MATT SIMONS

Support: Brendan James.Music is in Simons’ blood—his grandparents were both opera singers in Los Angeles, and he spent his life studying jazz and classical, learning to play on piano, switching to clarinet, guitar, and saxophone, eventually settling back on piano. When his peers were listening to rock and roll, he was listening to jazz. In the current pop landscape when so many stars don’t write their own music, Simons’ extensive musical background gives him a leg up. “I think you take the tools that you have acquired and try to make something meaningful out of it — that’s always been my philosophy,” he said. “The greater goal is just trying to be able to express yourself.”His style recalls the classic song structures of his musical heroes, the Beatles, with hooked-filled harmonies, and plaintive lyrics that evoke a sort of insightful melancholy. “We can tell each other secrets, and remember how to love,” he sings on the title track, “Catch and Release.”Brendan JamesBorn in New Hampshire, schooled in Chapel Hill, signed by Capitol Records by the age of 25, and road tested with 1,000 shows to date, James' has certainly lived the troubadour life. His songs have landed spots on over 15 major television shows and feature films, as well as achieving the #1 Singer Songwriter spot on ITunes, multiple times. He has formed relationships with music legends Carly Simon and Cat Stevens, enjoyed on stage experiences with the likes of John Legend, John Mayer, and Paula Cole, and recently been asked to give a TedTalk on gun violence, love songs, and simpler societies.