"An old soul in a young man's voice" is the headline on the front page of the Los Angeles Times Calendar section. The article is about 26 year old Keaton Simons, whose voice is described as having a "lived-in quality that will echo in our minds and hearts for years to come". Keaton's fascination with music surfaced early. Singing since he could talk and picking up Beethoven on the piano by ear while still in preschool, Keaton finally started his lifetime love affair with the guitar at age 12.
As a 17 year old out of high school, Keaton started thinking about college. He decided on The Evergreen State College, located in Olympia, Washington. The area, which has become known as a fertile breeding ground for music and art, proved perfect to set in motion his initiation into the immense world of music. It was there that Keaton started writing songs. He dove in headfirst, taking on courses ranging from 20th century classical composition to Indonesian gamelan music to jazz and quite a lot in between. Keaton's years at Evergreen not only introduced him to diverse global music but also taught him to incorporate everything into his own sensibilities. Major record labels have accused Keaton of being too diverse to contain.
After an early graduation, it was back to Los Angeles, playing music with old friends like Tre Hardson (of The Pharcyde) and new ones like singer N'Dea Davenport (of the Brand New Heavies), Kim Hill (of the Black Eyed Peas), underground hip-hop legend Medusa and appearing on Jay Leno's TONIGHT SHOW with hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg.
Before Keaton was 21 years old he was asked to compose music for the motion picture Mercy Streets. Labels began to investigate and eventually he landed a deal with Maverick Records. Keaton released a five-song EP with Maverick entitled "Currently". The EP displays a taste of bluesy, rootsy, guitar-driven songs & ballads, with stylish arrangements that showcase his rich, often spooky melodies. Indeed, the disc's delicate, down-home title track is in rotation at radio stations around America. Recently reaching #1 on the charts of Tucson, AZ's KWMT 92.9 The Mountain.
One of the first to play Keaton's music was influential LA public radio station KCRW, which afforded him the opportunity in early 2005 to play the Universal Amphitheatre supporting Coldplay. Keaton's music has also been featured on LA's #1 mid-day radio show, KLSX 97.1, "Heidi, Frosty and Frank". Here is where leaks have started of some of the tracks on Keaton's album that were produced by well known producing team, The Matrix. The timing for Keaton's meeting (through a mutual friend) with the Matrix really worked for both. Keaton's songs were thought of as being too alternatively structured to be radio friendly, though many agreed there was something there. The Matrix, just off Avril Lavigne's COMPLICATED, were seeking something to ground them, and reveal the soul in their pop music. The team loved every second of working together, and ended up with an album that was completed just in time for the record label to conclude changes that made releasing such a "big album" impossible. Hence, a move to the beautiful freedom and diversity of CD Baby.
Keaton participated in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival as a part of BMI's annual showcase. John Greenberg, the manager of Nickelback, immediately saw the talent in Keaton and took him on as a client earlier this year. During 2006 the buzz around Keaton has been out of control with two late night talk show appearances, one on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and another on Last Call with Carson Daly, where he was asked to play a tune with Ben Harper. He was also brought in to work on the Gnarles Barkley project, singing back-up vocals for Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse during the Coachella Music Festival in Southern California.
He has given hope to emerging artists trying to be their own label by taking hold of the new technologies available with downloadable music and online marketing. He has a funky new EP entitled “Blink” that hit I-tunes on October 25th as a digital release.
Keaton will be on tour throughout the western states highlighted by a major Conscious Alliance Benefit for Pine Ridge Native American Reservation taking place at the Fox Theatre with String Cheese Incident in Boulder, CO. 2007 is starting out with two showcase shows at the NAAM convention, which Keaton qualified for as a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting contest. Then on to Paris, France in March for the very prestigious Autour de la Guitare showcase at Le Casino de Paris.
Information:
http://www.keatonsimons.com
His new EP Blink is available on iTunes featuring "Without Your Skin" and "Nobody Knows".
Your comments, concerns, and feedback about Keaton are very welcome, needed, and appreciated!
