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Blu Simon Says
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This Zeppelin-inspired band is on the rise and on a mission
By James Derrick Schott
I first...
This Zeppelin-inspired band is on the rise and on a mission
By James Derrick Schott
I first met Aaron Shoemaker, lead singer and guitarist for the local trio Blu Simon, over the phone. He recommended I attend the band’s practice where they ritually stream live video over the Internet at blusimon.com.
The band also works with the Musicians Union with the hope of creating a circuit for young up-and-coming bands to play and gain exposure. Their time spent as musicians has given them the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals with skill sets they hope to work with to usher in a rock ‘n’ roll revival in the heartland.
Upon arrival, I was introduced to the rest of Blu Simon. First was drummer Ben Shoemaker (Aaron’s younger brother by three years) then Garrison Garza, more affectionately referred to as “Gator,” the bass player.
Over a meal of chicken strips and rice, our conversation turned to music, books and film.
Led Zeppelin was among our first topics. All the members agree that the legends are primal influences for the band’s brand of rock ‘n’ roll and, as it should be with any rock ‘n’ roll outfit, they brought the blues into our discussion. Heavily influenced by the forefathers of rock ‘n’ roll, the band knows its sound.
As our powwow unfolded, I learned how Blu Simon got its name.
While Aaron was in college he had a dream about a friend asking him to pick up a copy of the latest Blue Simon CD. He returned with a disc from the wrong band, but with a moniker that also began with Blue. The friend asked him to return and told him not to forget the name Blue Simon. That’s when Aaron awoke with the name in his head. The “e” was later dropped when the band went from a four-piece to a trio.
“At the time I was studying Hebrew and Greek,” explained the daydream believer. “Simon is a Greek name and it means to be heard. The root word for blue, in Hebrew, translates to a concussion sound or a roaring lion.”
Hailing from Memphis, Tenn., Aaron and Ben traversed the country with their family before landing in Omaha. During a stint in Ohio, Aaron coaxed his parents into renting a violin for him. Ben began his musical career in a similar fashion that eventually went on a different tangent.
“I started off wanting to learn trumpet,” the younger brother explained. “I took a few lessons and was really bad at it. My mom went to the instructor and asked if there was anything else I could play that didn’t involve notes.”
Garza met the band when he was a senior in high school. Aaron was a photographer for Life Touch and was shooting Garza’s class photos. They struck up a conversation and arranged a jam.
Laughing, Garza recalled their first practice, “[Aaron asked me] ‘Do you know how to play the blues?’” His retort, “You don’t think I know how to play the blues, man?”
And thus, the band was born.
Blu Simon plays a free show at Hangout Lounge, 14901 Industrial Rd., Saturday, Sept. 11. Visit blusimon.com.
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Omaha band hopes to rock city
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COLUMBUS — Old time rock ’n’ roll is coming to Columbus.
The Omaha-based band, Blu Simon will...
COLUMBUS — Old time rock ’n’ roll is coming to Columbus.
The Omaha-based band, Blu Simon will be playing at Micek’s Shangri-La Lounge, 2506 12th St., at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Members of the three-piece band are Aaron Shoemaker, guitar and vocals, Ben Shoemaker, drums, and Garrison Garza, bass.
“We play rock ’n’ roll. We’re bringing back that rock ’n’ roll you grew up with, the stuff you can dance to,” Aaron said.
According to the band’s websites, www.blusimon.com and www.sonicbids.com/blusimon, “Blu Simon is bringing a new vitality to an audience thirsty for Rock and Roll. This audience has been alienated by today’s music industry. What is being released under the guise of Rock and Roll is leaving them unsatisfied. ... Not hearing music they liked, they decided to write it for themselves.”
The band formed in 2008 and along with its own original music, covers bands such as The Who, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Blu Simon released its debut album in May titled, “The American Dream.”
The band describes it as “a concept album that deals with the disillusionment of Generation Y from growing up in the American system.”
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Completing the circuit
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LEXINGTON – The next big thing in music might just be coming through Lexington.
