Zach Schmidt – “Company Man”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 2 

Pairs Well With…Cale Tyson, Sturgill Simpson, Dave Rawlings

If you are in the mood for the Nashville sound (with a bit of an edge), check out the folk country songs, polished fingerpicking, and pedal steel guitar work of Zach Schmidt.  His voice is deep, twangy, and resonant, tending towards melancholy but the band adds life and toe-tapping to his music.  Schmidt says his latest album tells stories of hard work inspired by rust-belt towns as well as tales of lovers torn apart.  We recommend Schmidt because his music, while clearly in the Nashville country pocket, is lyrically strong and his arrangements have enough freshness and originality to set him apart. (David Zlotnick)