Nero Simon Interview
The story of Nero Simon begins in South America with immigrant parents. Born in New York City and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Nero spent summers as a teenager working in the marinas in the Florida Keys, breathing the salty air and taking in the lucidity of his surroundings, from Miami to Islamorada to Key Largo to Bahia Honda across the Seven Mile Bridge all the way south to Key West. He now calls Atlanta, GA, home.
Tell us about your background. Who are you, and where are you from?
I’m originally from New Jersey, I went to college there and moved to Philadelphia. While in Philly I formed a band with a few friends called Eltro, we were more or less a shoegaze band with psychedelic influences, which could be described as the Philly sound, later adopted by successful artists who emerged from the city, like War on Drugs and Kurt Vile. We were signed to an Indie label out of San Francisco who put out three records of ours, I would say to very moderate success.
We did a little touring and opened up for some notable bands like Modest Mouse and Yo La Tengo, but eventually, marriage and parenthood put a pause on the music. I ended up moving to Atlanta and joined a band here. In 2021, when the pandemic started to clear, I got the idea of forming the Sunsetters. I had always been the guitar player and a secondary singer in the bands I had played in, so this would be the first time I would take on the role of lead singer.
What themes does your music explore, and what do you hope your audience will take away from this interview?
In one word, escape. Music should transport you to a different place in your mind. You are suddenly lifted and transported to a better place, whether you are feeling down, anxious, frustrated, angry, bored, or whatever… when you hear a great song.
The themes in my music are heavily influenced by a challenging period in my life, during which I experienced a lot of loss in a very short period. This essentially changed the way I approached writing music.
I used to write songs that could be described as somewhat abstract, but more recently, I started writing songs that were more real and close to the heart. Most of my songs are based on real personal experiences from good and bad relationships. The songs also tend to explore themes of love and loss, hope and resilience… themes I think many people who have gone through personal struggles can relate to.
It sounds heavy, but I try to express these themes positively. As a result, many of the songs tend to have a lightness, a positive energy that I hope helps lift the listener’s spirit in the same way it lifted my spirit as the songwriter.
What prompted you to be a musician, Nero Simon? Were you influenced by a particular person, artist, or genre?
My earliest influence was classic rock… Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, those types of bands. Because of that, every song I write I compose within the framework of a band in the purest sense… drums, bass, guitar, keys, vocals.
I grew up listening to this, and though I became interested in all different types of music over the years, from indie rock and alternative to heavy metal and grunge to rap to classic country and even all kinds of popular music, I’ve come back full circle to the formative years.
I started playing guitar at a young age, my first teacher was this hippie lady who would teach me how to play Joan Baez and Judy Collins songs on acoustic. While I respect that music now, young rocker Nero wasn’t that into it, and one day while my older sisters were out I placed their copy of Zeppelin IV on the turntable and I heard Black Dog and everything changed, I knew this was the direction I wanted to go in.
I tend to focus on guitar-based music, so the Sunsetters are first and foremost a guitar-oriented band. The guitar work on the records is split between myself and our other guitarist Steve. As a singer, I would say I am greatly influenced by some of the singers from the classic rock era who tend to sing with a softer voice, like Gerry Rafferty, Steve Miller, Jackson Browne. I’m also really into some of the more folkier singers like James Taylor and Paul Simon.
If you could compare your music to other existing works, which ones would it be and why?
This is always a tricky question for me to answer! I don’t think we compare to many newer artists. It might make me sound out-of-date, but I am not interested in making music that sounds like today’s music. There’s something about the music of the 1970s that moves me more than anything.
If you’re a rock or folk artist, I think there is no other period in music that has as much to offer. A lot of music today sounds way too artificial, there’s this focus on perfection, with auto-tune and whatnot, and to me that is not something to aim for in music. Does that make me sound like a relic to feel this way? I don’t care if it does.
Tell us about your latest music and what inspired you.
Our new album Pura Vida which is coming out in April was recorded with the full band at a local studio just outside of Atlanta called Standard Electric. We try to record albums the old-fashioned way, at a real studio with a solid engineer and as much classic recording equipment as possible. Hopefully all of this translates to a warmer, more classic sound on the album.
The album features nine new original songs and a cover of Love the One You’re With by Steven Stills of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It also features our first country song, a fun cannabis anthem called Reefer In The Air. Reefer probably has more hit potential than just about anything we’ve released in the past.
Even though my songs explore some serious themes, we tend not to present them in a way that ever feels brooding or overly serious. First and foremost, we want to have fun and the listener to experience the same joy we do when making the music. My wife Jodi has greatly influenced me and my music; her presence in my life has encouraged me to express optimism. She’s helped me to see that no matter what sort of turmoil you have gone through, if you keep fighting, beauty and joy await you ahead, so never give up the fight.
Where can listeners obtain a copy of your music for them to enjoy? How can they contact you with any thoughts or questions?
The best place to start is our website. There, you can find music links, live videos, show information, and sign up for our newsletter. You can also find our music pretty much everywhere music is streamed, including YouTube and Apple.
This was fun, Paul. On behalf of the Sunsetters, thank you so much for the spotlight; we appreciate it!
No, thank you. All the best!
