Georgia native, Jo Smith joined us at Winnie’s Jazz Bar inside Refinery Hotel last week for a New York Country Swag Pop-Up Set.  During her acoustic set, Smith performed tracks off her debut EP, Introducing Jo Smith and shared stories about how growing up in a small town helped to inspire her sound.  “I lived 30 minutes away from the nearest McDonalds so there was a lot of creativity to be had because there was nothing else to do,” she laughs explaining where she grew up.  The EP, produced by Shane McAnally and Jesse Frasure not only introduces the artist to the world but a new genre they coined, “Jo-Town”.  “I was just so grateful to have an idea of a sound that I feel like hadn’t really been done before and to find producers that didn’t say no, they just figured out a way to make it happen,” she tells us.

Taking a seat on the piano bench, New York City patrons were treated to a three-song, acoustic set featuring “Old School Groove”, “Dance Dirty” and a brand new song called “Marry You Tomorrow”.  The singer blends mo-town and country to create a unique sound that is reminiscent of all of her influences growing up including Bruce Springsteen, Patsy Cline and Aretha Franklin.

Be sure to follow Jo Smith on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.