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Michael C Smith brings boozy soul to Americana with LP "Prophet on the Barstool"
by: Nicole Banister 
 
Michael C Smith is no doubt one of the hardest working songwriters in Atlanta. The songs just come streaming out, whether through EPs or weekly through Project 52. But his newest work, the LP Prophet on the Barstool, spans widest and deepest yet, tugging on the heartstrings by calling upon both personal and universal truths often learned the hard way, with themes understood in any language.

Prophet on the Barstool was completely fan-funded through Kickstarter and recorded at The Cottage with Damon Moon, himself a veteran in the Americana/folk vein that runs deep in the city. The finished product reflects Moon's sensibilities; the songs sound both lush and sparse at the same time, old and new somehow, just like the melodies themselves.

The material, all of which was written by Smith, draws from personal family history in many places, and the emotion, sometimes gloriously thick on Smith's tongue, is often apparent. The title of the album, a line from the track "West Virginia Lung", is very fitting; each song seems to represent a memory of some old barfly, a man who has sat at the same place in the same dive six nights a week for 15 years. Watching patrons live their lives, feeling somehow connected and yet still the watchful narrator, the barfly sees everyone's triumphs and falls, including his own, deluded through pub sing-a-longs and jukebox romances.
Foot-stompers like "90&9" and "Great Ocean" beg for a ramble down Main Street USA, apple pie moonshine in the listener's mason jar. Tracks like "Cold Hallelujah" and "Stolen Crown" seem more like dirges, beers emptied on the grass, now empty barstools revered until time is forgotten.

The entirety of the album reads like a trip to your hometown. One filled with memories, good and bad. The reminder that any bad blood you feel coming home is usually rooted deep inside, the memory versus reality of who you were versus who you are, and that the battle you often fight is with yourself.

 

 

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Previous events

Date Event Location
Michael C Smith - Solo Gig Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Ga. 30303 Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Ga. 30303
Michael C Smith - Solo Gig Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Ga. 30303 Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Ga. 30303
 —  — Michael C Smith Music - LIVE Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Ga. 30303 Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Ga. 30303
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328 Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328
Michael C Smith Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328 Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328 Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328
Michael C Smith Eddie’s Attic, Decatur, Ga. 30030 Eddie’s Attic, Decatur, Ga. 30030
Michael C Smith Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328 Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328 Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328
Michael C Smith Alley Cat, Carrolton, Ga. Alley Cat, Carrolton, Ga.
 —  — Michael C Smith's Second Annual 40th Birthday Party Waller’s Coffee Shop, Decatur, Ga 30033 Waller’s Coffee Shop, Decatur, Ga 30033
Michael C Smith - Townes Van Zandt Tribute The Star Bar, Atlanta, Ga. 30307 The Star Bar, Atlanta, Ga. 30307
Michael C Smith Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071 Cue BBQ Peachtree Corners, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30071
Michael C Smith Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328 Ship & Anchor Pub, Sandy Springs, Ga. 30328