Jeremiah McKinley

PD: What type of artist are you?
JM: Long hair, Blue jeans, vans, bandanas and a hat. But if you mean musically I would call us Dirty Folk. We incorporate a lot of different influences and genres from folk and Americana to rock and even a bit of country. We each listen to wide varieties of music. I listen to The Black Keys, Tyler Childers, the Bones of JR Jones, Shakey Graves, The Movement and Noah listens to a lot of Hendrix, John Mayer, Caamp, and Hippo Campus. But, we also hare a lot of the same influences and want to make music people can dance to and that can make people feel. I think we are mostly categorized as americana/folk rock. We chose folk music as our jumping off point because those are the songs that have always spoken to us. Real life experience, good and bad, stories that really get into your soul. And that is what we hope to accomplish with our music. Songs that speak to you and help you cope with the things in your own lives.

PD: Tell us the brief history of yourself.
JM: Karate legend, and master of destruction.
We are two brothers Jeremiah and Noah Smith. I (Jeremiah) am seven years older than Noah. Growing up we would sing in church but never really considered making music. We come from a sports family, and both of us played football in high school and I played in college. My younger brother Noah started guitar lessons in fifth grade, but eventually sports took over and we lost interest. I was off at college when I started to realize how much music meant to me. Most days I won’t pull out of the driveway until I find the perfect song to start my day. I am quite often late, and our family eventually turned to telling us events were Thirty minutes earlier than they were just so we’d be on time. I majored in painting and drawing in college and have always been interested in creating things, but it wasn’t until I left school that I found a new outlet in writing songs. My brother Noah had by this point started college at UNC Chapel Hill and picked the guitar back up. He helped me start learning some chords and we were hooked with the idea of making music. Since then, we continue writing together and sending new song ideas back and forth, Usually helping each other if we get stuck on an idea.

PD: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
JM: God first and foremost we grew up very religious Moravians in North Carolina. Musically I would say The Black Keys, The White Stripes, Rooney, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Tyler Childers, Caamp, Shakey Graves, Amy Winehouse, The Lumineers, The Avett Brothers, Hippo Campus, Mt. Joy, Ray LaMontagne, Eric Church, Bob Marley, Greta Van Fleet, Led Zeppelin, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Taj Mahal in no specific order.

PD: What are your dreams and goals?
JM: One of my dreams is to play Red Rocks. But our real goal is to be able to sustain and enjoy life making music full time. We would like to be touring and recording music as often as possible. We don’t worry too much about money, we would just like to make enough to get by and wake up every morning doing what we love to do. I think a lot of people forget that you are supposed to enjoy your life, so make sure to do things you love, and follow your passions if you are able. But whatever you’re doing, try to have some fun doing it.

PD: How do you promote your band and shows?
JM: We haven’t booked a lot with the pandemic rolling through but we are working to remedy that right now. you can check us out on instagram or our website for future dates as we set more of them up. As of right now we hold a monthly neighborhood show around our hometown of Kernersville, North Carolina. Bring a chair and some beers and we’ll bring the party.

PD: What do you think about downloading music online?
JM: I like being able to always have music on me. There are a lot of cool playlist that have helped us as well as help me discover some hidden gems and new bands. But I also enjoy a nice vinyl record or cd, there is something very cool about owning a physical copy of your favorite album. Online is great for finding new things but I like to have a physical copy of my favorite bands and albums.

PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
JM: Burn or God Willing and The Creek Don’t Rise by Ray LaMontagne. Those two songs are one of the reasons why I started making music. The lyrics really transport you to the feelings of those two stories, and those two songs along with countless others have inspired us to try and move people with some chords and words.

PD: What are some of your pet peeves?
JM: I just got one. When people stand in a doorway or entrance and chat like they aren’t blocking up everyone from walking to another room or outside. Those jive turkeys better bust a move out of there.

PD: What is your proudest moment in music?
JM: Releasing our first song, Hanging On/ Creekside. Up to that point I guess we were waiting on the world to give us the okay to put out music, but when we realized we didn’t need any permission to put it out we hit the ground running. While we are still very proud of those first releases, at some point we would like to re record them. We have progressed a ton in a short time and would like to master them and put on all the bells and whistles.

PD: So what are you working on at the moment?
JM: Right now we are trying to book shows with the world seeming to have finally opened back up to live music. We also have a new album in the works with a lot of songs we are excited to share with the world.

PD: What music have you available online and where can we buy it from?
JM: So far we have released an ep of stomp and holler tunes called the Jeremiah McKinley Ep , an Album The Basement Tapes and some singles,
(A rocking riff based tune) Sing For My Supper, Hanging on/ Creekside ( an acoustic ballad) , and our newest Same Old Heart. Same Old Heart is the story of a man. The woman he loves starts heading down a dangerous path, and while he loves her, it is a path he cannot follow. She spirals into addiction, and his heart breaks as there’s nothing he can do to stop or save her. Our music is on all of the major streaming platforms. - Pete's Rock News and Views

If you could introduce yourselves for us, who are you?
We are Jeremiah Christian Smith and Noah McKinley Smith. Together we make Jeremiah McKinley. Two brothers on a mission to make folk rock music and share it with the world.