It’s not a sing...LEXINGTON – The next big thing in music might just be coming through Lexington.
It’s not a single person or band, but a group of dedicated musicians with the same purpose of creating a circuit in Nebraska to hone a distinct “Nebraska” sound.
Ben Shoemaker, drummer for Omaha rock band Blu Simon, and his band mates are responsible for the idea. According to Shoemaker the basic premise of the circuit is to find about 20 bars in the state to send young bands to perform.
“The main goal of the circuit is to provide a clear path for young musicians to start to make a living doing what they love,” Shoemaker said. “The circuit will also be a benefit to the bars. If the bar has consistently good entertainment, then patrons do not have to worry about an unskilled band taking the stage.”
Shoemaker said Lexington is a good stop for three reasons. The venue they have booked (The Box Bar), the size of Lexington is enough to support a stop and, “The people we have experienced playing in Lexington before seem to really enjoy live music.”
Hopefully the music scene created by the so-called circuit would be one similar to the one in Austin, Texas, according to Shoemaker, but also one that would be different.
“We are trying to provide a career path for young, talented musicians, similar to how athlete can play college and then go pro,” he said. “Right now there not a set path for musicians. That is the goal of this circuit, to provide a way for young musicians to make money from solely doing music.”
As of now, Shoemaker, and the rest of Blu Simon, is leading the way and establishing the necessary venues for the circuit. The band has even created an LLC to take care of booking for other bands and bands would be billed under the moniker of the “Rock N Roll League of America” or RLA.
“Eventually as the scope of this circuit grows and increases, we will designate an individual to book all of the bands,” Shoemaker said. “We will want to create an entity that governs the bands and decides who can enter into the circuit.”
That being said Shoemaker says the average music fan just wants to see quality live music.
“The average person on a weekend night is not going out to see a particular band, they just want to see live music and be entertained,” he said. “When they see an RLA band is coming to town they know the band will be good and they know the band will play rock.”
Blu Simon plays tonight (Saturday) at 9 p.m. at The Box Bar. The show is free to those 21 and older.
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Group works to find venues for area bands
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Think times are tough?
Consider what the Blu Simon band does.
At each performance, the group s...Think times are tough?
Consider what the Blu Simon band does.
At each performance, the group sells the T-shirt right off of its sound man's back.
OK, stop. The band doesn't really do that because of the softened economy. Selling the shirt is just part of the group's entertainment.
"We do all sorts of things like that in our show," said band manager Ben Shoemaker, adding that the group always gives the soundman a free shirt and that, although shirtless, he does wear a vest.
An Omaha band that plays classic rock 'n' roll tunes, Blu Simon performed at Fremont's Corner Bar in December. Shoemaker said the group also plans to play here in February and March.
In the meantime, the band is working to find 20 or more venues in the Midwest where young musicians can play their music and earn a living at it, Shoemaker said. The group primarily has been working with Corner Bar for the circuit, but does have performances scheduled in Lincoln, Chadron, Alliance and Omaha as well as some in Iowa and Kansas and are seeing if they'll be a good location for a stop on the circuit.
"By creating a circuit, you can create consistent, good entertainment in the venues on a weekly basis," he said. "By creating this consistent entertainment, you're going to develop an in-house crowd at these venues. We're trying to work with other bands and bars and venues that we think will work for the circuit."
Shoemaker also believes that towns, where the bands perform, benefit because group members eat at restaurants, stay at hotels and buy music supplies from stores in those communities.
Members of Blu Simon formed the band about
2 1/2 years ago. Band members are Ben's older brother, Aaron Shoemaker, who plays guitar and provides lead vocals; Garrison Garza, who plays bass and sings backup vocals; and Ben, the drummer, who also provides backup vocals.
The Shoemaker brothers have played music together for years. They came across their bass player in an unusual way. At the time Aaron Shoemaker was taking school photos for a living. Garza arrived late for his photo at an Elkhorn school. When he came to have his picture taken, Shoemaker noticed that Garza was wearing a guitar shirt.
After a little conversation, Garza agreed to try out for the band and then joined it.
