I first ventured upon Keaton Simons at a show at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica. I had never heard of him but jumped on board to support a friend in his endeavor hear some random music. The first words out of Keaton’s mouth when he took the stage were “It’s really good to be home…” He started playing and i thought the same thing. The recent LA Times Calender section headline said it best: “An old soul in a young man’s voice.” Despite being only 26, you get the feeling that this dude has lived. His voice is an effortless one that has tasted enough of life to know that pretense isn’t necessary, so what you get is a brutally honest, soulful sound that makes you feel like you’re on the front porch listening to a journeyman talk story. Combined with guitar skills good enough to make most aspiring guitarists wanna hang it up, and pop sensibilities smart enough to break down the walls of even the pop hit factory writing team The Matrix, the effect is one of the most unique sounds in music today. Check out the perfectly painted picture of “Without Your Skin” and the tongue-in-cheek “Nobody Knows” and renew your faith in the state of music today.

I first discovered Brett playing keys at a Buchanan show in Los Angeles. As a player he’s one to add perfect parts, elevating the performance of whomever he’s playing for without drawing any attention away. He’s done this for the likes of Rocco De Luca, Molly Jensen, and Deccatree to name few. Finding his solo music though is like finding enough cash in a favorite pair of jeans to buy a new, better pair of favorite jeans. His album CITY LIGHTS is a singer songwriter album that will actually keep you captivated from top to bottom. Perfectly produced (Chris Karn), CITY LIGHTS covers a Buckley-esque journey with lyrics that will make you feel deeply without emoting all over your stereo. Brett is what music should be: Honest without being self indulgent, beautiful but not overstated, complex without being pretentious. Basically, this is some of the best music i’ve heard in a long time.