Smith and Myers

Smith and Myers at Uptown Theater - KC

Strip away the full-band sound—and what remains? Brent Smith's familiar voice, Zach Myers' guitar and an acoustic partnership with room for a different musical focus. Smith & Myers isn't a Shinedown concert scaled down; it's a project the two musicians have built together. If you know Smith primarily through Shinedown, January offers another way into his singing, with Myers alongside him rather than behind a wall of production.

Myers' guitar work takes on a different focus beside Smith's voice. The duo's recorded work—Volume 1, Volume 2, Bad at Love, Not Mad Enough—proves the concept holds across original material and reimagined covers. Their version of "Rockin' in the Free World" doesn't replace Neil Young's anthem; it asks a different question of it.

This project started in 2014 with fan requests for acoustic sessions, and the chemistry never needed defending. Moving from a full-band context to an acoustic duo gives their partnership another direction. That shift is an appealing change of pace for rock fans curious about what these two do together.

At the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, the attraction is that partnership: a Shinedown vocalist and guitarist exploring acoustic rock as a duo. Their recorded originals and cover interpretations offer recognition alongside the curiosity of hearing where this separate project goes. Smith & Myers put a familiar voice and guitar to work on originals and reimagined covers; get tickets for January 19.