May 11, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min · 26 segments
In this episode, we take a deep dive into Con Art, Smart Went Crazy's 1997 swan song and one of the most ambitious records to ever come out of the Dischord catalog. The band formed in DC in 1993 as a…
[gentle music] Smart Went Crazy formed in Washington, D.C. in 1993 as a high school trio.
After graduating, the band expanded to include Jeff Boswell and Tony Denison, releasing the Cubbyhole EP on their own Cozy Disc imprint in 1994 before signing to Dischord Records.
Their 1995 debut, Now We're Even, established the band's interest in textural density and unconventional instrumentation within a hardcore framework.
Denison departed prior to the Con Art sessions, replaced by Devin Ocampo, whose percussion and additional guitar contributions shaped the record's final form.
Recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington with engineer Don Zintara and produced by Clark, Con Art arrived in 1997 as a transitional moment for the DC scene.
Smart Went Crazy occupied an ambiguous position within the Dischord ecosystem, melodically sophisticated and rhythmically inventive, but resistant to easy categorization.
The band disbanded in 1998 shortly after the album's release, and Con Art accumulated its reputation gradually.
[gentle music] Smart Went Crazy formed in Washington, D.C. in 1993 as a high school trio.
After graduating, the band expanded to include Jeff Boswell and Tony Denison, releasing the Cubbyhole EP on their own Cozy Disc imprint in 1994 before signing to Dischord Records.
Their 1995 debut, Now We're Even, established the band's interest in textural density and unconventional instrumentation within a hardcore framework.
Denison departed prior to the Con Art sessions, replaced by Devin Ocampo, whose percussion and additional guitar contributions shaped the record's final form.
Recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington with engineer Don Zintara and produced by Clark, Con Art arrived in 1997 as a transitional moment for the DC scene.
Smart Went Crazy occupied an ambiguous position within the Dischord ecosystem, melodically sophisticated and rhythmically inventive, but resistant to easy categorization.
The band disbanded in 1998 shortly after the album's release, and Con Art accumulated its reputation gradually.
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