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December 3, 2007 ...Simple Kid (aka Ciaran McFeely of Cork City, Ireland) had the solo singer/acoustic guitar setup, but did a whole lot more with the format than some half-assed Dylan or Neil impersonation. Aside from using visuals to punctuate his Myspace page (predictable) and Kermit the Frog duet (unpredictable), he did a fairly neat lyrical sing-a-long with the words highlighted behind him, and more importantly had some real songs crafted. “Celebrities Go Home” is a sentiment I can always endorse. Envision a Beck without the electronic claptrap. Check him out, he's worth the time. Tim Bugbee, Transform
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December 5, 2007 After a draining touring schedule and what seemed like a non-stop work ethic for his debut album, Simple Kida aka Ciaran McFeely decided he wanted to get back to living his life rather than working as his alter ego all the time. So he stopped doing music went back to London started working a regular job and assumed a normal life. That is until, Simple Kid started to work itself back into his brain. Realizing he missed music, Ciaran started to fiddle once again. The results of his fiddling eventually wound up being his second album; the aptly titled Simple Kid 2. Far more traditional than his debut album, Simple Kid 2 sounds as though it's been transported from the American Midwest to the busy city streets of London. It's dusty and dear and tugs at the heartstrings while banjos and guitars lilt and wander. Simple Kid 2 is not nearly as cut and paste as his debut. The songs here haven't been altered digitally and sounds as they’re were when Ciaran recorded them. The end result of this is something that sounds like a long lost Beck record before he got huge. For someone rather young the guy has a knack for creating sweeping songs. The Simp's songs are intimate, warm and folky with just enough quirkiness in them to make them ludicrously addictive. "Lil King Kong," "The Twenty Something," and "Mommy and Daddy," are countrified folky beatific gems that would make most singer songwriters give up. This is a really good record that revels in its simplicity, rusticness, and honesty. It proves that a record can be made for next to nothing and be just as good as something that costs over a million dollars. The Simple Kid has outdone himself on Simple Kid 2 and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. Paul Zimmerman, First Coast News
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Have a listen to Serotonin by Simple Kid and you may come to the realisation that Simple Kid is one of the most talented, yet under-rated Irish artists of recent years. To date, Ciaran McFeely has released 2 albums under the guise of Simple Kid - SK1 in 2003 and SK2 in 2006. Both have earned accolades from music critics but this music deserves more widespread exposure, this is stuff that all fans of good music should get a chance to hear. You'll find no shortage of diversity in Simple Kid's music too, from the Beckesque trippy electronic folk of 'Serotonin' to guitar and harmonica accompanied ballads like 'Old Domestic Cat' reminiscent of Neil Young in his prime, to banjo fuelled stomps like 'Self-help Book' to the creatively Led Zeppelin influenced rock of 'The TwentySomething'. So, if you're not already familiar with the music of Simple Kid, go right now to our Simple Kid page and check out the videos and follow the links to explore this great artist. To put it simply, Simple Kid is simply kool! IrishRockers.com
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October 26, 2007
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A full house at the Roisin Dubh all changing “Go Simp Go!!!” in raptured unison.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Caligula...except I don’t have any of the power so I can’t actually fulfil any aspects of my terrible nature. Which living person do you most admire?
The old old lady I see from my window everyday walking up the hill. It takes her about 40 mins and she looks tired, tired, but she’s there every day gettin’ on with it. I’m considering bringing her out a cup of soup but I don’t wanna seem push. I’d like to be her friend tho’. Which is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Inability to come up with witty and informative answers in questionnaires. What is your greatest extravagance?
Eating out in cafes/restaurants too often. What is your favourite journey?
The journey of life? (cringe...) On what occasion do you lie?
When I do questionnaires. Which living person do you most despise?
Mother always said that if you can’t say anything nice, etc... What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I’ll say my girlfriend to keep things smooth on the home front. When and where were you happiest?
I believe that happiness is simply ‘not being unhappy’ at any given moment. To wish for anything more is risky business indeed. So right now I’m not unhappy...so I’m happiest. Which talent would you most like to have?
