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BOOKING INQUIRIES |
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SIMON SAYS BOOKING
Founded in January of 2002, Simon Says Booking is a fully functioning booking agency and publicity firm representing artists around the country, acting as talent buyer for venues, and securing talent for festivals, universities, and other events. |
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 Garaj Mahal listen shows |
 Freekbass listen shows |  UV Hippo myspace EPK |
 The Henhouse Prowlers myspace shows |
 Chicago Afrobeat Project listen VIDEO EPK |
 Klyph Black and Rumor Has It EPK |
 The JamStampede |
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Latest News:
Simon Says Booking signs two great Chicago bands: The Henhouse Prowlers and Sexfist. Simon Says Booking is proud to announce the exclusive signing of the Henhouse Prowlers from Chicago, IL. Not satisfied with a single signing, also signed are enigmatic flatpicking rockers Sexfist. Fans of acoustic music, American roots, bluegrass, rock, punk, and alternative musical styles will love these two additions. In the tradition of past greats like Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs, the Henhouse Prowlers are frequenting bluegrass festivals, performing arts centers and backyard barbecues. Sexfist is a much more progressive band of acoustic flatpickers and rabble rousers in the tradition of Split Lip Rayfield, Woodbox Gang, and Old Crow Medicine Show- playing dives and holes throughout the Midwest.Live Music News and Review Launches! Simon Says Publicity has signed on to help promote a new website called Live Music News and Review. This website is dedicated to news about venues and bands, reviews of shows from around the country, artist and venue spotlights, a show of the week, festival previews and other interesting developments in the live music business. Check out the the site and let us know what you think. If you are interested in submitting an article for publication, you can contact the publisher at Email to get onboard! Freekbass wins seventh Cincinnati Entertainment Award Funk master Freekbass has captured his seventh Cincinnati Entertainment Award. Much like spring follows winter, and the the day becomes the night, Freekbass has once again been rewarded for his efforts and has become the funk ambassador of Cincinnati. 2010 should be a big year for Freekbass as he looks to christen a new project with DJ Logic and Steve Molitz. That band, as yet unnamed, will be premiering this Spring for festival and college appearances.
Chicago Music Awards As in years past, Simon Says Booking bands cleaned up at the Chicago Music Awards. Along with nominations for Lubriphonic and past awards and nominations for Bumpus and Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble, this year the CMAs went to the Henhouse Prowlers for Best Country and Western Act (I guess there was no bluegrass category!!) and for the second straight year to Chicago Afrobeat Project for best African act. Congratulations to both bands! Simon Says Booking and Publicity seeks new team members! We are still looking for strong candidates for interns, booking agent trainees, experienced agents, and people interested in a publicity position. Please let us know if you have experience in these areas and a willingness to live in the Pioneer Valley in MA. Internships are avialable too for college students and others willing to provide effort to learn about the music industry. Interested?
Email for more information. |
Jukebox: ROCK OUT!
HOT AVAILS Lubriphonic is seeking dates in the Southeast for a tour in late March and early April. Chicago Afrobeat Project are planning a West Coast tour for mid to late April. The Henhouse Prowlers are seeking dates in the Midwest for Spring, and then are touring the Mountain states in late March and again in June. Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble are seeking some Midwestern dates in March, and seeking March 26 FRI in the Northeast for a show between Boston and NYC. The newly formed band of DJ Logic, Steve Molitz and Freekbass is seeking dates for an April run from the 20th through the 26th, with a date already set in Cincinnati on 4/24. Interested? Email for more information. Fareed Haque wins Guitar Player Magazine readers poll for best guitarist, world music; debuts new album In March of 2009, Fareed Haque will unveiled his latest project, Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble, and his latest album, titled Flat Planet. To signal the album's critical acclaim, readers of Guitar Player Magazine voted Fareed Haque Best World Guitarist in the magazine's latest edition. The album is out on the Owl Studios label. Flat Planet is a stunning record that realizes Haque's career long dream of marrying the ethnically legitimate sounds of India and Pakistan with American Funk and Jazz. The players come from both of these worlds, and the resultant amalgam is heady, fragrant, and full of energy and motion. The album's release coincides with numerous tour dates including the official album release May 8 and 9 in Chicago at the prestigious Greenmill. Other dates are likely to be announced soon, including non-ensemble dates which will see Fareed Haque pairing with friends, or perhaps even throwing a few solo shows out there. Summer tour plans are under way including appearances at High Sierra, the Oregon Country Fair, and throughout the country. Simon Says Booking Bands confirming major festival appearances already! Attention Festival Buyers! Simon Says Booking bands are already booking major festival appearances across the country including: Lubriphonic at the Chicago Blues Festival, Garaj Mahal at Camp Zoe in April and Camp Barefoot in August, Bear Creek Music festival in Florida will feature Garaj Mahal and Lubriphonic, Cabinet at the Tree Hugger's Ball in WV, The Henhouse Prowlers and Lube at Groovefest in Utah, Chicago Afrobeat Project at the Mid Summer Music Festival in PA and Camp Euforia in IA, UV Hippo at Blissfest and the Jamboree in Michigan, and many other festival appearances have already been booked! Get on Board! |
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Simon Says Booking announces an EPK partnership with Sonicbids for online submissions. We are choosing one band from Sonicbids to add in 2009. In addition to the one band chosen, it is likely that many submissions will receive the opportunity for freelance work from Simon Says Booking. In the past two years, two bands have been chosen for exclusive representation through Sonicbids and dozens of bands have been offered work. Sonicbids, it works. All submissions are guaranteed to be viewed and submission music will be heard.
