Corey Smith @ The Venue Tonight

Corey Smith never wanted to be a rock star- but he can't help it. People flock to his sold-out shows, like kids to cookies.  When Corey started writing the songs that became the launching point of his career, he was a high school teacher. Mentoring youth during days and playing dive bars in Athens, GA at night. 

Pretty soon selling out dive bars, turned to selling out venues like our very own, The Venue, which Corey will play tonight at 9pm. But before all that, let's learn some stuff about the guy:

1) He hates country music: "Country music creates this caricature of what country people are, I don't want to be associated with that," he says. Corey chose to take the independent route in his music career because he does not want to be associated with the glitzy road of fancy music videos and big-budget live shows that country music stars accompany. 

2) He's a poet: "My favorite song on the album is 'Arc of a Rainbow.'" "Arc of a Rainbow," is one of Corey's favorite songs because with it he hits the pinnacle of verse poeticism and musical fluidity in his songwriting. On stage, though, he prefers to play the more popular hits live, like "21" and "Drinkin' Again," which get the crowd going, and allow him to feed off the crowds energy. 

4) He writes his own music: We're used to pop stars whose songs might or might not be their own, but with Corey, we know that what we hear is what he's feeling. " I prefer my most recent songs, because they are closests to my current state of mind." 

5) He's not trying to 'Keep Up with the Joneses'. Or is he?: "The album title has two contrasting meanings," he says. On one side, the title "Keeping Up With the Joneses," is internalized as Corey works to outdo his own songwriting by continuing to write better songs. On the other hand, his songs convey the message that people should just be happy with what they have. 

6) He is constantly on tour: "Touring is my life," he says. Corey plays between 150 to 180 tour dates a year, an amount he finds to be his perfect balance. "Some people play more, and some people play less," he says. "But that amount has helped him find the balance between being on the road and being with my family."

7) He just wants to have fun:   "Come out and and have a good time," Corey says. "That's what I do." 

Tonight's show is almost sold out, so get to The Venue early to score some tickets at the door. $20/9pm 

-Stephanie Granada