Two members from the Multi-Platinum group Shinedown have formed a duo!
Brent Smith and Zach Myers of the band Shinedown together are Smith & Myers. A few years back we got a taste of what their sound would be with some pretty killer acoustic tracks, but now they’re back with their debut double albumr, Smith & Myers Volume 1 was released on October 9th and Volume 2 was released on October 23rd via Atlantic Records.
Their first original single “Not Mad Enough” was written in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s death, expressing the intense emotions that followed and laying bare a plea for racial justice through direct and urgent lyrics over acoustic guitar. The song is paired with the release of a poignant version of “Rockin’ In The Free World,” highlighting Neil Young’s timeless lyrics that are just as relevant today over lone piano. Click here to listen to “Not Mad Enough” and here to listen to “Rockin’ In The Free World,” an introduction to Smith & Myers’ eloquent songcraft, indelible melodies and glorious vocals created with nothing more than a microphone and an instrument or two. PRESS HERE to watch the intimate, powerful video for “Not Mad Enough,” directed by Paris Visone. Smith & Myers Volume 1 & 2 are available for purchase now HERE and each album features five original tunes and five re-imaginings of fan-submitted songs including Post Malone’s “Better Now,” INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart,” Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” and The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.”
“We’ve spent a great deal of time and energy making sure this project is completely authentic. The main reason Smith & Myers exists has to do with the fans. A project that was born from multiple requests over the years has now evolved into its true identity. Make no mistake – it’s about the songs, it’s about the story, and above all it’s about the message,” says Brent Smith.
“It was an odd time to make a record at the beginning of a global pandemic, but the state of the world is reflected in the art we made on this album. It was some of the most creative times I’ve ever had as a musician or a songwriter. For the covers, we felt that we should approach them as a duo as if we had written the song modern day. With the originals, Brent and I had never discussed some of this subject matter before and we dug so deep while also touching on a world that’s rapidly changing around us the last eight months. We felt it would be disingenuous not to touch on social issues we ALL face as humans. We put a lot into this album and we truly hope you enjoy listening to it,” says Zach Myers.
With two hearts and one truth, lifelong musicians, longstanding friends, and eternal brothers Brent Smith and Zach Myers put forth a body of work encompassing vulnerability, fearlessness, honesty, outrage, love and understanding. Smith & Myers Volume 1 & 2, produced by GRAMMY Award-winner and longtime collaborator Dave Bassett, is the duo’s first full-length album and first original music since releasing a pair of acoustic cover EPs, Acoustic Sessions, Part 1 and Acoustic Sessions, Part 2, in 2014 when fans first fell in the love with the magic that is created between Brent and Zach in the studio and on stage, leading to Smith & Myers live shows that instantly sold out. With no boundaries on what their songwriting could discuss on the new album, Brent and Zach explore everything from certain personal topics that they have left largely unexplored until now, to commentary on children being ripped from their parents at the border, to the reactive nature of social media, to our national reckoning with racial and systemic injustice– focusing not on politics, but on right and wrong and our connection as human beings.
