About Keaton Simons

Genre: Vocal/Instrumental Music
Rock / Blues / Pop / Indie

"An old soul in a young man's voice" is the headline on the front page of the Los Angeles Times Calendar section. The article is about 26 year old Keaton Simons, whose voice is described as having a "lived-in quality that will echo in our minds and hearts for years to come". Keaton's fascination with music surfaced early. Singing since he could talk and picking up Beethoven on the piano by ear while still in preschool, Keaton finally started his lifetime love affair with the guitar at age 12.

As a 17 year old out of high school, Keaton started thinking about college. He decided on The Evergreen State College, located in Olympia, Washington. The area, which has become known as a fertile breeding ground for music and art, proved perfect to set in motion his initiation into the immense world of music. It was there that Keaton started writing songs. He dove in headfirst, taking on courses ranging from 20th century classical composition to Indonesian gamelan music to jazz and quite a lot in between. Keaton's years at Evergreen not only introduced him to diverse global music but also taught him to incorporate everything into his own sensibilities. Major record labels have accused Keaton of being too diverse to contain.

After an early graduation, it was back to Los Angeles, playing music with old friends like Tre Hardson (of The Pharcyde) and new ones like singer N'Dea Davenport (of the Brand New Heavies), Kim Hill (of the Black Eyed Peas), underground hip-hop legend Medusa and appearing on Jay Leno's TONIGHT SHOW with hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg.

Before Keaton was 21 years old he was asked to compose music for the motion picture Mercy Streets. Labels began to investigate and eventually he landed a deal with Maverick Records. Keaton released a five-song EP with Maverick entitled "Currently". The EP displays a taste of bluesy, rootsy, guitar-driven songs & ballads, with stylish arrangements that showcase his rich, often spooky melodies. Indeed, the disc's delicate, down-home title track is in rotation at radio stations around America. Recently reaching #1 on the charts of Tucson, AZ's KWMT 92.9 The Mountain.

One of the first to play Keaton's music was influential LA public radio station KCRW, which afforded him the opportunity in early 2005 to play the Universal Amphitheatre supporting Coldplay. Keaton's music has also been featured on LA's #1 mid-day radio show, KLSX 97.1, "Heidi, Frosty and Frank". Here is where leaks have started of some of the tracks on Keaton's album that were produced by well known producing team, The Matrix. The timing for Keaton's meeting (through a mutual friend) with the Matrix really worked for both. Keaton's songs were thought of as being too alternatively structured to be radio friendly, though many agreed there was something there. The Matrix, just off Avril Lavigne's COMPLICATED, were seeking something to ground them, and reveal the soul in their pop music. The team loved every second of working together, and ended up with an album that was completed just in time for the record label to conclude changes that made releasing such a "big album" impossible. Hence, a move to the beautiful freedom and diversity of CD Baby.

In 2007, he has been a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and chosen to be the US representative at the Exclusive "Autour de la guitar" festival in Paris... He was also handpicked by Josh Kelley to be his support for the 2007 tour.

He has given hope to emerging artists trying to be their own label by taking hold of the new technologies available with downloadable music and online marketing. However, the big development is that he's being courted by CBS records to sign with their label. This union would give Keaton exposure on major CBS shows with a designated cue card pointing people to his website and upcoming shows. A very attractive offer to add new fans to his already hugely growing college fanbase.