was entirely bewitched. I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood. I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.”

    I would choose:
    anton
    emily
    rebecca
    madeline

  • No specific quote. I just find it interesting that she had no grand plan of getting into the fragrance business but that her experiences and life transitions led her to it. It’s also admirable that she can truly blend her favorite pastimes through the artistry associated with perfumery. Music + printing/graphics + fragrance.

    Caroline
    Joan
    Phoebe
    Emily

  • “We wrote about music and about things we loved, and interviewed musicians and artists about the same.

    I write a LOT in my job. Emails, papers, presentations and such. It’s been a while, too long, way too long, since I’ve written about something I love, something I love doing and listening to good music. It’s a timely reminder to take a raincheck on being a workaholic and start smelling the roses or Sweet Anthem scents again 🙂

    My selections would be:
    Juliet
    Joan
    Miho
    Miho
    (hello Spring/Summer!)

  • I like that she admits that perfumery is an acquired taste for her. Too many stories of people growing into scents lately. I also liked that her talent has a base in music. The offer is really very generous, especially for a small brand!

    From the range many combinations of notes strike me as very original but my four choices would be:
    Anton
    Cordelia
    Sophie
    Joan

  • TimeaZsofia says:

    I have found fascinating about Meredith’s profile that she was a musician! She played with piano, French horn and drum, it is very nice!

    If I would win, I would choose:

    Caroline
    Juliet
    Rebecca and
    Emily.
    Thank you for this fantastic draw! 🙂

  • I found fascinating that she admits that she had nothing to with perfumes or plants- herbs etc and her pefume discovery was solely based on music association! Also to play in so many band and then leave all than to become a perfumer!! No wonder why the names of the perfumes are so lovely! I think I would like best Caroline, Annabelle, Peter & Miho! Thak you for the draw!!

  • Linnea Wiedeman says:

    ” I was entirely bewitched. I had no idea that I could play the scents and chords much like i had the piano keys in my youth.”
    Annabelle, Caroline, Emily, Miho.

  • I have no idea that Meredith is musician. Although I am not, I think I can understand what she meant by finding similarities between music notes and perfumery notes. 🙂
    Never tried anything from Sweet Anthem – thanks for this draw.
    Anabelle, Phoebe, Rebecca and Caroline. Thanks. 🙂

  • Great article, so lyrical! I love how Meridith says “And then, one curious day, I learned that perfume making and music have such faithful similarities. I was entirely bewitched. I had no idea that I could play the scents in chords much like I had the piano keys in my youth. Some notes had louder bangs than others, much like the drums of my young adulthood. I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.”

    I also love the serendipitous fact that her married name is Tucker, and her old nickname used to be Moe!

    If I were to be the lucky winner I would be thrilled to try CAROLINE, JULIET, PETER and SOPHIE.

    Thanks again for another great draw and interesting article.

  • Interesting that she compared musical chords to chords of notes when making a perfume. Sort of like the perfume organ.

    I’d like to win Joan, Annabelle, Elliot, and Sophie.

  • My favorite quote:

    “I heard melodies that I had never heard before, and began to compose new kinds of songs with a rather insatiable fervor.”

    -Phoebe
    -Sophie
    -Rebecca
    -Cordelia

    Thank you for this draw!

  • Laurentiu says:

    “For probably obvious reasons, my favorite art form is music. It’s the fabric of much of my life, and I would be remiss to not mention a musician here.”

    I think for most of us the music is the favourite form of art. At least for me and that is why I felt like that quote was something that I would have thought.

    I would like to win Peter, Madeline, Phoebe and Anton.

    Thanks

  • Loved that she said “I still tell stories and make music everyday”. Would like to try Anton, Sophie, Catherine and Peter.

  • My favorite line is, ” I still tell stories and make music every day!”
    I would love to win:  Sophie, Annabelle, Emily, Catherine. This line sounds like so much fun! Great article.

  • I think it’s cool that most of her perfumes are music inspired. I would love to try Rebecca, Sophie, Caroline and Juliet. Thank you for the draw!

  • I found it neat that she finds music and scent similar… I’d have to agree. I would love to try Sophie, Catherine, Cordelia, Phoebe. Thanks! 🙂