Dan Smyers met Shay Mooney at a house party he threw on December 7, 2012. Just over a month later on January 16, 2013, Patrick Tracy, Smyers' best friend spanning all the way back to their childhood, created a YouTube channel called The Tent Concert Series. He filmed a video of Smyers and Mooney (who were not officially known as Dan + Shay yet) covering Kacey Musgraves' hit song "Merry Go 'Round".
In an interview with country music website The Boot that was posted on September 12, 2014, Musgraves talks about the meaning of the song. "Never settle," she told the website. "I guess that would be my main message. Just know that there's more beyond what you're comfortable with and what you've been shown, and that you can do anything no matter how big or small your town is."
This message rings true for Dan + Shay who both came from small towns. They are truly living out their dreams and I could not be happier for them.
It blows my mind that while the two guys had only known each other and had been writing songs together for a little over a month, their vocals sound very in sync and crisp in this video. Mooney sounded like a very mature 21 year old performing this song. His mature voice at that time was way beyond his years. And I believe every word he is telling in the story. I also think his guitar skills are impressive.
If you listen very closely, you can hear Smyers harmonizing during the song's chorus. I truly hope that he takes a solo on a verse, chorus, or both on an upcoming release because his voice is very different and unique. This was my first time seeing Smyers playing a banjo and his playing skills amazed me.
When they met, Smyers lived in a house at 507 Morton Avenue that he found on Craigslist. Stay tuned for a future post on more about this house and his humble beginnings before he gained fame as a country artist with Mooney. Despite having a lot of money to his name now, I still believe that the Dan + Shay producer is humble and knows all that it took to get to where he is today. Tracy filmed the guys performing this cover in that house under the makeshift tent they created with a rug and bed sheets. They wrote and sang a lot of songs under that tent for a long period of time.
I do not think I had seen this video before prior to today. If I had, it was quite a while ago and I cannot remember viewing it. Let me just say that it is incredible how far they have come from that day in January, 2013 to where they are now in the present.
Stay tuned for future posts where I profile more songs the duo has covered over the years. To me, they always make these covers their own and there has not been one I did not enjoy.
Below is the video of Smyers and Mooney performing "Merry Go 'Round" courtesy of The Tent Concert Series YouTube channel!
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