I played a show recently and someone thought I was doing ventriloquism on stage...if felt good to be though of as a master ventriloquist. What is your current state of mind?
Dozy/sleepy. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Hah-hah-hah-hah- stayin’alive, stayin’ alive... hah-hah-hah-hah- stayin’aliiiiiiive. If you were to die and come back as a person of thing, what do you think it would be?
A well loved dog. What is your most treasured possession?
Old Jedson electric guitar I bought for 20 in a Holloway Road market. Nothing sounds like it. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Any misery is horrible and low. Just even looking at the word ‘misery’ is making me shiver. I think I’ll quickly move on to next question thanks... What is your favourite occupation?
I’ve always fancied being a librarian. Chicks love a good geeky librarian too I’ll bet. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Big guns. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Big buns. Who are your favourite writers?
Jeffrey Eugenides, James Ellroy, Sean O Casey. What is your motto?
“Earth calling Awesome...come in Awesome” Simple Kid plays Strange Brew at the Roisin Dubh on Thursday Novemeber 1. Tickets are available from the Roisin Dubh, Zhivago, and Redlight Records.
Kernan Andrews, Galway Advertiser
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October 5, 2007 For thirty-five minutes, I sat on a loveseat in the dressing room of Ciaran McFeely, who performs under the moniker Simple Kid, and simply shot the proverbial ***. With legs crossed and hair hanging in his face, he thoroughly answered any query that I spewed his way. Follow-up questions were unnecessary; everything was answered. When I originally agreed to interview Simple Kid, I knew nothing of the thirty-year-old Irish banjo strummer. Through my research, I read numerous comparisons of SK to Beck. Indeed, in listening to his latest release 2 I note some of these similarities. It’s hard to fathom what an up-and-comer can think of when compared to one of Indie Rock’s most experimental breakthroughs. “I kind of just ignore them really. The Beck [comparison] is too prevalent, really, for me... I think on the next album I’m not going to use any banjos or beats because I don’t think my actual songs sound anything like his, it’s just the way they’re dressed up.” McFeely, I had read, was dubbed ‘Simple Kid’ by an eccentric companion he met early in his travels when he first arrived in California (his destination when coming to the U.S. from the UK). I asked him about this interesting traveler who doles out nicknames. So you got the Simple Kid moniker from a traveling mate you stumbled across? Weeeelllllll, I tell people that; it’s actually not true. I don’t know why, I was just in a phase of telling lies all of the time. My life seemed more interesting. I did actually—the guy I met—it’s true I did meet this guy and he was amazing, but he never actually called me Simple Kid, I just kind of liked the idea that he did. He was an amazing character, though. He spent time traveling (and, apparently, bullshitting) his way up and down the coast of California in search of something different. Why California? I just wanted to get away from everything, basically. I was just pissed off at my life, basically. And that was the most far away you could get, really. After his former band, The Young Offenders, a heavier, glam-rock collection,* split up, he found himself wallowing in the ‘same-old-***-different-day’, prompting his flight to these United States. “I was just in this scene - I had been in a previous band and, you know, I was young- a lot younger at the time. I was in this quite cliquey group and we talked about music all day, took the same things - and sort of - we all got backstage passes at every gig in town, we all knew everybody. I was really bored. It was really weird being really bored with music. I just kind of got into a bit of a rut really.” As he recanted his travels between sips of Sprite, he spoke of those whom he encountered while scouring the beaches of California for areas that would provide suitable slumber for an evening or two. There were many people with many different outlooks, divergent viewpoints, and little to no knowledge of music. “I met loads of people who didn’t really, like, know anything about music but they liked what they heard on the radio and they liked certain songs and that was amazing for me at the time to kind of reconnect that ‘music affects people,’” he said, with full knowledge that the words which escaped his lips were dripping with rock and roll cliché. “People can love a song, they don’t even know who sings it but they just love that song. It’s as valid as anyone who knows everything