“You can tell when something’s real,” says the man known simply as Big Smo. “You can tell when it’s true. And I think what’s made us successful and gotten us this far is that we’re just real people, down-home country folk who really love to make music. People see that.”
And they can see that in Tulsa March 4 as Big SMO plays the IDL Ballroom. Word of mouth, charged by the Internet, meant Smo could count his YouTube views in the millions before he talked to a record label
Low-budget videos showcasing his 32-acre farm, which has been passed down for generations, is his home base HQ. Homegrown in Tennessee, the self-proclaimed Boss of the Stix seamlessly weaves his work and play, his lifestyle and music on that farm, as compellingly as he weaves country, rock and hip-hop together.
“The most important thing,” Smo says, “is that when we went from being independent artists to being on a label, we didn’t lose any control of who we are or what we do. That’s why the label called us. They told me, ‘We’ll let you drive. We like the way you steer.’ I was like, ‘Cool. I won’t let you down.'”
Big SMO is pulse-pounding beats, passionate vocals, electrifying guitars and subject matter that’s pure back-country reality. The album includes the first single, boots-on blue-collar anthem “Workin’,” the country-as-cornbread celebration of roots, “Who I’ll Be,” the work-hard-play-hard life sketch, “Down in the Backwoods,” and the love-gone-wrong tale, “Cover My Eyes.”
Click here for more from the Big SMO official website and his “Workin” video follows with event details below:
DETAILS
* Where – IDL Ballroom (230 E First Street | Downtown Tulsa
* When – Wednesday, Jan. 21st. 2015
* Doors – 7pm
* Age – 18+ with proper I.D.
* Tickets – $23 Advance | $28 Day of Show
BUY TICKETS
Online at Stubwire.com Or Starship Records and Tapes or Enso Bar (21+).