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North up 75

Margaret Watters


Illustration by Hannah Miller.


Corey Smith - songs available at coreysmith.com.

*Listen to an exclusive, unreleased track from Corey's new album, Keeping Up with the Joneses, due out November 17th.

Go to coreysmith.com to download and listen to free music.

Corey Smith is a down home Southern boy taking his show on the road and up Interstate 75 North to Oxford. Six years ago, he was teaching high school social studies in an Atlanta suburb. Switching from constitutional amendments to guitar cords, everything changed for Smith when his college anthems of partying, drinking, loose women and growing up gained grassroots popularity on college campuses across the country. Smith said he doesn't really know what he is - a heaping of traditional southern country, one part folk and a dash of rock and roll. Fans like senior Katie Ruhlin say it doesn't matter, it makes for a great show. Smith will perform 150 shows this year alone, many on campuses similar to the nostalgic images of his ballads. His show at Brick Street Thursday will be his second visit to Oxford in two years.

Ohio - Georgia's stepsister?

Smith said playing Miami doesn't feel very different from playing southern schools like his alma mater - The University of Georgia.

"I love the small town vibe," Smith said. "The campus is so integrated to downtown Oxford, it's our kind of place, it's our kind of feel."

Senior Caitlin Leach said Smith is a good fit for Miami because the school has a southern vibe.

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"We're southern in a way with all the fraternity parties and day drinking," Leech said.

Smith played his first show in a small bar in northern Georgia. An acquaintance told him he had to come up and play, that everyone knew his music and had burned his CDs. Smith said for him, the experience of going on the road hasn't changed since his first show.

"For me, this was going on the road," Smith said. "The bar was an hour from my house."

Smith said the bar was empty when he was setting up and he was starting to get nervous he'd be playing for himself.

"Then all of a sudden, like 200 people showed up," Smith said. "I played the first song, which was the first on the record, and people started singing with it."

Smith said that concert was the first time he considered music a possible profession.

Ruhlin said she heard about Smith from a friend and went to the concert last year on a whim. She said it was a great night and is going to the concert Thursday.

"It was a cool atmosphere, very laid back," Ruhlin said. "He's really interactive with fans, he came down midway through the show and was talking with the fans ... he's a good time when he comes."

His concerts are farther away now. It's longer than an hour home to his wife, his high school sweetheart, and two young children. Smith said the most difficult thing about music is the traveling and time away from his family.

"My wife married a school teacher," Smith said. "I don't think she ever thought she'd have to deal with me being gone so much."

Music from the blue-grassroots

Smith has released five albums since he released his first, Undertones, in 2003. His most recent, Keeping up with the Joneses, will be released for iTunes download Nov. 17.

Smith said his music, hard to fit into a traditional genre, was influenced by his childhood in a small southern town. Smith said he grew up in the church around gospel music and rock.

Senior Melissa Farris said Smith is defiantly country, although even if you don't like the down-home drawl, you'll still like the music.

"His music is tailored to college," Farris said. "Even if you don't like country, you can relate to him."

While the musical influences were important, Smith said Southern social institutions had a bigger impact.

"Like the ultra conservative ideology of the Baptist church, my music has largely been a reaction to it," Smith said.

Smith said the angst of growing up runs through his first albums but his later albums are more subdued.

Smith said every song he writes stems from a personal conflict. He said about half the time, personal conflict aligns with his audience and sell ability. The other half, he's not so worried about.

"I write from the perspective of someone that needs the release of getting that song finished," Smith said.

Smith said he benefits from being an independent artist when it comes to pushing the limits of political correctness. Two songs, "F*** The Po Po" and "I Love Black People," might not have been possible with a mainstream label. Smith said the difference between being a signed or unsigned artist is the freedom. Smith said he can say whatever he wants, write whatever he wants and structure his own touring schedule.

"Authenticity and sincerity are the most important aspects of any art form," Smith said. "I can't censor myself or I jeopardize my ability to write."

Farris said even though Smith is unsigned, she expects big things.

"I love his music," Farris said. "I think he's undiscovered, but I think someday he's going to make it big."

Smith produces early takes of song from his home studio and posts them for free download to his Web site, http://www.coreysmith.com. Stemming from his first concert and following popularity, Smith is OK with you ripping his CDs. Smith keeps entire albums on his Web site for free download, something he said is important to getting his music out.

"It's what my career has been based on," Smith said. "As long as I stay focused on that, everything else falls into place."


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