Well, that was probably the last one. An out-of-town weekend that squeezed every ounce of fun remaining in the semester before making our final descent into Finalsburg. A jaunt into the more "country" side of Kentucky reminded me of the various insults a Kentuckian receives when venturing to more urban places; yes, I do wear shoes and no, a horse isn't my main source of transportation. But the pick-up truck heavy and dirt road decorated environment where this bash took place was a fun change of scenery. The music played was tolerable and after extensive listening over the past month at other events, since many around here have recently been exposed to his music, it's easy to see that Corey Smith has taken his feel-good college tunes and blended them with comforting southern sounds that's quickly captivated a massive grassroots following.
"Corey is what might happen if you threw Jimmy Buffett, Robert Earl Keen, Donkey (from Shrek), Bob Schneider and a few shots of whiskey into a blender, poured it into one of those 64-oz. traveling mugs that might last long enough to get you to the state line on the most insane road trip of your life (we're not promoting drinking and driving here) -- and you're listening to Corey's music the whole way. Sing-a-long. Off-kilter. Edgy. Honest. Real as a paper cut. Funny as a fart in church." - John Jeter, The Handlebar
I'm not sure (anymore) what is considered "independent rock" and I sure as hell don't know what "country" is considered, especially after the country/pop border was blurred by the Kenny Chesneys and Shania Twains, but I'd be willing to bet Smith doesn't match the stereotypes of either. If you didn't like college, were never considered a barfly, or aren't one for bizarre trips of nostalgia - you may not enjoy Corey Smith. For some of you, Smith may be the music you detest or the type you'll only enjoy at a party. Either way, Smith is worth a listen.
[MP3] Corey Smith - Twenty-One
[MP3] Corey Smith - If I Could Do It Again
It shouldn't suprise many that I had a few friends catch Smith's show a few weeks back only to witness him kill a 1/5 of Jack Daniels by the end of his set. Whether that enhanced his performance or was demeaning, his fans would make it hard to differentiate since they were (more than likely) standing toe to toe, shot for shot with him. An enjoyable change of pace he's not Pitchfork's genre and won't play at SXSW, but this MySpace giant wouldn't have it any other way - his tracks reminding you of the 4 (plus?) years of your life where being an alcoholic was socially acceptable and a running joke.
Official Site | MySpace Site | Last.fm | Catch Corey Live
6 comments:
Sitting at a bar is by Rehab not Corey Smith I believe, off of Southern Discomfort. PLus 21 by Smith is awesome. just thought you might want to know
get "what happened" by corey smith. you won't regret it.
Being a Southern boy myself, I respect this post. And these songs are pretty good.
That said... can we please get past this whiskey-drinkin', honkey-tonkin', "I drink keg beer from a trash can till the whole damn thing is gone" thing? I mean, seriously.
Now that the lines have been blurred between country and pop and "country" appears to be a contestable (and contentious) term, I look forward to a country music that is thoughtful and provocative. Artists like Bright Eyes (don't get me started on Cassadaga) seem to me to be using the breakdown of country-pop to their advantage by returning us to the emotional and stripped-down sounds that gave birth to the Shanias and McGraws.
Then again Conor is from the mid-west and doesn't know a thing about UGA football or sweet tea...
sweet tea is a godsend.
It's posts like this from you guys that make me want to kill myself.
corey smith is the bomb i know every song he sings and love everone of them, Definalty listen to him im sure you will like
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