Way before guitarist Brad Simons joined Tupelo Honey in 2010 as its instrumental heart, he was recording his own band, Of Angels, on a MacBook Pro recording interface.
Now that Tupelo Honey is no longer gigging as a band, the St. Albert artist is channeling his energies as Optics, and on Friday his first digital release was dropped to Spotify.
The single, 22, is an upbeat summery song about a socially awkward person going through a difficult stage in life. Although a reflective song, it’s laced with easily relatable humour.
“It’s quite dancey. It has a disco beat, intricate guitar playing, and a jazzy fusion with electro soul pop. Vocally it’s deep and low in my range with kind of a funky, groovy vibe. It definitely has a summer time vibe,” said Simons, who has a computer science degree and is owner of Velveteen Audio, a commercial recording studio in Edmonton.
The break from Tupelo Honey gave Simons the breathing room necessary to dive back into music on his own terms.
“As Optics, this is me being true to myself. Over the years I’ve played different genres for hire. But I love the older styles of blues and jazz. When I was younger, I wrote what I thought everyone wanted to hear. I didn’t get a chance to say who I was. People might think I’m not true to myself, but in fact, I’m finally letting out who I am,” Simons explained.
A self-described super-nerd, he characterizes Optics’ sound as a throwback to the classic 80’s disco with spacey futuristic flourish.
“As a guitar player, I’m adding bluesy, funk, guitar licks and as for vocals, it’s pretty much self-discovery.”
Not only is his creative side and love of older genres a key component of the music, but it’s evident he is also satisfying his super-nerdy science side.
In a song with a working title Mission to Mars, the challenges of floating in space are felt through the music.
“But it can also be taken as the struggles in a relationship and despite your control, you can drift apart.”
Simons finally feels he’s in the ballpark he’s meant to play. He has a university degree, owns a studio, is the proud father of young Hendrik, and is playing music from his soul.
“I’m most excited to go down the road of discovery to find out who I am.”
Brad Simons as Optics is playing a show at The Needle Vinyl Tavern on Friday, June 30 with Royal Tusk, Norell and another St. Albert band Calling All Captains.
The show starts at 8 p.m.Tickets are available through yeglive.ca. The Needle is at 10524 Jasper Ave.
