Episode 023 : Jeffrey Simmons
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One of my favorite things about doing Well-Rounded Radio is that, as a result of hosting and producing the show these last few years, people often turn me on to music they think I'll like, so I often get to hear music that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise.
Case in point: Scott Lesniewski, the guitarist whose music I featured in the Downhill Battle episode a few months back, sent me a CD from a band that he had played in called Jeffrey Simmons and the Symptoms.
The CD was entitled "Almost...All the Way...Down" and after a few listens I realized how ambitious the band was and found it hard to believe that it was recorded in local studios on a limited budget. A closer listen revealed deep references to some classic rock and roll acts.
Simmons first CD was a 2001 self-released disc called "The Failure of the Horse and Buggy," a disc that Simmons recorded almost completely on his own. "Almost...All the Way...Down" followed in 2003 on the late Soda Pop Records label and included several band members to help flesh out the sounds Simmons heard in his head.
In March, New York's Kool Kat Musik will release "Farewell, My Sweet Alibi," Simmons' third disc. The record covers a lot of lyrical ground in its 10 songs and 41 minutes (hallelujah, an artist who remembers the upside of the limitations of vinyl...and doesn't feel the need to fill up the 72 minutes of a CD!)
Simmons' work has been compared in reviews to a number of performers, including Elliott Smith, Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, Neil Young, Andy Partridge (of XTC), the Webb Brothers, Wilco, and Whiskeytown. Simmons also points to the work of Elvis Costello, Emmitt Rhodes, The Beatles, Nicolai Dunger, Elbow, Ed Harcourt, as influentials and favorites.
I recently met with Simmons in Cambridge, Massachusetts during an icy afternoon in January to discuss:
* how he first started playing music and what instrument he picked up first to learn
* how he has recorded his lush, complex records on strict budgets, both alone and with fellow musicians
* what songwriters strike a chord for him lyrically and why
Music featured in the interview from Jeffrey Simmons includes:
1) Tall Tales (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi) (in preview)
2) Paperweight (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
3) The Worst Spy (The Failure of the Horse + Buggy)
4) New York State (The Failure of the Horse + Buggy)
5) Warning Sign (The Failure of the Horse + Buggy)
6) Expecting Rain (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
7) Goodbye Blues (Almost...All the Way...Down)
8) Like a Limb (Almost...All the Way...Down)
9) Unkind (Almost...All the Way...Down)
10) See Saw Heart (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
11) Half Dollar (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
12) Blueprints (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
13) Farewell, My Sweet Alibi (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
14) Disguise (Farewell, My Sweet Alibi)
If you like this interview, give a listen to the Well-Rounded Radio Interviews with Joe Pernice and Josh Ritter.
