Where are you from?
I am originally from a town called Mount Pearl, which is in the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory is a song called It’s Hard to Be Humble by Mac Davis, when I was about three or four, I guess I was obsessed with it, and I would go around the house singing it.
When did you start being an artist?
I would say I have been an artist my whole life, but I started writing songs and performing them when I was about 16 years old.
How would you describe your style?
I definitely do my own thing in the sense that I am not chasing trends, I look to the past and the present and come up with something that is uniquely mine. I try to bring in old folk, blues and gospel and mix in some more modern sounds and recording techniques. I am sure that I am not the only one that does this, but I think my unique approach is in the lyrics, I try not to make it too obvious, more poetic, combine those things and you have something uniquely mine.
Are there any particular themes or messages that you often explore in your music?
Thematically I am all over the map. I write about injustice, the search for peace, politics, relationships, or sometimes things I just think are funny. I take inspiration from current events, or things that I see going on around me, or even things that are going on in my own life, but I try to avoid writing myself directly into the lyrics.
What is the meaning behind your stage name?
It’s my name.
What is the story behind your most famous song?
Probably my biggest song to date is a song called Ain’t it A Shame, it has the most streams on Spotify at least. It is not really that complicated, it is a classic rock influenced tale of a man who basically gets figuratively run over by his woman, but she is so attractive he basically can’t stay away. It is just something I thought up to have some fun.
What is the hardest thing about being an artist?
Feeling like you are out of ideas, at least that is the hardest thing for me right now.
What’s the best thing about being an artist?
Pushing through the feeling that you are out of ideas and coming up with something you feel is great.
What are your goals for your music career?
Right now, I just want to keep growing and learning as much as I can, get better basically. Long-term I would like to earn some extra income from my music, maybe even to the point where it pays for itself, whereby, it can be its own machine, feeding itself, the revenue pays for the recording, and the recording feeds more revenue. That’s where I hope to be in the next couple of years.
What do you like to do in your free time (outside of music)?
I have a lot of varied interests. I am an avid gardener; I grow food and flowers around my house. I also love to cook and have friends come to my place for meals. As a part of the previous two things, I make preserves from some of the food I grow. Other than that, I like to swim, go surfing and play soccer.
Do you get involved with charities or causes that are important to you?
I currently don’t do this as much as I would like. In a passive way, I donate money to the United Nations for refugees and to environmental causes. Before Covid I volunteered to teach guitar to wounded veterans, I want to get back to doing that.
What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
I am actually quite shy and reserved.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I get up and start my day job (I work from home), make coffee, read some news. At some point I usually take a break and do some stretching. I will usually start doing some music work a little in the afternoon, try some writing or practice. Then when my day job ends, I focus more on music work, do that for a few hours, then maybe watch something, go to bed.
Do you have any upcoming projects we can be excited about?
I am working on more video content, I have lots of ideas, nothing seems to be getting any traction.
What are some of the standout tracks on your latest project?
The two biggest standouts in my mind are the title track to my new album, Dark and Dirty World, and then track two, Susanna is also really great.
What are your favorite topics to write about?
Thematically I am all over the map. I write about injustice, the search for peace, politics, relationships, or sometimes things I just think are funny. I take inspiration from current events, or things that I see going on around me, or even things that are going on in my own life, but I try to avoid writing myself directly into the lyrics.
How do you deal with creative block or artist block?
I am currently having a hard time with this at the moment to be honest. Normally I would get through it by either a change of scenery, maybe just leaving it alone for awhile and take an extended break, or the opposite which would be to just keep writing and writing until something sticks. Currently none of this is working. I feel like my last release was such a leap forward that nothing I come up with is at the same level, compounding the problem is I feel a lot of pressure to put out something new to keep the momentum I have built going.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Never ever give up, despite the voice in your head telling you to everyday, that is just your inside person trying to trick you into falling into something more comfortable.
What was the best show or tour you have ever been on?
The best show I ever played in was my album release show this year for Dark and Dirty World. It was hosted at New Scotland Brewing in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, which is where I live. It’s a big place so there were about 60 people in the audience, which is a big number for me. The crowd was having as much fun as I was on stage and the whole night went perfectly.
What’s been your favorite moment of your career so far?Where can people find your music online?
The favorite moment of my career was a review I received from Roots Time in Belgium, and I quote, “songs don’t cut much deeper than Ted Simmons’ on Dark and Dirty World”, it really made me feel seen.
People can find my music:
https://www.tedsimmonsmusic.com
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
My new album, Dark and Dirty World, is a musical journey, it doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of what is trendy today, it’s more original than that, but it is worth a listen. It’s gritty in parts, sweet in others, and leaves a lasting impression.
