No stranger to Auburn, musician Corey Smith will be performing at SkyBar Cafe tonight for the first time this year.
"It feels familiar; it's kind of like my home territory," said Smith, who has been performing in Auburn for the last four years.
The show is set to begin at 10 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, according to Dan Grider, owner of SkyBar Cafe.
"Tickets are currently available on the Corey Smith Web site, and we will have tickets available," Grider said.
Anyone who listens to his music knows Smith is a Georgia Bulldogs fan, but Smith said he also loves the Auburn atmosphere.
"I'm glad I have played big venues like Chastain Park, but I like going back closer to the fans," Smith said. "I like the intimacy ofit."
Smith said he plans to perform a mixture of old songs with new ones from his latest album, "Keeping Up With the Joneses".
Digitally released in November 2009, the title of the album encourages listeners to do the opposite.
"It is about just making the most of what you have and struggling to grow and be better," Smith said. "You'll never be happy if you are always concerned about impressing everyone else."
As for the topics of his new material, the 32-yearold songwriter said it is not all about drinking and letting loose.
"I hope people will find that it is better and more mature than my other stuff," Smith said. "There is more meaning there."
Among the deeper themes about life and love, Smith said, there are still songs for his college aged fans.
"'$8 Bottle of Wine' is a song that I think will resonate with younger people wanting to have a good time," Smith said.
Erin O'Neil, senior in communication, said she can relate to Smith's older songs about college life.
"I like his acoustic sounds, and you always know what to expect when you see him," O'Neil said.
O'Neil said she has been to two of Smith's shows, one at a fraternity house in Auburn, and one at a bar in Milledgeville, Ga.
"I prefer his shows in small bar settings because everyone there actually wants to hear his music,"
O'Neil said. Janet Gunnels, senior in public relations, said she enjoys Smith's music because he is an artist who sounds just as good live as he does on his albums.
"I have only seen him once, but it was so much fun," Gunnels said. "I am excited to see him for a second time."
Aside from working on his New Year's Resolutions of drinking less, exercising more and being kinder, Smith will be busy this year with approximately 150 tour dates.
Smith said while on stage he frees his mind from everything else and hopes his fans will do the same tonight.
"I hope they are coming to have a great time, let their troubles drift away and lose themselves in the music just like I do," Smith said.
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