Simon Flory
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Simon Flory

Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF

Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF
Band Country Singer/Songwriter

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"Simon Flory, Lazy Daze Coffeehouse, Indianapolis"

Simon Flory, Lazy Daze Coffe House, Indianapolis

When a guy tells you he sold his truck and his pistol in order to put his record out…well, you might as well listen a while. And when it’s Simon Flory, it’s worth it. He’s young, but he’s already seen some things, and learned how to pick a banjo, and just about anything else you can imagine. This is summertime in the Midwest. - beatjabreviews.wordpress.com


"The Mule Would Be Proud"

Hey everyone, look at me! I'm trying my hand at music criticism! Posted at Simon Flory's CD Baby Page.


With Unholy Town, Simon Flory has released a remarkable, and remarkable sounding album. The songwriting and the production of this Arkansas-written and Arkansas-produced effort rival anything issued from the well-appointed studios of Nashville.

The veteran lead man of the late and lamented Merle the Mule (Chicago) has spent the last few years in Arkansas, writing good Country songs that evoke – according to this web site – a “Mythical Red-State Americana.” Lest the potential listener suspect Flory’s work of creepy right-wing political nonsense, rest assured that whomever wrote that blurb had to be referring to the aching ambivalence of people living in places like Arkansas regarding strict adherence to a presumed set of white-picket-fence values. Flory paints rhymes that drive home the disappointment of lost places, and of times that probably never existed.

From the first track his melancholy sound references Gram Parsons, and the overall feel of the project will satisfy any Parsons zealot – like this reviewer. But Flory’s themes also depart significantly from Parsons’ “hippie country” vibe. Songs like the ballad Shelby Bridge spin tales of specific times, places, and stories that the hippies eschewed in favor of deeply felt, but vague emotion. The misty moral wavering in Crazy With the Heart betrays hardly a hint of regret as the hung-over morning-after hero investigates the mystery of an empty bed and a missing car.

Flory also demonstrates a firm grasp on Honkytonk, the strength of Merle the Mule. Ghost Woman Blues and the title track, Unholy Town, both swing admirably, driven by the solid drumming of Bill Brown. Here the sound departs from Parsons, and one cannot help but hear the solid West Texas swing of Joe Ely.

The collection closes with the soaring Country gospel sound of Up Yonder. If a nod to Red-State Americana requires that the artist demonstrate the ability to blow down the clapboard walls of a whitewashed Delta chapel, then Flory deserves a seat in the front pew of new Country artists.

I never knew what the term “Alt-Country” was supposed to mean, but have been informed that it applies to Parsons and Ely. I doubt if either of those artists do (or did) think of themselves that way. Perhaps the same applies to Simon Flory. If this album is accepted as Alt-Country, it is not. It is Country Music. Really good Country Music.

Did
- fozthehook.blogspot.com


Discography

"Unholy Town" LP (2011) self release

Photos

Bio

Simon Flory is a mosaic: a collection of sorts. He’s spent some time just about everywhere, and keeps little pieces of things he’s seen, jobs he’s worked, and people he’s met. His album, “Unholy Town,” lets his listeners in on some of his collection. These songs are like he reached in his pockets and pulled out a few gems from along the way. These songs are stories.
 
After working in the bass boat industry, scrapping metal, logging cedar trees, hauling hay and working cows on ranches, Flory sold his truck and his pistol to record “Unholy Town.” He recorded in the mining ghost town of Rush, Arkansas and then hit the road to spread these songs around.
 
Compared to other first albums, with young voices and lives just getting started on really living, “Unholy Town” may as well be from a much older man—not that age eclipses experience. Flory can pick a banjo; he also just knows an eclectic mix of musicians. People seem to like him. Bill Brown, the drummer from Flory’s previous band (Merle The Mule) traveled from Chicago to work on the album. Kent and Beci Coffey, well kept local secrets, along with Erin Frisby and Chris Stelloh (of Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray) eagerly got in on Flory’s vision.
 
Flory is on the road now, and he wears it well: he makes friends as soon as he cracks his smile and looks comfortable on a small stage or a large one. Count on Flory to continue collecting: count on him to keep writing stories and finding gems along the way.