Press

Bostonbandcrush.com - Feature Crush: C.D. On Songs, FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010 From the forthcoming album "stairpenstation"
The world has enough blood and thunder and a growing dearth of people who know how to quiet down and slow up and do so effectively. Jeffrey Simmons's new track "Live Through This" showcases a wholly mature performer that, while having found his element, is clearly not afraid to venture outside every so often into the great wide world. Simmons lends his gentle vocals to a a softly swinging melody that is cradled in guitar and subject to the occasional breezes of a string section that sweeps in and out as if through an open window. The sounds of the strings adds seasoning to the expectedly placid tones of the vocal and guitar. This song has no sharp edges - and none are warranted. Is this the actual sound of Mr. Simmons's excellent adventure through life, or his reproduction of the experience, after coming in from the cold? It is difficult to say, and this may be the ultimate triumph of this song.

Bostonbandcrush.com - Feature Crush: C.D. On Songs, 07/07/09 Jeffrey Simmons – "Making a Movie" In a world where young men have to go onto reality shows to generate and display their own manufactured bluster, it is pleasant to hear an artist with pre-existing swagger strut onto the scene in the form of Jeffrey Simmons. "Making a Movie" possesses a weird sort of driving spirit, like a musical undercurrent that pushes and pulls the upper levels of the song about. This undercurrent does not take the form of one piece of the song - it is not just the swelling and oddly bending 21-piece-orchestra-that-sounds-like-Mellotron strings or the head-nodding drumbeat, rather it's something intangible that drives this wave. Simmons' vocals seem to surf on this wave rather than lead it, directing his syllables to fall into the tiny holes left by the syncopation of the tempo. Simmons sounds ultimately comfortable in his own skin – provided he is in uniform. "Making a Movie" shows Simmons in his full Sunday best – modern sensibilities coupled with a vintage aesthetic. In this uniform, Simmons marches down the street, through the door and into your living room, ready to make himself (and your self) comfortable in his own brand of polished reality.

Mike Loce - The Noise Boston for "Best Of Luck"
I don't want to insult anyone at the initial usage of the word "Beatle-y" to describe their music, because I love the Beatles and it's not an insult. It has, however been overused for less-than worthy pieces of songwriting in the past. That having been said, the first track on Jeff's album does bring up the mood of that group. Maybe it's the string samples, descending chord progressions, tasteful sparseness of instrumentation. Anyhow, I digress. To call all of the tunes under the same header would be unjust. Jeff's songwriting shines through any band comparison, although the cloth from which it's cut is the color of Britpop from the '60s onward. Mix in some '70s California rock influences, great harmonies, and '90s rhythmic structure and you got it. Track five, "Making a Movie," is my fave: heavy like early Radiohead in all the right ways without sounding derivative. Sound good? Get it in your life!

The Phoenix featured an article on Jeffrey Simmons entitled "Beyond blogosphere: Jeffrey Simmons Is That Good". Click here to see Camille Dodero's article.

Back on the Tracks.com "Third album by impressively mutli-talented Boston songwriter"

"If the beautifully rounded tones of the opening cello/mellotron duet on Half Dollar don't leave you begging for more, then you've probably lost the place. This is one of the most engaging pieces of pure pop sophistication I've heard since Harry Nilsson was at his prime. Despite releasing three critically acclaimed albums since 1999, Simmons seems to have slipped under Joe Public's radar which is odd, given that, in the singer-songwriter stakes he could wipe the floor with any number of James Blunts. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they know a thing or two about songwriting, Simmons works with a regular backing band but it's his identity stamped all over the album not just in the composition of the songs but in his guitar, organ, piano, mellotron, banjo and percussion contributions. Mind you, guitarist Tom Valicenti deserves considerably more than a pat on the back for the howling sustain of his e-bow on Paperweight and the squirmingly weird licks on Tall Tales. Critics, no doubt rushing from CD to CD in frantic efforts to hit their deadlines, have been comparing him to everything from the Beach Boys to Elvis Costello and XTC but Simmons' biggest strength is own identity. He has an impressively tuneful, light and airy voice, ideal for expressing heartache, world-weariness or the hope of better things to come when life looks a bit glum. What else? Well, there's the warmth of the vocal harmonies and plummy vibes (courtesty of drummer Joel Simches) in Lovely Liar; the languid keyboard-driven Disguise with its pizzicato strings, tinkling bells and Beatlesque mellotron flourishes; the sombre atmospherics of See Saw Heart and the sunshiny slide guitar of Glad To Be Here, all of which, of course would mean nothing much at all if Simmons songs weren't as beautifully crafted as they are. After a couple of plays you'll be singing along and, next thing you know, you'll probably have to take it with you in the car. It's when you find yourself making copies of it for your mates that you realise this one has really got through to you. (Mind you, I can't endorse that sort of behaviour. Encourage them to buy the CD for themselves. Mr Simmons has to earn a living just like the rest of us.)" 4 stars

"Good news-I've just declared amnesty for all you people who have criminally slept on one of Boston's niftiest songwriters. On his third full-length, Simmons stays somewhere within the Animals/Zombies continuum of late-'60s pop, but adds some distinctly modern touches; it's like a sweet compote of Westerberg and mellow Costello, with a spoonful of Spoon. His voice has the captivating creak of a door to a room you're sneaking into; and the thick harmonies, warm organs, soaring strings, Mellotrons and stylized fuzz that brighten the corners of Farewell load the tracks with little discoverable treats. Report to this record immediately." -Michael Brodeur, The Weekly Dig, May 2006

Jeffrey's interview with Radionotte 93.5 Italy. Jeffrey is also on his Top 5 list for 2005.

"Jeffrey Simmons' work has been compared to a number of performers, including Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, Andy Partridge (of XTC), the Webb Brothers, Wilco, and Whiskeytown. Simmons first CD was a 2001 self-released disc called "The Failure of the Horse and Buggy," which Simmons recorded almost completely on his own. "Almost...All the Way...Down" followed in 2003 on the late Soda Pop Records label and included several band members to help flesh out the sounds. "Almost" is an ambitious recording, and hard to believe that it was recorded in local and home studios on a limited budget. A fascinating listen that reveals deep references to some classic rock and roll acts. This month, New Jersey's Kool Kat Musik will release "Farewell, My Sweet Alibi," Simmons' third disc. The Well-Rounded Radio interview with Jeffrey Simmons includes music from all three CDs, including samples from a number of songs from Farewell, My Sweet Alibi." -Well Rounded Radio

"Jeffrey Simmons has crafted a solo album that is daring and ambitious and utterly user-friendly and melding them into a wholly original construction" James Lien, CMJ Industry Weekly for "Failure of the Horse and Buggy" "This is pop genius we haven't heard since Andy Partridge." Amanda Nichols, The Noise for "Almost...all the way...down" "This group of 11 songs brings the listener on a tour of Simmon's multi-faceted writing and singing talent." -Mary Hamilton, Somerville News

"Almost...all the way...down" "Failure of the Horse and Buggy is close to pop perfection" -Rob Christensen, Tape Op Magazine for "Failure of the Horse and Buggy"