about music, you know. It was very refreshing sitting with people who tell you how much they love a certain song and I’d think, ‘yeah, yeah, I love that song, too.’” Simple Kid’s music is deeply rooted in pop. Beginning with his days as the lead singer of The Young Offenders, McFeely was attached to pop whether he liked it or not. The Young Offenders had their fifteen minutes when they performed on TFI Friday (Britain’s equivalent of TRL - sans Carson Daly). Ironically, it was shortly after this performance when he took flight from the dense fog of London with his sights set on the bright sunlight of California. Somewhere on the west coast, McFeely transformed into Simple Kid, and with that transformation came longer hair, scrappier duds and a laid-back outlook on music and life, generally. In his words, “I came back a raging hippie.” To describe the Kid as a hippie is inaccurate. In appearance, he certainly resembles what is conventionally labeled ‘hippie’; his music and his attitude differ from those of conventional hippies, though. In his live set, he stands on the stage with options; he plays the banjo, the acoustic and electric guitars, and pours the beats from his laptop (on which he spilled a half bottle of Miller Lite at the Tower Theater). That night, he entertained upwards of 150 guests with a six song set (as he admitted, “it kind of sucks, you know [playing only thirty minute sets], because by the end of it you’re just kind of getting into it and you’re ready for more.”) which included ‘Lil’ King Kong’, ‘The Commuter’, ‘The Ballad of Elton John’, ‘It Ain’t Easy Being Green’, ‘Self-help Book’, and the first single from 2, ‘Serotonin.’ ‘The Ballad of Elton John’ is a tongue-in-cheek poke at celebrity and all that it entails. Even going as far as to say that celebrity will “suck out your MoJo like happened to Elton.” The highlight of the set was, by far, the duet with Kermit the Frog. Projected onto a white, pull-down screen, Kermie traded verses and harmonies with Simple Kid to overwhelming reception. The last I saw of McFeely was when I left his dressing room about an hour before he was to take the stage. His two week tour in the states was nearing completion. As a result, he would travel home to his family (McFeely has an infant daughter, Piper, whom he helps raise with his girlfriend in London) and his studio for two weeks to begin cutting and mastering tracks that sound nothing like Beck. As Simp puts it on ‘The Ballad of Elton John’, “Celebrities go home, go home to your mama” because someday this simple kid, as he says on ‘Serotonin’, is going to make a big splash. Ciaran McFeely may not want to be a celebrity, but he may not have any say whether he makes a big splash. As far as he’s concerned, he already has. *McFeely admits to formerly being a huge T. Rex fan. Now, when asked whether he likes T. Rex he explains, “I..don’t rea- when you know a band so well…I haven’t really listened to them in years, but from the ages of about 8 to 23 or something I used to just listen to T. Rex all of the time.”
Andrew Johnson, Phillyist
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October 2, 2007 Popularity is related to visibility, right? Example: A majority of high schoolers have seen the homecoming queen, even if they don’t know her personally. Using the same logic, “Law & Order” must be the most successful crime drama in history, because I am yet to find an hour during the day when I can’t find an episode of “SVU” on the tube. Following this logic, it was no secret that Kings of Leon was the lucky gal (metaphorically speaking) at the Charlottesville Pavilion. From behind the large black square of fabric bearing a skull surrounded by the words “Black Rebel Motorcycle Club” (not to mention the smaller LCD screen used by Irish-born opening act Simple Kid), a few letters from the Kings’ backdrop peeked out—a “Ki-” on one end, a “-on” on the other. On the count of three, everyone look fabulous! The strapping chaps in Kings of Leon delivered equally stylish rock tracks at the Pavilion. Of course, the popular crowd often deals with the most constraints and expectations; this being said, tonight’s gig belonged to the opening acts. With an unassuming appearance to match his name, Simple Kid took the stage promptly at 7pm. Referenced frequently as the “Irish Beck,” Simple Kid shares a few loves with the man who brought us “Loser”: trip-hop drum samples mixed with acoustic instruments and a self-aware desire to screw around with performance expectations. The LCD screen—Kid’s only back-up—projected his digital accompaniment, his lyrics and (for a memorable duet of “It’s Not Easy Being Green”) Kermit the Frog. If Simple Kid uses visuals to draw attention to himself, then Black Rebel