Steven E. Smith, who wrote for this music blog for the past several months, passed away early Tuesday morning, December 14, 2010 when he was tragically killed in a car accident.  He was 24 years old.

Though we didn’t spend much time together face to face, I feel like I was treated to a different side of him though his writing and brief phone calls.  I would bug him to write his articles every week, and being the awesome, passionate person he was, he’d always accept the challenge.  Apart from myself and Lauren, Steven acted as the longest serving writer on our team.  He talked endlessly about his love of the new Tennis tracks, Beast Rest Forth Mouth from Bear in Heaven, the new Girls EP, and of course, the new Deerhunter album.  The last time I saw Steven, he was sitting proudly at The Living Room in Manhattan, enjoying our website’s 1 year anniversary party with his girlfriend Madison.  The Wild Honey Pie is very much Steven’s website.

The following words were sent to me by Matthew Smith, Steven’s father, with the intention of posting on the website.

Steven was a major contributor to this website, which he enjoyed almost as much as the sports scene that was his true passion.  Steven covered individual concerts, and albums notably the CMJ and Bonnaroo Festivals, and most recently, the Matisyahu concerts which kicked off the Festival of Lights.

Steven was a lifelong resident of Scotch Plains, NJ, though he had been planning to relocate to Brooklyn Heights in the near future.  He was a 2008 graduate of George Washington University, where he majored in Geography, while creating a rich on-campus experience focused around the college radio scene.  He did sports talk, and play-by-play and color commentary for college basketball, both men’s and women’s teams, and he broadcast the Bowie Baysox AA baseball team for four summers.

While writing for the blog, Steven was pursuing a career in professional sports broadcasting. He worked to establish a forceful presence in the field through Twitter, where he had generated a loyal and rabid base of almost 600 followers at the time of his death.

Steven loved life, and as is evidenced by his Facebook wall and Twitter account, the world loved him as well.  A video tribute can be seen at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ9UKGeES0k.

He is survived by his parents, Matthew and Rhonda Smith, his brother Jared, his grandmothers Betty Oppenheim and Pearl Smith, and an uncle, Ron Smith.  Steven also leaves behind his devoted girl friend Madison Bohunicky.

We encourage you to post your memories of Steven in the comments below, as his loved ones have found great comfort in the outpouring of positivity from his sports related activities.

In Steven’s memory, a fund is being established at the George Washington University to further sports broadcasting at that school.  Anyone who is interested in making a contribution to that fund can follow this link: http://my.gwu.edu/mod/online giving/index.cfm. Please indicate at the bottom of that form that the donation is in memory of Steven Smith to assure the proper allocation.

—————————————————————————-
Steven’s Top 254 Songs of 2010 (Not In Order)
—————————————————————————-

