A- Ok Sid, a couple questions if you don’t mind-
Why, after living in so many cities with large cultural footprints did you choose Brooklyn, NY, as your base?
Sid- Basically, my parents moved outside the city- suburbs or whatever, and the idea of NYC sounded amazing to me from about age 13, traveling down with my skate friends I was like, this is the greatest place ever… so as soon as I hit 19 I was like, ‘I’m fucking moving there’.
Was it everything that you expected?
Yea, it was so overwhelming when I first came here but I met a million people.
It still is overwhelming…
And where are we right now?
We’re at Heaven Can wait in the East Village cause I just played a show
A pretty busy show….
Yea, some actually just said it was sold out which is great.
Is this your first NY show in a bit?
I think we played a month ago, but it feels like forever ago.
You know when you’re playing all the time and then don’t play for a few weeks…
Yea- do you have anything else coming up?
We do have another show June 5th supporting Franz Ferdinand in DC…
Which of these three ‘SIDS’ do you feel the most connected to-
Sid Straw of the Golden Palaminos and Wilco
Syd Barret or Sid Vicious?
I love this. Honestly none of them… er… fuck it the Wilco one.
Yea, I just learned more about her. She sang on some Wilco tunes and a bunch of her own…
Dude, I am obsessed with Wilco…
Slainté. cheers to Wilco-
*some drinks clinked at this point…*
That last track we played was just us ripping off Wilco…
Thats funny, everything I do is a rip off Wilco…Alright…
There’s quite a sunny disposition in your tracks that might not be expected as someone from Oregon but is certainly relevant to someone from Sydney-
Are there darker undercurrents in your music, maybe in the lyrics or elsewhere, or is it just sunny overall for ya?
I think, on the first couple listens thru, it feels quite like optimistic and joyful, and has that ‘sunny disposition’ you mentioned, but I feel a couple listens in there is that undercurrent like you were saying of some darker ideas living there… and you can only really hear it if you are listening for it, and listen a couple times really.
Do you play any tracks from “Shade from the Other Side” tonight?
We played a couple-
Anything from the upcoming album?
Everything but the last song.
Is that one a secret?
It’s called ‘Under My Skin’… The album is coming out June 23rd and these songs are really a part 2 of ‘Shade…’ with the same kind of optimism mixed with darker elements. It is sonically way more uplifting and pop-ier.
Yea, I noticed you play with ‘pop’ a lot but definitely remind me of Americana stuff and even artists like Donavon.
Yea, my whole goal is really to take a pop song and fuck with it.
What is it like to give your songs up to your fellow musicians discretion?
Honestly, it is super scary. It is so uncomfortable, that is creates something beautiful… it’s like seeing something thru someone else eyes.
Like us going with this new producer… I had a list of people I’d like to work with and saw this guy Gordon Rafael, and he flew in from England to work with us.
That’s amazing-
Yea, he was like our dad. I mean that because we all fuck around a lot in the studio, we fight…
I think that is only natural…
Yea, and that’s why I wanted to work with him, because he is so good at capturing that live essence.
And when we mess around he goes, time for the next song. We NEEDED that.
Last Question- Who in New York is impressing you right now?
Beau, who just played before us- amazing.
Supablush, amazing.
Telescreens… are incredible, Leil Neil* are so fucking good.
Thank you Sid Simons-
Thank you!
————
Sid Simons performed at Heaven Can Wait on May 11th in NYC to a sold out crowd and kicked ass. The songs were tight and popp-y, the audience captivated and his voice is well worth checking out alone.
Catch his next set June 5th at the Atlantis in Washington, DC, and look out for his forthcoming album this June-
Allez,
Tortcha
Urbanista Mag
All pictures credited to Matt Weinberger ( @Mweinbergerr)
