Retro rock n' rollers SIMPLE RADICALS just released their latest song/video titled "Rich Man Wanna Be King", with an album that has already been out for sometime now with all new music in the works as well. The band goes into great detail about their musical journey from the start to the present day!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The Simple Radicals officially formed about two years ago when I reconnected with my lead guitarist John Griffin. John and I are the nucleus of the band and control the direction and overall vibe. We were working with different drummers and bass players through the recording of our album “New Revolution” but now are playing with two exceptional musicians – Griff Johnson on drums and James Page on bass.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
The Simple Radicals more or less came out of the way John and I look and life and music. We’re both non-conformists and non-conventional and we like to look at things differently. Stay simple. But think radical. Hence The Simple Radicals.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re so blessed to live in such a rich and vibrant city like Chicago where there are so many local bands and venues and clubs that you can go to virtually every night to see live music. Rock, blues, reggae, coffee shop, etc. It’s such a versatile music scene filled with amazing musicians. Chicago produced rock icons like Eddie Vedder, Billy Corgan and blues legends such as Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters. So we love being in such great company. A couple great local bands I highly recommend are Rainbow James and a band called Rookie.
4. How would you describe your style?
From a musical and stylistic standpoint, we describe our music as "retro-rock and roll" that combines sounds and styles from some of our favorite classic rock bands like Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Green Day and Cheap Trick. On a lyrical basis, I’m absolutely infatuated with the writing of Eddie Vedder and try to capture the messaging, passion and energy that he does in his songs. If I can even come within a million miles of that I’d consider it a success.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We’ve actually been quite busy during the pandemic. We just released a song and video called “Rich Man Wanna Be King” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehjT9RZdpe4) which provides a candid and somewhat scathing look at our current president. It was just released on YouTube and it’s racked up around 100,000 views already and climbing. Our album, "New Revolution", has been out for about a year. For those Living Colour fans, you will definitely recognize the sounds of the guitar-God Vernon Reid who shredded it on our track "Medicate".
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Definitely. We’re about to release a wicked cover version of Jefferson Starship’s “White Rabbit” where we collaborated with an incredible husband/wife team called Che-Val. It was such an amazing experience to work with them and we’re really excited about the song. It’s a very non-conventional and unique take on this iconic song. We’ll be releasing a quarantine video to our song “The Optimist”. And, we’re about to release a podcast called “Music & A Brew” where we crack open a cold one with musical artists including Kenny Aronoff (drummer for John Mellencamp and tons of others), Todd Sucherman (Styx), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Daxx Nielsen (Cheap Trick), and Jackie “the Joke Man” Martling from the Howard Stern Show.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We had an amazing 2020 planned for live show including two showcases at SXSW, playing festivals with Molly Hatchet, Jefferson Starship, Puddle of Mudd, and Blackfoot as well as a great gig in Chicago but all got axed due to Covid. We’re on the lineup for all of those next year when it gets rescheduled. We’re also going to plan to play live as much as we can next year as soon as clubs are ready to book again.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We’re very fortunate in that we’re able to stay active and creative during the apocalypse. We’re having a ton of fun working together and thinking outside the box to build our fan base and get our music noticed by as many people as we can. We put on a great live show and we’re anxious to take hit the road as soon as possible. We’re going to keep writing and creating as long as we’re all having fun.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to us on Spotify (The Simple Radicals), YouTube (The Simple Radicals) and connect with us on Facebook (facebook.com/thesimpleradicals), Twitter (twitter.com/simpleradicals) and Instagram (instagram.com/simpleradicals.)
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
We’re a retro-rock and roll band that tries to convey a refreshing change from the clichés that currently permeates rock with music and lyrics that aim to both observe and reimagine the current state of affairs in the world today. We try to capture and convey to our fans what’s going on in society with poignant lyrics and straight-from-the-heart energy. Our fans tell us that our music penetrates them on an emotional and visceral level, and they feel that they are not alone in what they are thinking and feeling today. And if it helps spark a new revolution in how we approach society in a smarter way…then so be it!
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