• Fang Island – Daisy
• Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
• Arcade Fire – Rococo
• Arcade Fire – Sprawl II
• Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round and Round
• Avi Buffalo – What’s It In For?
• Baths – Maximalist
• Beach Fossils – Youth
• Beach House – Zebra
• Bear Hands – What A Drag
• Bear In Heaven – Lovesick Teenagers
• The Besnard Lakes – Albatross
• Best Coast – Boyfriend
• Best Coast – When I’m With You
• Bicycle Voice – Freshman
• The Black Keys – Next Girl
• The Black Keys – Tighten Up
• Blunt Mechanic – Thrown Out At Third
• The Books – Beautiful People
• Broken Bells – October
• Broken Social Scene – Texico Bitches
• Candy Claws – Catamaran
• Candy Claws – Silent Time Of Earth
• Caribou – Odessa
• Caribou – Sun
• CFCF – Crystal Mines
• Cloud Nothings – Hey Cool Kid
• Coasting – Kids
• Cold War Kids – Audience
• Crystal Castles – Celestica
• Crystal Castles – Year Of Silence
• Cults – Oh My God
• Cults – Go Outside
• Coyote Cleanup – Downhill Express
• Com Truise – Sundriped
• Cut Copy – Where I’m Going
• Delorean – Stay Close
• Delorean – Real Love
• DOM – Living In America
• DOM – Jesus
• Dr. Dog – Shadow People
• Exit Clov – District Menagerie
• Fang Island – Life Coach
• Foals – Spanish Sahara
• Free Energy – Dream City
• Free Energy – Bang Pop
• Frends – Toronto
• Gabby Young & Other Animals – We’re All In This Together
• The Go Find – Everybody Knows It’s Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight
• Harlem – Friendly Ghost
• Harlem – Someday Soon
• HEALTH – USA Boys
• Here We Go Magic – Collector
• Hot Chip – Brothers
• Joanna Newsom – ‘81
• Joanna Newsom – Good Intentions Paving Company
• Kisses – Bermuda
• The Kissaway Trail – SDP
• La Strada – Go Forward
• LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean
• LCD Soundsystem – I Can Change
• Leisure – It’s Alright (On The Suez Canal)
• Local Natives – Airplanes
• Local Natives – Who Knows Who Cares
• M.I.A. – Lovalot
• Male Bonding – Year’s Not Long
• Menomena – TAOS
• MGMT – Someone’s Missing
• Miniature Tigers – Gold Skull
• Morning Benders – Excuses
• Morning Benders – Promises
• The Mynabirds – Numbers Don’t Lie
• The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
• The National – Anyone’s Ghost
• Neon Indian – Sleep Paralysist
• Oberhofer – I Could Go
• of Montreal – Coquet Coquette
• Oh No Ono – Internet Warrior
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Say No To Love
• Phantogram – Mouthful of Diamonds
• The Phenomenal Handclap Band – 15 to 20
• The Radio Dept. – Heaven’s On Fire
• Rogue Wave – I’ll Never Leave You
• The Ruby Suns – Cranberry
• School of Seven Bells – Babelonia
• School of Seven Bells – Windstorm
• Scuba – Before
• Scuba – Heavy Machinery
• Panda Bear – Slow Motion
• Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars
• Sleigh Bells – Run the Heart
• Stornoway – Zorbing
• Suckers – It Gets Your Body Movin’
• Sun Airway – Waiting On You
• Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes
• Surfer Blood – Catholic Pagans
• Tame Impala – Lucidity
• Tame Impala – Solitude Is Bliss
• Tame Impala – Jeremy’s Storm
• Tanlines – Real Life
• Tennis – Marathon
• Tennis – Cape Dory
• Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union
• Tobacco – Sweatmother
• Tokyo Police Club – Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)
• Tokyo Police Club – Breakneck Speed
• Toro y Moi – Low Shoulder
• Twin Sister – Lady Daydream
• Twin Sister – All Around and Away We Go
• Unouomedude – Island Summer
• Washed Out ft. Caroline Polachek – You and I
• Wavves – Post-Acid
• Wavves – King Of The Beach
• Wild Nothing – Chinatown
• Wolf Pressure – Yulia
• Woods – Suffering Season
• Women – Eyesore
• Yawn – Toys
• Yeasayer – O.N.E.
• Yeasayer – Madder Red
• The Yes Pleases – Don’t Say We’re There Yet
• She & Him – Thieves
• The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing
• The Walkmen – Stranded
• Still Corners – Wish
• Nite Jewel – Am I Real?
• SLEEP ∞ OVER – La Rose
• CEO – Come With Me
• Lower Dens – Blue & Silver
• James Blake – CMYK
• Dent May – Eastover Wives
• Glasser – Home
• No Age – Glitter
• Sufjan Stevens – From the Mouth of Gabriel
• Magic Kids – Superball
• Twin Shadow – Slow
• Les Savy Fav – Lets Get Out Of Here
• Holy Fuck – Latin America
• Real Estate – Out of Tune
• Black Mountain – Old Fangs
• Magic Man – Monster
• Magic Man – Darling
• Jack Penate – Pull My Heart Away
• Villagers – Becoming a Jackal
• Twin Shadow – Castles In the Snow
• Houses – Soak It Up
• Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jr. – Simple Girl
• Deerhunter – Helicopter
• Marine Stern – Transparency Is The New Mystery
• The Walkmen – Angela Surf City
• Warpaint – Undertow
• Tamaryn – Love Fade
• Teen Daze – Let’s Fall Asleep Together
• Suuns – Up Past The Nursery
• Gold Panda – You
• Corin Tucker Band – Doubt
• Small Black – Photojournalist
• Girls – Hearbreaker
• Girls – Carolina
• Baths – Rain Smell
• Girl Talk – Jump On Stage
• Smith Westerns – Weekend
• Diamond Rings – All Yr Songs
• Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Heart In Your Heartbreak
• Cloud Nothings – Even If It Worked Out
• Avey Tare – Lucky 1
• Kurt Vile – In My Time
• Tapes N Tapes – Freakout
• Belle and Sebastian – I Want The World To Stop
• Das Racist – Fashion Party
• James Blake – Limit To Your Love (Feist Cover)
• Die Antwoord – Enter The Ninja
• La Sera – Never Come Around
• How To Dress Well – Ecstasy With Jojo
• Black Angels – Telephone
• Ra Ra Riot – Foolish
• Jenny & Johnny – Scissor Runner
• Gil Scott-Heron – Me And The Devil
• Love Language – Heart To Tell
• Superchunk – Digging For Something
• It’s A King Thing – Wine and Ponies
• Japandroids – Younger Us
• Sleigh Bills – Rill Rill
• How To Dress Well – Ready For The World
• Smith Westerns – Be My Girl
• Com Truise – Sundriped
• The Bitters – Travelin’ Girl
• Miracles Club – A New Love
• Gauntlet Hair – I Was Thinking…
• Deerhunter – Desire Lines
• Sondre Lerche – Bluish
• Eternal Summers – Pure Affection
• Keep Shelly In Athens – Fokionos Negri Street
• The Knife – The Height Of Summer
• Los Campesinos!– There Are Listed Buildings
• St. Vincent – Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood
• Justin Bieber – U Smile (Slowed Down 800%)
• Field Music – Them That Do Nothing
• Born Ruffians – Sole Brother
• Alexander – Truth
• The Sandwitches – Back To The Sea
• The Fresh & Onlys – Waterfall
• Stars – Winter Bones

