Reunited Sacramento Emocore/Nu-Metal pioneers Simon Says have announced they will hit the road this Spring for a string of dates, the band’s first in over 20 years, kicking off with a hometown Sacramento reunion show at Goldfield Roseville on 3/22. Simon Says will hit the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood on 4/4, before a string of cross country dates in May, supported by LA rock act Oceans On Other Planets.
3/22 | Roseville, CA | Goldfield – Roseville
4/4 | West Hollywood, CA | Whisky A Go-Go
5/5 | Des Moines, IA | Lefty’s*
5/7 | Joliet, IL | The Forge*
5/8 | Pittsburgh, PA | Crafthouse*
5/10 | Lakewood, OH | The Winchester Music Tavern*
5/11 | Hanover, PA | Rock On The Hill Music Festival* (w/ Jimmie’s Chicken Shack)
5/12 | Toledo, OH | Ottawa Tavern*
8/10 | Three Forks, MT | Rockin’ The Rivers (w/ Stone Temple Pilots, Hoobastank)
(*w/ Oceans on Other Planets)
Simon Says has also announced the digital release of their breakthrough independent release Perfect Example, remastered by Richard Easterling (Taproot) which will be available on digital outlets for the first time on Friday, April 5th via THC: Music.
The band announced in September they had reunited with their original lineup – Vocalist Matt Franks, Guitarist Zac Diebels, Bassist Mike Arrieta, and drummer Mike Johnston, for the first time in over 20 years, and are working on material for a new studio album to be released in 2024 via THC: Music/Amplified Distribution.
Additionally, the band’s 2 major label releases Jump Start and Shut Your Breath have both been made available on all digital and streaming platforms for the first time.
Simon Says formed in the buzzing Sacramento scene of the early 90s, among the ranks of contemporaries like Far, Papa Roach, Will Haven etc, and released their first demo EP in 1994, followed by two independent LPS, the cassette only Little Boy, and the follow-up Perfect Example, which would sell more than 5000 copies, and define the sound that would see the band signed to Hollywood Records a short time later. In 1999 Simon Says released their major label debut Jump Start, which yielded the hit modern rock singles “Life Jacket”, and “Slider”, which both charted in the Top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.
The band would go on to release their darker and heavier fan favorite sophomore LP Shut Your Breath in 2001, which spawned the single “Blister (Nothing)”, which again found its way onto the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and saw the band touring Worldwide performing alongside Creed, Staind, Filter, Limp Bizkit, Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Deftones, Monster Magnet, Rollins Band, Kid Rock, Type O Negative, and many more, before disbanding in 2001.
Franks, Diebels, and Arrieta, with drummer Dave Marich, formed the short-lived Key To Arson, which released the independent LP Light ‘Em Up, before disbanding in 2004.
Despite the 20+-year hiatus, the members of Simon Says have stayed active, not veering far from their musical roots, with guitarist Zac Diebels producing music in his Sacramento studio, and dabbling in his project Automatic Static with Simon Says vocalist Franks, who also plays bass in progressive Sacramento band SAGES, with Far drummer Chris Robyn. Bassist Mike Arrieta had a brief stint in Cleanse, while drummer Mike Johnston found a niche as one of the top internet drum instructors with mikeslessons.com, spawning the celebrated Youtube drum instruction page “mikeslessons” with over 230k followers.
Says vocalist Franks, “It really happened by accident. We got back together and got in a room to even discuss this stuff, because of the huge amount of fan interest in the first two records, which, at the time, were not even available digitally. So, we got together to discuss that, and try to figure out how to reconnect with our former label, Hollywood, and find a path to release for those records, which really sparked a renewed interest and friendship for all of us, after getting in the same room after so long.”
He adds, “As so much time had passed, you realize hurt feelings from 20 years ago don’t really matter anymore, and I think we all have kind of a renewed appreciation and respect for each other, and the ability for us to even be able to play music together. We’re just thankful there are so many fans still pulling for us, and looking forward to whatever new experiences this next chapter will bring, for us, and the fans.”
Visit Simon Says on the web at simonsaysus.com, or at facebook at facebook.com/simonfnsays.
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 