"Let love show the way." These are the words that both title SIMO's latest album and depict the story of JD Simo's journey of forming the beloved the rock, blues, and jazz collaboration that so many people adore. SIMO combines the sound of Nirvana, the deepness of Bob Dylan, and the love of music just as the Rolling Stones had in one tightly knit band. How did this band of three come from the shadows to rise to headline shows all over the world?
JD Simo was four years old living in Chicago when he found his love for music after begging his parents for a guitar for what felt like ages. He wanted a guitar because of his hero in music, Elvis Presley. JD watched Elvis play on TV with his guitarist Scotty Moore holding his infamous 52 Gibson ES-295 rocking his heart out. Other musicians such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, and Buddy Holly were the first areas of exposure JD had in music.
(JD Simo)
By the age of 13, JD had moved out to Arizona where his dad wanted to retire, but that was not where JD wanted to be. He took his love for music on the road with a band that he was in when he was just 15 years old, and traveled across the nation scuttling from venue to venue, living space to living space, and making it by surviving off of dollars at a time. Money was not the importance of this tour, but the exposure, love for music, and experiences that JD and his band had brought him to places he never expected. One of those places would be Nashville at the age of 21.
JD lived by the Nashville Fairgrounds in a rented space. During this new era for JD, he did not only find himself doing session work for a band that he discovered at Robert's in Nashville, but he met his wife. JD says meeting his wife was his biggest life changing moment. How he met her was when he was in his friend's house wearing a Manuel Rhinestone suit, his prized possession, on his friend's couch playing guitar. JD's current wife walked into the house to come visit, and the first thing she saw was JD wearing his Rhinestone Manuel suit. "She must have thought it was the most ridiculous thing that she has ever seen, for sure," said JD, yet the two were inseparable since then.
(In order left to right: Adam Abrashoff, JD Simo, and Elad Shapiro)
JD continued doing session work for four years, but this was not what he had in mind for a career. At the age of 25, JD searched for some people to jam with him, and he found his previous bass player Frank Stewart, and current drummer, Adam Abrashoff in different places. The trio was booked at the 12 South Taproom, which was a where many legendary musicians made their start.
The three improvised the entire set, but the instant connection the newly formed band made was electric. Not only did they rock 12 South, but they also went on to form the band SIMO in 2010.
The beginning of their career as a band was no easy journey. They put a lot of effort into perfecting their songs, trying to get gigs at places like the Basement, opening for bands at the Exit-In, and played at other venues in Nashville during the beginning of their band. In order to get where they are now, they had to play across the south hoping to receive recognition for their hard work, talent, and love for music.
After five years of playing, writing songs, and releasing an album in 2012,Simo, Mascot Label Group signed SIMO in 2015. During 2015, SIMO released the album Love, Vol. 1 with the new bass player Elad Shapiro. This was only the start for SIMO as they would go on to live the dream every rock star dreams of.
From to 2015 until current time, SIMO has completed three European tours, released another album, Let Love Show The Way, and grown their fan base four fold. The ultimate goal was to reach out to music lovers across the world to create everlasting bonds and memories that would not only be remembered but would never be forgotten.
