I got to catch up with 23 year-old Singer/Songwriter and saxophonist Matt Simons. Matt recently had an awesome gig at The Living Room in NYC for a showcase with the Independent Music Awards. Read on to hear about his experience working with the IMAs and check out a video from the night! And by the way, the deadline to submit to this year's IMAs is coming up on October 14th. Don't miss out!
Tell me a little bit about your history. When did you start making/writing music?
I started playing music very young, about 3 years old and in some way or another, music has been a part of my life ever since. I wrote my first song at the age of 12 (I knew 3 chords on guitar, from the only other song I knew, "You Aint Goin' Nowhere" by Bob Dylan).
When did you decide to make a career/focus of it? Was there an event or something that triggered you to say it was more than a hobby?
When I made the choice to go to college and study music, it solidified that I wanted to play professionally. However, I studied jazz saxophone and songwriting was more of a hobby. Then, my senior year I recorded my first EP, Fall In Line. From there, I made the decision to be a singer/songwriter full-time and have been doing it ever since.
Recently you had a successful night in NYC at The Living Room with the IMAs. Were there any highlights from the gig or anything that made it unique for you?
Yeah! It was a really fun night. Hearing the other musicians was a treat, they were all really talented and Lee and the rest of the staff at the IMAs were very friendly and helpful.
In your personal experience, what’s the most challenging thing about being an emerging artist?
The most challenging thing about being an independent musician is all of the non-music parts of the job. The long drives, constant emails trying to book shows that are worth the effort, self-promotion, etc. It's cliche, but true. Nothing feels more natural than playing my songs to a listening audience but the amount of effort it takes it get there can seem excessive.
What’s coming next from you that we should be on the look-out for?
In October, I'll be heading out on a West Coast tour with fellow songwriters Chris Ayer and Nathan Angelo, starting in San Diego and ending in Seattle. In December, I'm heading back to Europe for a two-week tour in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and (hopefully) Italy and Portugal.
I've also got the material written for a new album that I'm hoping to release sometime this Fall. I'm currently working on pre-production and working out the where, when and how I'm going to put it all together.