Today, the group plays cover songs by groups such as The Beatles, ACDC, Black Sabbath and Foghat. The band also plays more than 35 original songs.
Last April, the band released a CD called "The American Dream," which features 15 songs.
Ben Shoemaker said the CD is a concept album, in which the separate songs flow together to tell a story.
In August, group members left their jobs to become full-time musicians.
"If you want to do something, you've got to go at it full force," Shoemaker said.
There have been difficult times. The band didn't get paid what it was supposed to at a gig in Colorado. A transmission in one of the vehicles stopped working on another trip.
Even so, group members have enjoyed their times in the band.
"It's cool to see people having a good time and enjoying your music as much as you do," Shoemaker said.
Group members plan to keep building the circuit and finding bands for it.
"As long as we can see that we're growing, then we'll continue to do what we're doing," Shoemaker said. "We don't want to be stagnant and be 50 years old, playing in small clubs. We want to see growth eventually."
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Old made new: Young musicians of Blu Simon pay homage to the classics
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WATERLOO --- It's like listening to old, raw recordings of Woodstock.
Wailing guitars evoke Jimi ...WATERLOO --- It's like listening to old, raw recordings of Woodstock.
Wailing guitars evoke Jimi Hendrix and The Guess Who, and storytelling lyrics remind one of Queen or Bob Dylan, with a little bit of The Strokes thrown in the mix.
But songs like "Devil and Me" and "Gatsby" aren't from 40 years ago. Blu Simon, an Nebraska-based rock trio playing The Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo this weekend, simply wanted to pay homage to the rock 'n' roll of that era.
They satisfy audiences hungry for that music by playing rock covers like "Squeeze Box" by The Who and "Rich Girl" by Hall and Oates, and then throw in their originals from last year's "The American Dream," just to prove a bunch of young whippersnappers can play and respect the old stuff.
"We started off as straightforward rock," said bassist Garrison Garza. "We wanted to see where we could take great music."
Actually, the band started off with brothers Aaron and Ben Shoemaker, adding Garza to the mix after a few other incarnations of Blu Simon. Garza happened to wear a guitar T-shirt one day, and Aaron Shoemaker asked if he played any instruments.
The three went and jammed --- with Aaron on guitar and Ben on drums --- and formed what would be the current Blu Simon, adding original material as well as covering songs that were hits long before the three were born.
"We're pretty experimental," said Ben Shoemaker. "Most people associate us with a Jimi Hendrix sound. We're a raw-sounding group, with a gritty guitar. We're pretty bluesy."
They've had regular gigs in Omaha, Neb., and around Iowa, but their shows Friday and Saturday at The Isle will mark the first time Blu Simon comes to Waterloo.
Around Omaha, Ben Shoemaker says, the music scene is more indie, more singer/songwriter, more Conor Oberst than Cream. But Blu Simon brings out the crowd anyway.
"It spans generations. The new generations are really into a classic-rock type of sound. The old generation grew up on that sound," he said.
And the idea is to not only keep that interest brewing, but introduce it to a new generation of musicians and promote those rock bands in the Midwest. Aaron Shoemaker calls it "the rock 'n' roll reformation."
"We like music, (but) today's music didn't seem to cut it," Aaron Shoemaker said. "We're trying to create something. Every show we go to, we win over the crowd."
That means stepping off the stage during breaks and mingling with the audience; that means getting sound guy "The Chad" to literally sell the shirt off his back during performances; that means playing rock and roll and doing it so well that people twice their age are nodding along.
"It's about having a good time," Aaron Shoemaker said. "Leave the preconceptions at the door and just have fun with us."
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Blu Simon’s show Friday part of big marketing vision
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OMAHA — Ben Shoemaker and his band mates from Blu Simon want more than just a one-night stand.
“W...OMAHA — Ben Shoemaker and his band mates from Blu Simon want more than just a one-night stand.
“We want to create a circuit for musicians,” said Shoemaker, the group’s percussionist. “For football players, they start in high school athletics, go on to college sports and then the NFL. For musicians, there’s no set path.”