How did you all meet?
I didn’t meet Noah until I was seven years old. He didn’t say much when we first met. He just kind of laid around and drank milk. A year or so later once he had given up his vow of silence and began speaking we started to realize that we had a ton in common. We grew up all of ten feet from each other, most of that time in bunk beds. Being the top bunk is very difficult, especially with my sleepwalking tendencies but we’ve made it work and are still best friends.

How long have you been playing?
My brother Noah has been playing guitar since he was in middle school. He had lessons and stopped for a while to focus on sports but eventually he picked it back up. I have only been playing for about five years. I had always wanted to learn guitar but had never pulled the trigger until I got out of college. My brother helped me learn some chords and we have been a band ever since.

What three words would you use to describe the music you play?
Dirty, Honest, Real.

What are your musical influences?
There are so many. My brother Noah’s guitar playing has certainly been influenced by John Mayer, Hendrix, and some of the more ethereal tones of Lord Huron, Hippo Campus, and Caamp. Growing up we listened to all sorts of music and I have really been influenced by some of the great songwriting and voices of Amy Winehouse, The Black Keys, Jack White, Ray LaMontagne, and Bob Dylan.

Being away from the stages since last year, where is the one place you’d visit when the restrictions are lifted?
This band started after seeing The Head and The Heart at The Ritz in Raleigh. So we would love to get back there at some point. We had already been playing but after watching such an electric show we were energized and really started taking our music making more seriously.

What’s the one record you own but wouldn’t ever admit to owning?
I don’t know. We have a wide range of taste and aren’t embarrassed by what we like. One album that I always have in rotation is Back To Black by Amy Winehouse. She has such a killer voice that cuts right through you, and lyrics that seem so honest and personal. Listening and singing her songs are really what helped me shape how I sing and write.

What have you been listening to in the last few weeks?
The Bones of JR Jones. He has such a great sound and writes really killer songs. Also some Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs, Kings Of Leon, The Heavy, Elton John, Queen, The Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers and Eric Church.

Are there any releases you have planned in the near future?
We have two singles going live in the coming months. It Ain’t Easy will be out November 26. It is a song my brother Noah wrote in the back of a pickup truck while riding in the mountains in a downpour. It is about feeling cold and alone and having to cope with being on your own. Wedding Toast will be coming out in January. We are also in the middle of recording our second album. There are a lot of cool songs we’re working on and we hope to be putting it out sometime next spring. - Almost Anything Music

So how has your latest album/EP gone so far with fans then?

Our latest release has been a group of four singles with the last coming out this upcoming January. So far they have been received very well. With the partnership of The Animal Farm these are our first tracks to have been mixed and mastered and the sound quality is dope. So far Same Old Heart has been the favorite single to our fans, but I think It Aint Easy ( came out November 26) has been the most fun to play live. We do have a batch we have played live that will be on an album next spring that have been fan favorites already.


Tell us something about the release no one knows?

The first release Sing For My Supper was actually a late add. We had worked the arrangement and weren’t even going to consider it for the batch of singles. We had finished recording for the day when my brother (Noah McKinley) picked up an acoustic and started messing with a different rhythm. Within seconds we had totally revamped a dead song and turned all of our equipment back on. We knocked it out in two takes and pushed it to the front of the line.


If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?

I think for me it would have to be Mt. Joy. They have a very cool sound that I think we could mesh with and make a killer track. Plus I have ben listening to their Live At Red Rocks album on repeat the past couple days so they are kind of on the brain. They have some very interesting lyrics and I really enjoy hearing unique stories and my brother and I love their guitar tones and vocals.


How has your latest release been received?

Well stupidly I forgot to check the date of our latest song It Aint Easy against holidays. It turns out that Thanksgiving was the day before and was a total oversight on my part. It hasn’t gotten a whole lot of attention yet but it is one of my favorites. It is one where my brother Noah sings the first verse and I sing the second. We hadn’t attempted switching verses back and forth yet and we had a really fun time making it.

Can you tell us about the meaning behind the track?

My brother wrote It Aint Easy in the back of a pick up truck. He was riding in a downpour of rain in the mountains where he worked as a camp councilor over the summer. It is about the transition to adulthood, leaving behind the comforts of family and friends. It can be very isolating to strike out on your own, especially in unfamiliar territory, when there are no footprints to follow. You just take things one step at a time and hope you are taking them in the right direction. This song is an expression of that feeling.

What tours do you have coming up, and what can you tell us about them?

We don’t have anything set in stone at the moment but we are hoping to book up 2022 as soon as we can. We like everyone else haven’t had a ton of opportunities to play live over the past couple years, so we are very excited to hit the road. In the meantime we have been playing around the neighborhood and in some local bars in North Carolina to tune up and get ready.


What venue are you most looking forward to playing the most, and why?

That would have to be The Ritz in Raleigh. Our band really took form after we went to see Declan McKenna and The Head and The Heart there. We were already playing music, but after watching them both have a kick ass performance we got home and really started taking our music more seriously. It kind of lit a fire under us and we have been chugging along ever since. It would be really fun to come full circle and get the chance to play there. - OriginalRock.net