Greg Smith’s formative years were spent honing his songwriting skills in the sleepy mountain towns of Western Massachusetts. A recent Brooklyn transplant, he now finds inspiration in the swing of city life and by looking back at his time in New England on the family farm. Smith met drummer Sean Tuccillo when playing in a smoky roadside bar near Umass Amherst. The two became friends and eventually moved to the boroughs where they started “Greg Smith and The Broken English” with Jon Callegari, and Josh Chaplin. Leaving the country for a new life, Smith has struggled to find better times on what’s been a bumpy road of jobs that don’t pay, long distance relationships, and the burden of leaving behind the family farm. But despite the adversity his writing never takes a back seat..

When Smith reveals, in song, the painful truths of a life left undone, you find yourself there, in the heart of American dreams and despair. Despite his abundant use of metaphor and symbolism, folks say you “get” Smith’s songs on the first listen. His words, conceived with the bittersweet taste of desire and the frailty of salty tears on a cheek, are clear and to the point, yet leave plenty to be reflected upon. Smith’s message, dark yet hopeful, is conveyed through catchy hooks and melodies that can be hard to get out of your head. Like his idols, he sings of striving to reach a better place and is equally adept at pulling it off with the yearn of Springsteen or the angst of Cobain. His guitar weeps as readily as it yells.

A bona fide craftsman of song, Smith carefully manipulates the balance of his melodies, rhythm, and lyrics like a puppet on a string. Diverse and dynamic, his band “The Broken English,” have his back at every turn the music takes. At a time when intentionally low-fi, ironic, and quirky music floods the scene, Greg Smith and The Broken English deliver something different. Something timeless and familiar. Music that speaks to everyday people, especially in times like these.