Shoemaker wants to create a circuit of venues throughout the Midwest, including Kearney. The band performs at 9 p.m. Friday at The Garage. Formed in 2008, the power trio plays a wide mix of music and lists its influences as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Mozart and Muddy Waters.
Shoemaker said the goal of the circuit concept is to provide a clear path for young musicians to start making a living doing what they love to do.
“A lot of good musicians quit playing in high school or after high school because they don’t see a path for music,” Shoemaker said. “We’re trying to find those venues so we can send bands out who are talented musicians.”
Shoemaker also hopes this style of marketing will develop a regional sound.
“The bands will influence each other as they cross paths on the road,” he said. “We may start to see new styles emerge.”
For more information about the band and the circuit concept, visit www.blusimon.com.
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Hybrid Band to Play at Local Venue
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The trio Blu Simon will bring their hybrid band to the area over the weekend. The band will play ton...The trio Blu Simon will bring their hybrid band to the area over the weekend. The band will play tonight at the Oregon Trail Lounge and Saturday at the Overdraft Lounge in Chadron.
Ben Shoemaker and his brother Aaron started out together as musicians and picked up their bassist Garrison Garza when he was working as a school photographer.
“We just recently started touring in August 2010,” Shoemaker said. “We’re a hybrid band, as we do covers as well as originals or new music.”
The trio originally played only their own music, but long sets that no one was familiar with was overwhelming to the listeners. They decided to add a few cover songs and rotate between their music and covers.
Blu Simon is also pioneering an idea they call “The Circuit,” it is a combination of all their ideas.
“When we set out to try and make a career out of music, there was no path to take,” he said. “We wanted to play rock n’ roll. We are not saying we need to be famous; we just want to make a living doing what we love.”
Since there was no clear path for them they made the path themselves. They have been compiling contact information for venues. The Circuit will help young musicians like themselves become more established.
“In order to join The Circuit you will have to be approved to join the association or guild of bands,” said Shoemaker. “We are not willing to put sub-par talent on stages, they must be a professional sounding group.”
Response has been slow from some, but others jump at the idea. Right now they have one other band in The Circuit, but are in talks with other bands and are calling their Circuit the Live Music Association. The trio is also looking to have 16 venues, and right now there are six on board, so they are making progress slowly.
Shoemaker said they have many influences for their music. Most of those influences that are rooted deep include The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.
“We are bringing a new perspective to the classic rock and roll sound that is loved by so many,” he said.
Shoemaker believes the band is in its infancy and will be growing and eventually playing bigger stages.
“We are constantly growing and improving as businessman and performers,” he said. “I see us expanding and progressing in the coming years.”
He adds that Blu Simon is meant to be experienced in a live setting. They enjoy engaging the crowd and having fun with them.
The band will be at the Oregon Trail Lounge at 9 p.m., tonight, tickets will be $5 for couples and $3 for singles. They will be at the Overdraft Lounge at 9 p.m. Saturday and there will be no cover charge.
For more information on the trio visit their website at www.blusimon.com.
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Enjoy old rock band 'standards' and originals from Omaha band Blu Simon
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Omaha power trio Blu Simon says it has spent the past few years figuring out a formula for keeping t...Omaha power trio Blu Simon says it has spent the past few years figuring out a formula for keeping the crowd happy.
"A night of playing all covers can be boring to people, and the music just fades into the background," says lead singer and guitarist Aaron Shoemaker.
"But a night of all originals can be overwhelming. So we try to find a nice middle ground," he says. "And performing our originals gives us a chance to sell our own merchandise. Playing the covers make us marketable to venues that pay more money."
To see how they sound and hear more from the band members, watch when Blu Simon plays Argus Leader Media's Link Live show at 4 p.m. Friday at Old Skoolz. They'll back at the club at 9 p.m. to play a full night of music.
Shoemaker likes the idea of a club keeping to one style of music so fans know what they'll find there. For Blu Simon, it's re-interpretations of rock music with their original material in between.