Motorcycle Club structure their light show around taking themselves out of the picture. Fog wafts around the stage and the band is lit from behind—the audience sees spectres (and, occasionally, the mutton chops of guitarist Peter Hayes) shifting around the stage as if caught in the riptide of their hazy, crashing guitar noise. The Rebels don’t say much—a simple “Good evening” before launching into “Love Burns” from their self-titled record. With the lights low, the growing crowd in front of the stage is free to let their minds follow the free associations of the sound—an occasional mix of Billy Corgan and cuts from Nirvana’s In Utero—or to simply be spooked by relentless waves of distortion that thud against the docks of their ears. The Kings of Leon are attractive fellows, all lean, angular style—their shirts cling, their hair swings and their lighting emphasizes the band’s marketable physical features. It’s similarly hard to find a tune that isn’t a perfectly packaged anthem, from the vaguely U2-ish “True Love Way” to the acoustic shine delicately placed over “Fans.” It is vaguely assembly line—a homecoming court—with all the beautiful guitar trills and drum fills arriving at perfectly crafted moments. And the crowd, the band’s classmates, celebrates its Kings from a packed Pavilion floor, singing every word.
Brendan Fitzgerald, Charlottesville's Newsweekly
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October 1, 2007 Simple Kid’s life changed when his brother turned him onto Led Zeppelin. It led the Corkonian to a career in music and the development of a very distinctive style. Simple Kid returns to Galway to play Strange Brew at the Roisin Dubh on Thursday November 1 at 8pm. Support is from III Ease and tickets are available from the Roisin Dubh, Zhivago, and Redlight Records. Galway First
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September 24, 2007 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club rode its revved-up, guitar-driven brand of rock 'n' roll into The NorVa on Saturday night, but it must have seemed like a practice session for the band. The biggest surprise of the night was the low turnout. "Considering Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is the best band out there these days," said Michael Davye, who drove down from Richmond to see the band, "Norfolk really missed out." The concert's starting time was pushed back about 40 minutes in hopes more people would filter in. By the time the band finally took the stage, an estimated crowd of 400 had gathered on the floor. The band's next two scheduled performances - Sunday and to night with Kings of Leon - sold out in advance at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. But if the trio - singer-guitarist Peter Hayes, bassist-singer Robert Levon Been and drummer Nick Jago - was disappointed, it certainly did not show in their performance. For the group's diehard fan base, the tour in support of "Baby 81," the latest full-length CD from the band, marks a return to form. The band's 2001 debut, "B.R.M.C.," and its 2003 follow-up, "Take Them On, On Your Own," received critical acclaim, and the group was instantly given "next big thing" status. Their fuzz guitar sound, droning tones and their boys-in-black image - often compared to The Jesus and Mary Chain - even garnered praise from David Bowie. Then Jago quit the group, leaving Hayes and Been to record "Howl" as a moody, mostly acoustic album. With Jago's return, "Baby 81" represents Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's intoxicating appeal, and they were keen on serving full-size samples Saturday evening.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club strode onto stage to the cheers of loyalists and began with the psychedelic dream-pop of "All You Do Is Talk." The pace quickened with the T-Rex-esque "Berlin" and again shifted gears on the full-throttle "Weapon of Choice." Throughout the performance, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club accurately executed their material, whether they were tackling more atmospheric dirges such as "Killing The Light," big groove janglers like "666 Conducer " or the up-tempo ditty "Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll (Punk Song)."
Both Hayes and Been were passionate and on key during their singing parts. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club used no stage props and featured a minimalist light show, though not as stark as some previous performances, and made little use of the dreaded fog machine. For the lucky few in attendance, the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show is one to boast about having experienced. Speaking of experiences, opening act Simple Kid - aka Irishman Ciaran MacFeely - was a trip.
