BACKSTAGE PASS ARTICLE JULY 1997
SIMPLE SIMON
Simple. Add a driving rhythm plus huge guitar riffs and meaningful lyrics and what do you get? Since 1992 this formula has been a signature for this group. Oh sure the drummers have come and gone. The musical style has fluctuated a little here and there. The yearly CD releases have chronicled the development of their sound and through it all they've played just about every club and venue imaginable. But who is this group of Chicagoans? They've managed to gain a lot of attention through numerous appearances and their own CD releases but are they really Chicago's best kept secret as someone recently dubbed them. Well if your into checkin' out an accomplished Chicago band . . . Simon says read on!
SIMPLE SIMON is a band with a plan. They have worked for years to cultivate their sound. Aggressive both musically and professionally. Having released 4 self produced CD's "Simple Simon", "Bitter Taste of Americana", "Focus", and their most recent "Superstar" this is a band who boasts a 2000 person mailing list. The three members Tony Porfirio on bass and vocals, Mark Grzelak on guitar and vocals, and Kris Gutrich bangin the skins have been giging relentlessly to bring their message to the masses. This in true contrast to little over a year ago when it was stated that they were Chicago music's best kept secret. With a prominent presence at St. Louis's Regional Music Conference, or the Philadelphia Music Conference, and New York's New Music Seminar, this is a band that at one time had a larger aura in markets outside their hometown. But not anymore. Having played just about every rockin club venue in the area they can be found performing every week of the month. So how do you go from a band with potential to a potential touring headliner? With these guys it all started at where else? A Family funeral wake.
It goes like this. The former drummer wiggs out. There's the all important weekend shows to be played, and Tony and Mark are not gonna cancel. Remembering an eager Kris in the front row of several of their last appearances, and knowing of his drumming ability they started making the phone calls to track him down. When finding out through a family member that he was attending a close relative's wake, they blew in a call to the funeral home. As Kris is taking the phone call he's telling his mom "It's Simple Simon! They want me to join the band!" Trying hard not to display too much excitement, he accepts and is playing on stage 36 hours later.
"Those first few weeks were like starting anew. Just like playing our first gigs again. There was a fresh feeling. I think what happened eventually is that we've developed a cohesiveness from song to song. Our own sound if you will. Before Kris we lacked a sound. We were trying to be diverse. In some aspects we still are. But now we have diversity within a formula." Singer Tony explained. "The real test started about a month after those first shows with Kris," Mark continued. "That's when we had to start becoming a band. Not just perform. It took a little while but we became very comfortable together as a three piece. You know most drummers are like having a side car on a motorcycle. It's not like that with us."
So what do you get when you hear these guys live? Well first off it's 90 percent original material. The other 10 percent is cover songs from someone like the Melvins, or Social Distortion, or Helmet. "We do a few covers from the Melvins that the crowd has no idea that they aren't originals. Then we'll throw in "Mean Time" from Helmet that's really aggressive with a big fat sound and guitars so loud. Finally we may do our remake of Social Distortion's cover of "Under My Thumb," the guitarist outlined.
The originals? Well with several CD's having been released there are many to choose from. Two however really stand out. "Rosary" is the first song this lineup has written together. The new original has a down dark part with a driving bridge. It really is an aggressive thought provoking song. "Strung together like a rosary. Like beads on a string we let the days go by . . ." The other song most Simple Simon fans would single out is the tune "Wind". It's a biker song. Powerful and gaudy. It starts quiet and builds to a loud tempo. Then back to quiet again. "Wind keeps blowing though we don't know where it's been." You can see the audience mouth the words along with the band. Not hard lyrics to remember as it really only has one verse.
OK lets pull out the resume and see if these guys have any real playing credentials. So who have they opened for? Says here The Smithereens, 311, Eve Plumb, The Dead Milkmen, Love/Hate, and the Urge just to name a few. How about memorable shows? "There was the CD release party for "Superstar" at the Metro on a Wednesday night where they literally ran out of beer cause they didn't expect such a big crowd," manager Joe Kowal offered. Hey what about this manager guy anyway? "We're the luckiest band in Chicago because we have him. He really is our fourth member. He's our soundman, takes care of the accounting, transportation, and communications. Whether it's our interactive phone system, or our web site, or our frequent newsletters. We'd really be lost without him. He's a really great manager, but better yet he's a really great friend," Mark related after Joe had left the table. Well here's a familiar name. Dino Manzella. He's produced much of Simple Simon's material. That's Dino of afternight.com and BackStage Pass fame. So is that how you got the cover story? "We keep Dino around cause he's got some really cool computer games. No just kidding. Actually the key reason we work with Dino is that he really understands what sound the band is after. Sometimes he offers an opposite perspective that is actually dead on. He has worked tirelessly to help us become the best band we can be. About the cover story thing we pretty much know where his clout ends. But if this was a web site . . ." Tony joked.
One guy is a chef, one's a vending machine repairman, the other's in retail clothing. They all list Guitar Center as their favorite instrument store. Probably because they just recently played a performance in the parking lot there. Listing Seal, The Melvins, and Deftones as favorite national recording acts, all three members highly endorsed Infraction as their favorite other local band. On off nights you'd probably find them hangin' out at Brixies in Brookfield. "It's a room with an incredible vibe," Kris commented.
"Chicago is so diversified. There's room for so many different bands and outlook's.
Rock music is about bringing people out to the show. Seeing and playing with bands that
really want to perform. That's why being in this band is so simple," Kris concludes. We
couldn't have wrapped it up any better. Simon Says - GO SEE THIS BAND!
