Jeremy D. Simmons Shares His Musical Knowledge With the World

Jeremy D. Simmons is an artist who is prominently on the rise. His newest release, Pie in the Sky, which has been making the rounds lately, is a stunning piece of work that shows the depth of Simmons as both a songwriter and performer. Launching his latest single “24/7 OTC” his eclectic brand of Rock and Soul channels the masses with an in-depth story within each and every lyric. Recently we had the honor of catching up with Jeremy D.  Simmons for an insightful glimpse into this world and musings; a must-read below…

How long did it take you to record the new record? What was the inspiration behind the record?
This answer is not so cut and dry.  The writing of some of these tunes dates back to 1998.  Some of the tracks from the original demos still appear on the album.  The earliest one being recorded in 2000.  However, from the time I decided I was going to put an album together it took a little over a year.  Recording new parts, writing a few new tunes and mixing the album.

The inspiration came from a few places.  First, I really wanted to have something that helped define who I am as a songwriter, producer and engineer.  Something that may have gotten lost in the shuffle being a side man. I wanted to put to bed some songs that had been floating around so that I could free up some head space to continue working on my catalogue.

Secondly, I felt it was important for me to make a record that was true to how I feel about music. The way that albums used to be made, when the collective work far outweighed any single and could be taken in as a whole. You know, drop the needle and hang out for a while, take it all in.
Lastly, the music scene here in Richmond, VA is fantastic and my peers inspire me so much. I wanted to give back, hopefully inspire someone to do the same thing. I needed to carry my weight.

What is the meaning behind the title of the record, Pie in the Sky?

It’s basically me poking fun at myself for playing, writing and recording music for three decades before releasing my own album. Dreaming about something versus doing something about it.  I think no matter what your field is, we all have dreams and goals. I would say, it’s never too late to make something happen.

For the record, you took some roots of artists such as Randy Newman, Steely Dan and Pink Floyd. How did you combine these elements to create the new album and hone a sound that is uniquely your own?
I really didn’t consciously try to combine anything.  I grew up entrenched in,and absolutely adoring the rock and soul music of the 60’s & 70’s. Other than Prince, there are some 80’s tunes the provide me with a bit of nostalgia, but I have always preferred or even identified with the older stuff.  Unless of course we are talking about jazz, Classic Country or Western Swing or something like that, that’s an entirely different passion and influence for me. As far as it being unique to me, I suppose that’s for the listener to determine.  I would hope that most artists would want to carve out their own sound. It’s all been done before. I believe it would be extremely difficult to put out music that didn’t remind someone of something else, I suppose it’s just how you put your spin on it, your voice, your soul, your experience. 

 The album includes over 20 musicians from the Richmond, Virginia area. How did that come about, and how did the collaborations generally work or take place?

First I’d like to thank all of the wonderful friends and peers that I have in this community. This album would not be what it is without all of their support and contributions.  Most everyone that appears on the album did so simply because they believed in what I was doing and wanted to take part. They donated their time.

As far as collaboration, there were only a few tunes that were collaborative efforts. I teamed up with my long time friend (7th grade) and neighbor Nate Griffith for a couple of tunes “Cash Cow” & “Lump In My Throat”.  His wife Chrissie penned the chorus  for “Cash Cow”.   And for “Eventually” the basic tracks were laid with my old band Gray-V and the guys came up with their own parts. That song however, I took and flipped the groove around moving the downbeat by changing the bass line and adding the acoustic guitar.  It’s hard for me to even remember how it sounded originally, it’s been so long ago, but it’s entirely different from what was initially intended.

On the other tracks I had very definite parts or ideas for parts that I wanted.  I also had a sense of which musician would be the right fit for those parts.  They were all just gracious enough to give me what I wanted.  In some cases, and because I wanted to take up as little of their time as possible, I would just fly them into the part of the song I wanted them to solo on, loop it, and record a bunch of takes or have them play through the tune a few times and record it all. Then I went back and edited the parts, sometimes combining bits of several different takes to construct exactly what it was I wanted to hear. Though I have the setup to record completely analogue, I was very thankful for digital technology, without it, some of the tracks would have been impossible to work out.

How did you meet the members of The Slank, and what role do they play in your writing and recording process, as well as live?

My friend Trey Batts put the band together as a vehicle to perform his solo stuff live. ( I met Trey in 1990 and we have played in bands off and on since they.  He was a founding member of Gray-V along with Nate Griffith, my brother Dusty and Jason Campbell.)

I was living in Virginia Beach at the time, so the guys were rehearsing Trey’s material as a trio and were looking to start playing out.

Trey knew that I was planning on moving back to Richmond and insisted that they wait for me to fill the bass chair. I didn’t meet Bill or Dennis until I came to the first rehearsal. 

“Pie In The Sky” was completely written before I joined the band, so The Slank really didn’t play a role in the writing or recording process, although Trey is playing guitar on “24/7 OTC”.

As far as live goes, it’s wonderful, because both Trey and I both get to perform our solo material and explore some organic space. The band improvises and it keeps it fun for all of us.  Now, we are writing as a band so I am excited for the album that is growing out of the collective.

Loving the new single, “24/7 OTC.” What was the musical and lyrical inspiration for the piece?

What can we expect from you in the new year?

Along with writing new material with The Slank. I am also working on compositions for my sophomore release. I don’t think that will be out this year, although the idea of releasing a single later in the year is not out of the question.  I have a feeling we may see an album from The Slank in 2017 or early 2018. I’ve also been putting a lot of energy into producing other artists in my studio for my label “Elephant Ear Records”. Look for the debut release from “Vanilla Summit” in January/February. These guys are a young talented “Indie Jazz” group that I am very excited about. Two drummers, killer vibe.  I am also producing an album for “Alice + The Reverie”  a dreamy, ethereal indie rock group, Miriam Martin sings like an angel.