"He could be the next Beck," said Norfolk resident Matt Beck, who plays guitar in Spitfire and has no known relation to pop artist Beck. Call him the techno-hippy. MacFeely takes folk music to the next level. He rotated between an acoustic guitar and banjo as his primary instrument but bolstered his sound with sequenced beats and electronic instrumentation. He also made use of a strapped-on harmonica contraption recalling Neil Young and Bob Dylan. For visuals, Simple Kid used a small, home-use screen and gave a Power Point presentation of sound waves and song lyrics for a hilarious sing-along session. Simple Kid easily won over the curious audience through his down-to-earth and somewhat comical storytelling and material from his two albums, which include the songs "Supertramps and Superstars," "The Commuter " and "Truck On." Jeff Maisley, The Virginian-Pilot
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September 20, 2007 Combining the work ethic of a flower child with the quirkiness of Beck, Simple Kid has created a squarely unique sound that's won over those crazy Brits. Born in Ireland as Ciran MacFeely, Simple Kid is bringing his brand of rock across the pond in support of Kings of Leon and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club Sunday and Monday. Not surprisingly, his moniker is a reference to his straight-to-the-point attitude. "It's something I made up that reminds me to keep my production values simple, keep everything about the music simple," he said. Hot off the heels of his second release — the aptly titled "2," Simple Kid forgoes fancy digital recording for lo-fi eight-track recording, giving the album a rough feel. But his sound is anything but — the album intricately combines acoustic slide guitar with harmonicas, banjos and electronic samples for a funky, breezy sound that begs to be road-trip fodder. For MacFeely, this lo-fi style of recording helps him focus on the music. "At the end of the day, you write a song and you record it, and that's as complicated as it needs to be," he said. "I don't like clicking a mouse and looking at a screen; that just feels like hard work." And he's already working on his next album, hoping to avoid the three-year wait between his first two albums — time he spent working at the local video shop after being burnt out on music. It wasn't until a manager forced him into the studio that he recorded "2." "I took all my instruments and bits and bobs out of storage and set them up — that was really the main stumbling block," he said. "After that it was fun again. It was just built up in my head that it was going to be difficult." Although he's having fun now, he said he won't be surprised if he loses interest in making music. "I'm one of those people who if I'm not enjoying it, I don't stick around doing it for the sake of a career," he said. "I can easily imagine waking up one day and going 'Oh, my gosh, I want to become a fisherman,' or something." 9:30 Club, 815 V St. SW; Sun. & Mon., sold out
Jason Koebler, Washington Post Express
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September 20, 2007 The stage names that music artists choose can be silly (hello, Fall Out Boy), gimmicky (take the band called "!!!") or blessedly natural (Prince, Sade, Madonna). In the case of the Irish-born Ciaran MacFeely, the decision to go by Simple Kid was entirely fitting - a simple choice, you could say - given his minimalist approach to music and life. His current album, "2" - the follow-up to his debut, "1" - is being called "21st century folk" for its blend of banjo, lazy guitar, lyrics on the verge of nihilism and the occasional hip-hop beat or scratch. Think of Simple Kid as the new Beck. His shows are low-key affairs, as the audience will see Saturday when he opens for the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at The NorVa. Simple Kid is typically onstage with a banjo, guitar, harmonica and laptop, as well as a screen showing images and videos he's culled from online or made himself. He creates much of his music at home . "The album was done in various rooms in my flat," he says, speaking by telephone so quietly and/or trailing off that it's sometimes hard to decipher his speech. "I live quite far away from all my friends, and it just works out that way. If I'm home and get an idea, I just put it on the nearest machine, which happens to be an 8-track in my room. It's very domestic and basic. I'll be laying down a guitar track and then go check my dinner. One of the reasons I stay in my house so much is that I've only got, like, three pairs of clothes that are actually presentable." During his first U.S. tour, Simple Kid frequently slept on benches and beaches. The term "homeless" has been used to describe bits of his experience, but he downplays that categorization. "That makes it sound more dramatic that it was . It was by choice - it was