Smalltown Poets is a Christian rock

Christian rock

Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...

 band

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 formed in 1996. It was formed in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 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).

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

Ardent Records

Ardent Records, often shortened to "Ardent," is a Memphis record label 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 Big Star, whose first two albums, released in 1972...

 in 1997. This release earned the band the first of its two Grammy nominations (Best Gospel Rock Album) and numerous Dove Award nominations. Despite line-up changes, the band stayed active for more than ten years, releasing three albums on Ardent Records and one on BEC Recordings

BEC Recordings

BEC Recordings is a Christian rock record label that is a subsidiary of Tooth and Nail Records. The label was formed in 1997 in partnership with the EMI Christian Music Group....

.

Smalltown Poets went on hiatus several months after their fourth studio album called It's Later Than It's Ever Been," but regrouped in the fall of 2010 to begin production on a Christmas album due out in 2011 (co-produced and mixed by former Smalltown Poets drummer Matt Goldman). In anticipation of that full-length release, the band released a Christmas single in December 2010 titled "In the Bleak Midwinter."

The full-length project, Smalltown Poets Christmas, was released on Nov. 1st, 2011, on the band's own Friendly City Records label and is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and other online media outlets.

Original Smalltown Poets Members

• Michael Johnston - vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  , guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  s
• Danny Stephens - keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  
• Byron Goggin - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  
• Kevin Breuner - guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  s
• Miguel DeJesús - bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  

Discography

• Smalltown Poets
  Smalltown Poets (album)
  Smalltown Poets is the eponymous debut album of the Christian rock band of the same name. It was released in 1997 by ForeFront Records. The album was produced by Jon Hampton....
  
   (1997)
• Listen Closely (1998)
• Third Verse
  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...
  
   (2000)
• It's Later Than It's Ever Been
  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:...
  
  (2004)
• In the Bleak Midwinter (single) (2010)
• Smalltown Poets Christmas (2011)