Liz Simmons grew up surrounded by music influences and it comes as little surprise that the Greenfield native wound up living the life of a musician spent performing weekend gigs and hours in the recording studio.
She has fond childhood memories of traveling throughout North America in a VW bus with her family. Back then her parents were itinerant musicians, and Simmons and her sister spent many hours in the back of the bus making up songs, stories and games.
For Simmons, the oldest daughter of Leslie Vogel and Fred Simmons, known throughout the region as performers with their bands Tattoo and the Folksoul Band, it’s been a passion to play and perform, most notably with Low Lily alongside her husband Flynn Cohen, and their friend Lissa Schneckenburger.
Performing in bands for more than a decade and Low Lily for the last five years, Simmons has realized her dream of making music for others to enjoy. With Low Lily, she performs throughout the northeast, midwest, and beyond.
“It’s been all about the group dynamic,” Simmons said.
But over the last several years, Simmons had all these ideas just gnawing at her that didn’t seem to fit within the confines of the band structure.
“I’ve had these songs that I’ve written that veer in a sightly different direction,” Simmons said. “And I just kept saying ‘I’ve got to do something with these creations that are coming to me.’”
So Simmons decided to branch out and put all that creative energy she couldn’t ignore into her debut solo album, “Poets.”
Currently, the album, which consists of nine tracks, is about three-quarters done and Simmons has been hosting a crowdfunding campaign to help offset some of the costs associated with a project of this magnitude. The campaign goes through next Thursday.
The name of the album came from a song she co-wrote with with her friend Dunia Best and Schneckenburger, also titled “Poets”. It was inspired by a visit to a bookstore/coffee shop in Washington, D.C. called Busboys and Poets. The song is about a writer who imagines all sorts of possibilities while sitting in a coffee shop, and scribbles them down on paper.
As the process began to unfold, Simmons couldn’t get away from the idea that musicians are storytellers. With her songs exploring the topics of love, death, time, adventure, urban life, seafaring, and the current environmental reality, she felt there was no better way to pay respect to the craft than with a debut album centered around what it means to be an artist and a storyteller.
“It’s been a really interesting way to believe in myself and believe in the journey,” Simmons said. “At this point in my life, it’s a way to challenge myself and branch out. There’s so much freedom there.”
Simmons said the album is a mix of original songs that she has written over the last few years and arranged covers she felt belonged on a solo album, including Joni Mitchell and The Supremes. It includes Simmons playing the electric guitar and piano and several other musicians she come across in her musical journey.
The ideas for songs come from all directions and it’s not always at the most convenient of places to put pen to paper.
“So I do tend to write in my head at first,” she said.
While Simmons and Low Lily are more associated with folk music, the album will have a little bit more of a bluegrass feel.
“It’s taken a slightly different angle,” Simmons said.
Simmons said that right now she is just narrowing down on the fun stuff, “that layer on top that makes it extra exciting,” she said.
Simmons said the plan right now is to have the album come out in June and do a summer release tour. At the end of August, she will head to Europe for more shows to showcase her solo debut. And as has been customary over the last few years, she will be back in the area to perform at the Folksoul Music Festival in Greenfield, put on by her parents.
With the crowdfunding campaign, listeners and fans can follow along on the creative journey and get some perks along the way. To support Simmons’s project, visit her crowdfunding campaign at https://igg.me/at/lizsimmonsvox/x#/.