We are The Buddz, a rock quartet From Tennessee. Our members are Scott Smile, lead vocalist & guitar, Matt Smile, vocals & lead guitar, Brandon Paykamian, vocals & drums, and Nate Kennedy on vocals & bass. Our band has been together 8 years touring the U.S. as well as recording our album with Super-Producer Dave Fortman. Look for us in your town this summer!
It all started in 2006 in Scott and Matt Smiles garage. Believe it or not, even then it was magic. Our first gig was our highschool talent show. Although we didnt even get more than five minutes with the crowd of our peers, in their eyes, we were heroes. After the talent show we started playing anywhere, and everywhere that we could. From bars, to skating rinks, to private parties, we even played the V.F.W. on more than one occasion. No matter the pay, we came to play.
The screaming guitars and pounding drums led us out of our parents garage, and into the first place the Buddz called home, an old rundown barber shop on the unpleasent side of town. We deemed this place, "The Jamroom." The carpeted walls, leaky ceilings, and peculiar stains on the bathroom walls made this the perfect place to rock. Aside from the handful of robberies, this jamroom helped create our sound. With our newly aquired Jamroom, our first plan was the same as every other band, play shows, play shows, and more shows. After putting our stamp on the local rock scene, we felt we had run our areas well dry, and we were ready to move forward.
Within a few months Buddz Manager Ellen Smile had us in different battles of the bands all over the east coast. Knoxville was the closest big city to the Buddz hometown. It was the perfect place to test our small town talent. We entered Big Mamas Battle of the Bands in 2008, there were over 100 bands in the pro division alone. After playing an amazing show, the Buddz took home the gold, and the grand prize, to record an album for free. We only had three days to record the entire album, but it turned out solid with time to spare.Within three shows of releasing the self-titled album, It completely sold out.
Brandon had always been a part of the Buddz, even before he was their drummer. He would help Scotty arrange songs, help pick the covers, and even recroded an album with his own band Cadence before officiall joining The Buddz in 2010. Brandon brought a piece of the new buddz sound with him. His precise harmonies and perfect timing was a huge asset for the Buddz. Even though he is the youngest in the group, his talents are never lacking. Now with three family members in a band together, band arguments were a thing of the past.
Over the next few months there were countless trips to Baltimore, D.C., New York, and Nashville. We played a lot of out of town shows and made some powerful connections. Through one of our trips to Nashville we met Max E. Million, president of American Eagle Records. Although we were never officially part of the roster, Max helped our band grow, and he also passed a few of his connections our way. He helped the band record a few songs at EMI of Nashville, he got us on live television playing the Billy Block Show, and he also helped us make our first music video, Adhesive. The Buddz will still call Max for advice on both the music and the business side.