Sand Springs teen debuts new song, talks upcoming performances

A 17-year-old musician from Sand Springs has several big gigs coming up, including the Born & Raised Music Festival in Pryor. Ty Smith is still in high school, but spends most of his time rehearsing and traveling for performances.

"That has been our big thing is, if you have good grades, you can be on the road...and I have not failed them yet," he said.

Music has always been his motivation. At just 4 years old, Smith learned to play the drums. At 12, he taught himself guitar, and by 14, he had written his first hit single, Rocky Mountain Pines.

Q: What was your first big song about?

A: I was diagnosed with a rare condition called tarsal coalition. It put me out of playing baseball, kept me from walking for two and a half years, so that song was about being stuck in the house and just wanting to be somewhere else.

Q: How did it feel when that song made it into the Top 40?

A: It was really cool to see it go so high on a chart, you know, but after a while, I realized that just because you have stuff happen does not mean you are anybody.

Q: What made you want to become a musician?

A: My grandma owned a pool hall/live music venue, and when I was four years old, I would go there every time they had music, and I would fall in love with it.

Q: How would you describe your sound?

A: We are not happy, beer-drinking, country song and dirt-road trucking guys. We are more rip your heart out of your rib cage, stomp on it kind of music. Not in the heavy metal way, but in the poetic, lovey-dovey way.

Q: How do you tap into such raw emotions when writing a song?

A: I have lived a lot of life in my 17 years. If you want to say old soul, you can, there are a lot of people that do, but I think that I have just grown up in this industry, I have seen the best of the best ruin themselves because they cannot get out of their own way, and I think that hit me harder than anything growing up. I think that being on the road with a bunch of 35-year-old guys full-time will definitely make you grow up a little bit, too.

Q: What do you think fans appreciate about your music?

A: It does not matter who you are, does not matter what you do for a living; everyone has lost somebody. I think the more songs that talk about it, the more people know they are not alone through it.

Q: How does it feel to be asked to perform at a big country music event like Born & Raised?

A: It is so cool to be up there with guys like Parker McCollum. We just played the Houston Rodeo this year with him and had a great time, so it is cool to kind of run it back in Oklahoma on our turf. That has been the coolest part, getting to see my heroes turn into friends, truthfully.

Upcoming Performances

Ty Smith and the Minor Offenses have several upcoming performances in Oklahoma. For more information or to purchase tickets, click on the links below.

1. 9/13 Born & Raised Music Festival in Pryor
2. 9/27 Party in the Country in Sapulpa
3. 10/3 Opening for The Wilder Blue at the Vanguard in Tulsa
4. 11/15 Opening for Lonestar at the Cattle Baron's Ball in Tulsa