Smalltown Poets is a

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to w ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

formed in 1996. It was formed in

Tifton, Georgia Tifton is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 17,045 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Tift County. The area's public schools are administered by the Tift County School District. Abraham Baldwin Agr ...

by high school friends Michael Johnston (guitars/vocals), Danny Stephens (keyboards), and Byron Goggin (drums), along with (then) Nashville musicians Kevin Breuner (guitar), and Miguel DeJesus (bass). The band started under the name Villanelle.

Career

Smalltown Poets achieved recognition with their eponymous first album, released on

Ardent Records Ardent Records is an American record label based in Memphis, which was founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for B ...

in 1997. This release earned the band the first of its two Grammy nominations (Best Gospel Rock Album) and numerous Dove Award nominations. In 1998 they released their second album, ''

Listen Closely ''Listen Closely'' is the second album of Christian rock band Smalltown Poets. It was released in 1998. Track listing # "Call Me Christian" – 3:36 # "Anything Genuine" – 3:05 # "There Is Only You" – 3:47 # "Gloria" – 3:10 # "48 States" � ...

''. The song "Anything Genuine" from that album became their biggest hit. Their third album, ''Third Verse'' was released in 2000. In 2004 they released their fourth studio album, ''It's Later Than It's Ever Been'' on

BEC Recordings BEC (Brandon Ebel Company) Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group. The label promotes bands with more adult Chri ...

. Smalltown Poets went on hiatus several months after ''It's Later Than It's Ever Been'', but regrouped in the fall of 2010 to produce a Christmas album, ''Smalltown Poets Christmas'', in 2011 (co-produced and mixed by former Smalltown Poets drummer

Matt Goldman Matt Goldman (born December 30, 1969) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer, and songwriter based in Atlanta, Georgia. Biography Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, Goldman is a drummer by trade. Goldman c ...

). In anticipation of that full-length release, the band released a Christmas single in December 2010 titled "In the Bleak Midwinter." In 2012, the Smalltown Poets released a digital EP, "Under the New Sun". Smalltown Poets' second Christmas album, ''Christmas Time Again'', was released on November 25, 2014, followed by live performances. They funded this project through a campaign on

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

which allowed fans to support the project and receive a digital download in advance of the release. A new album called ''Say Hello'' was released in May 2018. ''Say Hello'', like many of their early works, was recorded at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Arden ...

in Memphis. The fact that the band members don't all live in the same city makes collaboration difficult for them, although technology has facilitated their continued work.

Band members

Current members

*Michael Johnston –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

s *Danny Stephens – keyboards *Byron Goggin –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

*Kevin Breuner –

s *Miguel DeJesús –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

Former members

*Nathan Blackstone –

(1999) *Matt Goldman –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

and loops (2000–2004) *Troy Stains –

s (2004) *Alex Peterson –

(2004)

Discography

*'' Smalltown Poets'' (1997) *''

'' (1998) *''

Third Verse ''Third Verse'' is the third album of Christian rock band Smalltown Poets. It was released in 2000. Track listing # "Every Reason" - 3:43 # "Any Other Love" - 4:05 # "Firefly" - 3:37 # "Clean" - 4:37 # "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes and the Prid ...

'' (2000) *''

It's Later Than It's Ever Been ''It's Later Than It's Ever Been'' is the fourth album of Christian rock band Smalltown Poets. It was released in 2004. Track listing All the songs written by Goldman, Johnston and Peterson, except where noted: # "The Truth Is Out" (Goldman, Joh ...

'' (2004) *''In the Bleak Midwinter (single)'' (2010) *''Smalltown Poets Christmas'' (2011) *''Under the New Sun (EP)'' (2012) *''Christmas Time Again'' (2014) *''Say Hello'' (2018) *''NWxSE'' (2021)

Other projects

*''

Surfonic Water Revival ''Surfonic Water Revival'' is a various artists compilation album which was recorded and released in 1998 by KMG Records. The album pays tribute to the pioneers of Surf music like Brian Wilson, Jan and Dean, the Belairs, the Hondells, the Surfar ...

'' (1998) *"

WOW 1999 ''WOW 1999'' is a compilation album of 30 contemporary Christian music hits that was released on October 20, 1998. It also featured three bonus tracks from new artists. WOW 1999 peaked at the 51st position on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 19 ...

" (1999) *Sing Over Me (2014)

References

External links

Smalltown Poets – Official WebsiteSmalltown Poets – YouTube ChannelSmalltown Poets – Twitter ProfileSmalltown Poets on Instagram
{{Authority control Christian rock groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Musical groups established in 1996 1996 establishments in the United States