Simon Says Booking announces the launch of festival vending company Old 78 Farms. The company will focus on reclaimed fabrics fashioned into new clothing styles and will be headed by Angel Simon and Lynn Englen. Keep an eye out for Old 78 Farms booths at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in July in Ohio and the Wormtown Music Festival in Greenfield in the Fall. Interested festival operators should email us if they would like us to consider vending at their event. |
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Aphrodesia- Afrobeat and Ghanian High Life Maybe Aphrodesia is further proof that it's time to update the word 'afrobeat' with something else. True, the group's horn-laden polyrhythmic funk owes more than a passing glance to Fela Kuti's revolutionary 1970's blueprint, and yes, this is the same San Francisco-based crew who braved armed Nigerian border police during their 2006 pilgrimage to Lagos, Nigeria and the New Afrika Shrine- Femi Kuti's continuation of his father's legendary nightclub and the birthplace of afrobeat itself. But Aphrodesia's sound- the rich, dual female lead vocals, jazz-inflected horn section and powerful rhythm- has always encompassed much more than just afrobeat. Funk, dub, Ghanaian highlife, Zimbabwean trance and hip-hop and global pop have always spiced up Aphrodesia's stew, and their new album- “Precious Commodity” (to be released in August 2009)- looks to cement their reputation as genre-defying innovators even further. web site / shows / press kit |
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Blue Moon Revue - From Chicago
Blue Moon Revue is an exciting four piece rock band from Chicago that writes songs that defy the logic of most new rock music while maintaining a crucial pop sensibility. Building on almost a decade of experience writing and performing their unique original music, the group is poised to break to the next level behind the strength of their newest recorded material, the upcoming EP simply titled "Blue Moon Revue". This new set of tunes features a fresh new direction for the band...one that focuses both the guitar driven background of the writers as well as the high energy feel of a live show that has been years in the making. Along the way they have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some of the best acts in the business including Santana, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Galactic, Los Lobos, and OK GO to name but a few. With all that experience comes a tightly honed live act that is sure to entertain! Catch this exciting act while they are on the way up.
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the Zen Tricksters- America's favorite Jam Band! THE ZEN TRICKSTERS - Formed 24 years ago, the Zen Tricksters´ mission is to blend jamming originals with tasty Dead nuggets to create sets you only dreamed about hearing. A festival and club staple across the USA, the Zen Tricksters are America's favorite jam band. web site / shows / listen |
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BUMPUS - From Chicago, IL
Much like Sly Stone fused the pop music of Jefferson Airplane with the heavy funk of James Brown, Bumpus incorporates propulsive rhythmic grooves with into deeply layered yet uncluttered songs that form the foundation for rich soul and gospel-laden vocals. While you can't hear Bumpus without the word funky coming to mind, there's an unmistakably modern and relevant element to their music. web site / listen / EPK |
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MIDNIGHT SPAGHETTI - Midnight Spaghetti & The Chocolate G-Strings has been satisfying funkophiles with monster grooves since January 2003. Their blend of old school funk, party rock, conscious frenetic rap, a killer horn section, and a contagious enthusiasm for life left people wondering what planet they came from, but more importantly, how they could get on that mothership. Getting their start at university house parties, Midnight Spaghetti has developed into an important player in the Mid-Atlantic music scene. Their yearly charitable music festival, Spaghettifest, is host to dozens of local, regional, and national bands.
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DAVE KELLER BAND - Dave Keller has paid his dues the old fashioned way -- spending hundreds and hundreds of nights singing and playing his heart out. At sweaty, dirt road bars. At swanky ski saloons. At huge summer festivals. At jam-packed dance clubs, city halls, college theaters, prison gymnasiums, and blues cruises. You name it. Chances are Keller has played there. And chances are those audiences still remember dancing like crazy to his deep soul singing, his gritty guitar licks, and his super-tight, super-funky band. web site / listen / shows |
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JOUNCE - Born and raised in the shadows of New
York City, Jounce is a fresh, captivating quartet comprised of Joe Ciarallo
(drums), Matt DeSteno (guitar), Dan Mallon (rhodes, organ, synths) and Dan
Tamberelli (bass). Spending the last several years honing a sound that includes
references to rock, funk, jazz, and modern beat music, Jounce merges these
influences with both instrumental and lyrical story telling. web site / listen / shows |
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Post Junction - "Post Junction brings together funk, jazz, soul, and rock with an emphasis on improvisation. Camille Armstrong's evocative voice is enough to move anyone who loves music and vocals, the band is tight, and the grooves are very danceable. "For sure the musical chemistry of the performers produces enough heat to ignite spontaneous dance behavior all the way to the back of any club where Post Junction is playing." --The Morning Call, Lehigh Valley, PA
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David Gans - Well known as the host of the national Grateful Dead hour, David Gans has been touring for years both as a singer-songwriter and as a full band playing original music and everyone's favorites. He has a devoted following of fans and is a great addition for clubs and festivals. web site |
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The Twin Cats - Face Melting Funk in your Face... Melting It.
The Twin Cats are a 5-Piece Jazz/Funk band based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Jason Escape - ESCAPE ARTIST and Comedy- 45 minutes, one straight jacket, 75 feet of rope, body twisting, and a little magic if you're lucky... Jason Escape's spectacular escape show. His show ranges from escape to mentalism and comedy. web site / videos |
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GARY BACKSTROM BAND - Gary Backstrom was the band leader for a band called Jiggle the Handle that was very popular around New England and the nation for years and years. He’s a great songwriter and singer, and he plays an amazing guitar. The rest of the band is filled out with tight musicians from bands like Depth Quartet, Max Creek, Rev Tor and Jiggle. Gary can perform as a group or as a solo artist, and audiences will be amazed by his beautiful voice and emotive songs. web site / listen |
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Simon Says Booking announces an EPK partnership with Sonicbids for online submissions. We are choosing one band from Sonicbids to add in 2006. |
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