Three long-time friends and members of Villanelle, Michael Johnston, Danny Stephens, and Byron Goggin, decided when their band split up that they still wanted to make music.  Through some mutual friends, they came into contact with a guitarist and a bass player, respectively Kevin Breuner and Miguel DeJesus, and the five of them started writing songs together.  Thus, Smalltown Poets was born.
     The next couple of years seemed to breeze right by.  In 1997, the band released their first album on Ardent Records.  Their popularity started to increase rapidly by way of critical acclaim, touring with bands such as Geoff Moore and the Distance, and even a Grammy nomination.  Add that to the incredible amount of radio airplay they got and toss in a few leftover fans of Villanelle, and the Smalltown Poets were a quick success.
     1998 rolled around, and in the December of that year they released their second full length album, entitled "Listen Closely" after the passage in Proverbs 4.  The new album was sharper, more heartfelt, and included a wider variety of writing talent, including a song co-written with Danny's father, another with The Waiting, the classic Villanelle song "Call Me Christian," and a cover of David Wilcox's "Hold It Up to the Light."
     1999 got off to a good start as the Poets headlined the "Listen Closely" tour with Clear, but there were still many more changes ahead.  Danny and Byron were called in different directions and decided to stop touring with the band.  There were various fill-in's for drums, among which were Matt Goldman, who played on parts of Listen Closely, and Nate Blackstone, who also appeared as the drummer in the video for "There Is Only You."  Within the next year, Kevin, a native Californian, began to miss the west coast and left the band to settle down with his wife in Oregon, leaving just Michael and Miguel.
     In the year 2000, the remaining Smalltown Poets pushed forward.  September 26th brought the release of the brand new album "Third Verse" with Terry Flanigan (played with Samy Aleman) on the guitar and Matt Goldman behind the drums again.  After playing a few shows with guitarist Paul Moak, they set off to co-headline the Superfriends Tour this fall with their long time friends, The Waiting.  The tour showcased a new, more permanent line-up for the Poets, consisting of Michael and Miguel as well as Paul Eckberg (Eager) on the drums and Dana Weaver on guitar. Click here to see pictures from the Superfriends Tour.
     And 2001 is off to a very good start, as the Poets play on with Matt Goldman back behind the drums while their latest project gains rave reviews and nominations at the Doves and the Grammies.  It should be exciting to see what else the year will bring for them.