Out of control.
That describes Shinedown’s Brent Smith until about 16 months ago.
Scheduled to headline Freedom Hall in Johnson City on May 12, the hard rock band’s founder and lead singer rode the rails of rock’s crazy train as hard as he could. The clichéd lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock and roll defined reality.
That is until the birth of his son, Lyric Santana Smith.
“My son is 16 months old,” Smith said by phone last week from his home in Orlanda, Fla., “and I’ve been clean for 16 months.”
Life as Smith knew it amounted to rock and roll nights and rock and roll days. Hundreds of miles of down time on bus rides from town to town led from show to show like meat in a grinder, drugged and dragged around as if life didn’t matter.
Then life happened when his son happened.
“I stopped doing drugs. My son saved my life,” Smith said. “I was immensely addicted to cocaine and oxycontin. I was being the clichéd rock star.”
Smith was and you bet remains quite a rock star.
Formed in 2001, Shinedown’s third and latest album “The Sound of Madness,” has sold about a million copies since its release last July. The video for their latest single, the incredibly catchy “Second Chance,” blankets VH-1 with scores of daily plays. Each of the band’s albums have sold at least 500,000 copies.
But then there’s Smith’s son.
“Cocaine and oxycontin, I got hooked in real bad, but my son saved me from my vanity and selfishness,” Smith said. “I’m lucky to be alive. I wasn’t knocking on death’s door; I was in the room doing shots with death.”
That was then.
Then there was what must seem like way back then for Smith, a native of Knoxville, Tenn.
“I was born and raised there, 22 years,” he said. “My family still lives there – aunts and uncles and cousins, my granny. I’m proud to be from there.”
Now, Smith lives in Florida and Shinedown enjoys a career on the cusp of superstardom. As on “The Sound of Madness,” their songs reach into realms of heavy metal while also stretching out for moments of melodic rock as on the brilliantly bombastic “What a Shame.”
Epic.
“That’s what I had in mind, to make it an epic,” Smith said. “When I’m dead and gone and they put me in the ground, I said this is the album I wanted made. This is the most personal record I’ve ever made. The fans don’t deserve any less.”
That credo carries into Shinedown’s concerts. No two are alike, Smith said. Set lists change nightly as surprises are inserted for each 90-minute postcard they perform.
However, Smith said he genuinely and in particular looks forward to their show in Johnson City.
“This is the city, Johnson City, in all of the cities in the U.S. that I’m most excited to play,” Smith said. “It’s been about five years since we’ve played in Johnson City. They’re in for one hell of a show. We have a few tricks up our sleeve.”
But first, Smith has a few things to tend to at home.
“Well, I’m trying to fix my cable box, so it’s not really so rock and roll for me,” Smith said. “Back in the day, it was totally another world for me. But now, I just put my son down for a nap.”
IF YOU GO
Who: Shinedown with Saving Abel, 10 Years, and Halestorm
When: May 12, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Freedom Hall, Johnson City
Admission: $32
Info: (423) 461-4884
Web: www.shinedown.com
Audio: www.shinedown.com/music/
More audio: www.amazon.com/tag/shinedown
Video: www.shinedown.com/videos/
TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.
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