actually really good. It helped me save money, and I met all these people who weren't into music - they just sort of liked what they heard on the radio. It was really refreshing to meet people who weren't about getting into shows free with backstage passes." Simple Kid's video presentations sometimes include the words to his songs on the screen, much like a karaoke machine, or a duet with, we kid you not, Muppets. Given that he is opening for a hard-rocking band in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and it, in turn, has been opening in other markets for Kings of Leon - a group that plays hard, debauched Southern rock - Simple Kid, with his banjo and quiet beats, might seem an odd pairing. But people get into it, he says. "I explain before I start playing that you just have to trust me . Once my guitar broke, and I just let the movie play, and it's cool in that way because (the videos) sometimes get me out of a bind. People aren't used to seeing someone do a duet with Kermit the Frog, so they just kind of go with it." The path of least resistance - what could be simpler? If you go Who Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Simple Kid When 8 p.m. Saturday Where The NorVa, 317 Monticello Ave., Norfolk
Melcolm Venable
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September 19, 2007 Simple Kid, a/k/a Ciaran McFeely, is an Irish-born singer-songwriter churning out sunny and highly sing-a-longable ditties that evoke Donovan’s electric albums and Beck’s lo-fi fuzz-folk. He’s touring for the sold and tune-filled 2. With Zerobridge and Neil Cleary. Mercury Lounge, 217 E Houston. The Village Voice
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September 17, 2007 Who needs deep elaborate album titles? Irish born Ciaran MacFeely (aka Simple Kid, pictured) has released the follow up to his debut album, 1, aptly and simply dubbed 2. Rolling Stone had this to say about the breaking artist: "Beck fans would dig MacFeely's style. The thirty-year-old mixes hip-hop beats, junk-shop acoustic guitar riffs and patchwork atmospherics in autobiographical tunes." He’s joining Kings of Leon and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as part of their fall tour, and is playing two SOLD OUT shows Sunday and Monday night at the 9:30 Club.
Chris Snyder, DCist
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September 14, 2007 The Irish-born artist (aka Ciaran McFeely) mixes folk and electronica. He performs solo, armed with guitar, banjo, harmonica, laptop and a screen for his visuals. It's a freaky mix that charms and surprises. Simple Kid opens for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Metro, 3730 N. Clark. Tickets, $22.50. Call (773) 549-0203.
Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times
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September 14, 2007 The Irish-born folksinger (born Ciaran MacFeely) takes a very personal approach to his live sets: in addition to the usual guitar and harmonica, he also carries a laptop which contains his Casio-like beats, additional guitars, vocals and other sounds. In the background there is a screen with the lyrics to his songs and other visual imagery. That might sound as gimmicky, but the result you get in a live setting is quite engaging: the audience follows the words closely, and the electronic resources do their job where they are supposed to: they are in the background, giving a chance for him to show his fine musical chops, which are showcased in tunes like the hippie-influenced "The Ballad of Elton John," which features fine guitar work, and the highly hummable "Serotonin." On recent shows, he has opened for the likes of Snow Patrol and R.E.M. (which is not an easy task) in addition to playing his own headlining gigs, which have been well received, as can be seen in various live YouTube postings.
Monday, September 17 at 7:30pm
Metro
3730 N. Clark
Chicago-Lakeview [map]
(773)549-0203
$22.50
Ernest Barteldes, Newcity Chicago
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September 12, 2007 Price: $22.50. 18 and older
Venue: Metro
Times: Mon 7:30pm.
Address: 3730 N Clark St between Waveland and Racine Aves Lakeview/Roscoe Village/Wrigleyville, Chicago Map it!
Phone: 773-549-0203
Travel: El: Red to Addison. Bus: 22 Clark (24hrs), 152 Addison Plan Route
Website: metrochicago.com BRMC might have started out as flagrant Jesus and Mary Chain wannabees, but on its latest album Baby 81, the trio seems to have found its stride–— with equal parts blues-rock stomp, shoegaze swirl, memorable melodies. Fans of dreamy, classicist, slightly kooky Beatley tunecraft, should come early for Ciaran MacFeely, who records under the name Simple Kid. He performs solo, which is a bit of shame considering the layers of organ and banjo that make his albums such a gas.
Time Out Chicago
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