"Not the screaming, mad rock, but more back to what it was in the '50s, '60s and '70s, and it's our reinterpretation of that," Shoemaker says. He points to early material by The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, who did their versions of
older songs.
"We think of them more as standards than covers," Shoemaker says. "In jazz and blues genres, they don't call them covers. They call them standards."
The band is Shoemaker and his brother Ben Shoemaker on drums and vocals, and Garrison Garza on bass and back-up vocals.
The band has fun including the crowd with their show, like having a fan with a birthday come up to play a tambourine solo along with the song "Birthday" by The Beatles.
Aaron Shoemaker plays guitar on a wireless system so he can wander into the crowd, making the audience feel like they're more a part of the show.
"We want to be more than just a jukebox or a music video," he says.
The bandmates quit their jobs to work full time on the band, in rehearsals, music business contacts, public relations, recording and online promotions. They all live in Omaha but play in a five-state area around their hometown.
In May 2010, they released their debut, "The American Dream."
"Everything on our album, from how it was recorded to the original artwork, contribute to making it an exceptional example of what rock and roll once was and will be again," he says. Fans can get a taste at the live show, too.
Reach Jay Kirschenmann at 331-2312.
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Omaha band says fan base is growing, planning third trip to Chadron
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Just over a year after quitting his day job to form a rock and roll band with his brother and anothe...Just over a year after quitting his day job to form a rock and roll band with his brother and another young performer, Ben Shoemaker, drummer and backup vocalist of ‘Blu Simon’ says he’s optimistic about the group’s musical future.
“So far it’s working,” Shoemaker said in a phone interview last week. “We are seeing progress...As long as it continues to build, we’ll keep working at it.”
Blu Simon, an Omaha-based trio made up of Shoemaker, his brother Aaron on guitar and lead vocals, and Garrison Garza on bass, will perform at the Overdraft in Chadron on Sept. 10. It’s the group’s third appearance in Chadron, and Shoemaker said the reception has been good each time.
“The crowd is great,” he said. “Everytime we play at the Overdraft, everyone gets into the music. It’s fun and makes it more exciting for everyone.”
Shoemaker, age 24, is a Creighton University graduate with a degree in business. His brother, 27, also graduated from Creighton, but with an English degree. The two “played together our whole lives” but only decided to try hitting the road as professionals last May, said Shoemaker.
“We decided that’s what we wanted to do and if we were going to, we had to start when we were young and not wait until we were 35,” he said. “Last May we all quit our jobs and started to book shows.”
Ben said he was working as director of a day care at the time, and Garza, who they had met by chance a couple of years ago, was working with him. Aaron was giving guitar lessons and working at schools.
The three began concentrating on their music, and on the promotion end of the business. “We didn’t know the ropes. We had to build a contact repretoire and sell ourselves to venues,” said Shoemaker.
That’s where the Creighton degree came in handy, he said. “It’s a lot of the stuff I learned in school, and I’m learning more.”
Blu Simon’s first booking in Chadron came as a result of a “cold call’ to Overdraft owner Jeff Kienitz, said Shoemaker. “I sent him a press kit and a tape, and he liked it.”
After a year performing, the group now has more contacts with club owners, and promotes via its website and Facebook page as well, he said.
Blu Simon plays a mix of original music and covers of other rock songs. “We won’t blast you all night with originals. You can’t associate with that,” Shoemaker said. “We play one of our songs and one you know.”
The band is keeping busy on the road now, touring in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota. They have also released one album, and have a second one in the works, with an expected release at the end of the year.
It’s playing for an audience though, not work in the sound studio, that Shoemaker says is the best part of being in music. “When you are playing a show and everyone is dancing and singing along because of you, that’s a great feeling,” he said.
But aspiring musicians have to be ready for more than just the enjoyment of performing before a receptive audience, Shoemaker advised. “There are a lot of bumps in the road,” he said. “You just have to keep going..If you want to be in a business where things don’t go wrong, don’t be in music.”
Fans can listen to clips from Blu Simon’s music on the group’s website, www.blusimon.com and on Facebook. The performance in Chadron is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Sept. 10.