—————————————————————————-
Steven’s Articles
—————————————————————————-

1. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/epic-show-in-nyc-with-tennis-the-walkmen/
2. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/matisyahu-kicked-off-hanukkah-at-music-hall-of-williamsburg/
3. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/girls-broken-dreams-club/
4. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/gold-pandas-lucky-shiner/
5. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/frends-without-the-i/
6. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/we-visited-pitchforks-offline-festival/
7. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/atomic-toms-nada-surf-at-cmj/
8. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/suuns-dent-may-at-cmj/
9. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/igif-lefse-records-showcase-recap/
10. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/surfer-blood-wednesday-night-cmj-showcase-recap/
11. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/cmj-festival-guide-friday/
12. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/deerhunterhalcyondigest/
13. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/pete-yorn-at-bowery/
14. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/week-by-week-october-music-guide/
15. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/headless-horseman-lives-free-mp3/
16. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/tamaryns-the-waves/
17. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/matthew-dears-black-city/
18. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/ra-ra-riot-dj-brooklyn-bowl/
19. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/ra-ra-riots-the-orchard/
20. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/arcade-fires-the-suburbs-official-review/
21. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/we-love-tennis/
22. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/august-11-at-mercury-lounge/
23. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/miniature-tigers-fortress/
24. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/sviib-from-a-different-perspective/
25. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/stars-the-five-ghosts/
26. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/suckers-wild-smile/
27. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/sleigh-bells-treats/
28. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/lcd-soundsystems-this-is-happening/
29. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/album-review-minus-the-bear/
30. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/artist-feature-foals/
31. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/album-review-dr-dog-another-perspective/
32. http://www.thewildhoneypie.com/featured-artist-peasant/