He doesn’t have an international tour schedule or even a record deal, but there’s one thing indie country artist Corey Smith definitely has: fans in Columbus, Ohio.
The Georgia native will return to Columbus for the fourth time tonight at 7 p.m. at the Newport Music Hall.
“I’ve been playing in Ohio for a few years,” Smith said in a phone interview. “It’s just been one of those places where the music has really taken hold. The fans are very enthusiastic there.”
Smith is returning to Columbus despite a mishap at the Newport Music Hall in 2008, when a gas leak that occurred during the opening act caused the audience — and Smith himself — to be evacuated and briefly stuck outside on High Street in the cold while repairs were made.
Smith said he was “amazed at how fast tickets were selling” for that particular show, his first in Columbus, and said they were “pushing 1,000 tickets.” Fortunately, the show went on.
“About half the crowd hung in there,” he said.
The 33-year-old former high school social studies teacher from Athens, Ga., is now a self-made millionaire after winning a half-day’s worth of studio time in a songwriting contest.
Smith, who has released six albums since pursuing music as a career, said he enjoyed teaching and that it was “rewarding.”
Though Smith initially saw himself retiring as a teacher, the pull of the music industry was too strong to resist.
“I kind of have this ‘I wonder what will happen if I do this?’ kind of attitude,” Smith said, laughing. “Music became more and more an opportunity, and frankly, it allows me to reach more people than I could reach in a classroom.”
Smith’s reach extends across the nation and his value has grown to $4 million despite not being played on the radio and not being on a record label.
“Certainly people ask me about it a lot,” Smith said about not being on a record label. “It creates a certain set of challenges.”
Some of those challenges include a limited reach, paying for everything, being smart about the way money is spent on the road and having additional responsibilities a major-label artist may not have.
“At the same time, it’s given me the opportunity to gradually evolve as an artist,” Smith said. “I would take this trade-off happily any day.”
Both Smith and his band have done their fair share of evolving since the release of his first album, “Undertones,” in 2003.
He started out doing strictly acoustic tours and over the years “added a player here and a player there.”
Smith said his drummer and bass player have been with him the longest, touring for over three years as a three-piece group.
In the past year, Smith added a guitarist and a keyboard player “who I’ve known my whole life and who played on most of my records,” he said. “It’s a very dynamic show now.”
Smith has also grown individually as a songwriter.
“From a writing standpoint, I’ve grown from being a more literal writer to a more figurative, metaphorical writer,” he said. “I like to think, lyrically, there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface.”
Smith’s self-described “natural evolution” is something his fans appreciate.
“He’s a really genuine performer,” said Dan Frank, a fourth-year in human development and family science Ohio State. “He’s one of the best country singers who isn’t signed, and he didn’t sell out when he made it big.”
Though Smith began “sifting through a lot of material in the past six to eight months” after recording in the spring and summer, he said he isn’t sure about the future of what is supposed to be his next album release, “The Rialto Sessions.”
“I don’t know exactly what I’m gonna do — I’d like to keep my options open at this point,” he said. “I don’t wanna take time off right now. I really enjoy working.”
Smith said he plans to release a new album in the first quarter of next year.
“My goal is to stay more or less the same, and I wanna reach as many people as I can reach without sacrificing the integrity of my work,” he said.
Fans don’t have to wait until 2011 to experience Smith’s talent.
His favorite song to perform is “usually the newest song, because [it’s] the most relevant to me at the given time, the closest to my heart.”
As for audience turnout at the Newport tonight, Smith said he tries not to think about numbers.
Though ticket sales for the Newport are confidential, Smith “does well in this market and has a good following,” said Amy Cooper, marketing director for PromoWest Productions.
“We’re gonna perform the best show we can put on, no matter how many people are there,” Smith said.
