Simon Williams (musician)
Encyclopedia
Simon Williams is a Leicester
-based musician
and graphic designer
.
, who have recorded several EPs and sessions for the BBC
's OneMusic show and for Marc Riley
's BBC Radio 6 program. In the mid 1980s, inspired by John Peel
and bands such as The June Brides
and Big Flame, he started his first band, The Colgates, began promoting in his local area and eventually set up his own cassette label, Thee Foundation For Nothing.
Between 1991 and 2003 Simon recorded 25 solo albums and appeared on over 100 releases.
In 2002, Williams set up the kabukikore record label
releasing albums by Steve Beresford
, I'm Sore, Future Sperm Brasil and Mugstar amongst others. Each title was released in limited editions of 50 copies in hand-made sleeves, and the label became a favourite of obscure music collectors around the world, as well as being much enjoyed by magazine
s such as The Wire
.
In 2000 Williams took a position at Nation Records, initially doing press and PR before becoming the label manager. Following this he moved to Charmenko. Owned and run by Nick Hobbs (The Shrubs, Mecca, Black Paintings), Williams specialised in organising concerts and events across Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union. These included major concerts for Moby
, Iggy Pop
, Manu Chao
, Bryan Adams
and UB40
.
Williams' remit at Charmenko also included working as managerial assistant to David Thomas
and Pere Ubu
as part of Ubu Projex, managing the London based indie pop band Spearmint and running their record label, HitBack, as well as working as Managerial Assistant to Laibach
and The Band Of Holy Joy.
In October 2009 John Robb
's book Death To Trad Rock (Cherry Red
Books) included an entire chapter on Williams' music and his place in the history of the UK independent music scene.
's tourism
industry.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
-based musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
.
Music
Williams (aka Crayola) currently fronts the indie pop band SarandonSarandon (band)
Sarandon are an English indie rock group, formed in London in 2003, who have so far released two albums.-History:Initially formed by singer/guitarist Simon Williams , drummer James Higgott and bass player Joe Morris , the group played their debut show in central London after having rehearsed only...
, who have recorded several EPs and sessions for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's OneMusic show and for Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
's BBC Radio 6 program. In the mid 1980s, inspired by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
and bands such as The June Brides
The June Brides
The June Brides were an English indie pop group, formed in London in 1983, by Phil Wilson and Simon Beesley of International Rescue. Influenced by Postcard-label bands such as Josef K and punk-era bands such as Buzzcocks, The Desperate Bicycles and The Television Personalities, their mix of guitar...
and Big Flame, he started his first band, The Colgates, began promoting in his local area and eventually set up his own cassette label, Thee Foundation For Nothing.
Between 1991 and 2003 Simon recorded 25 solo albums and appeared on over 100 releases.
In 2002, Williams set up the kabukikore record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
releasing albums by Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford is a British musician who graduated from the University of York. He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, trumpet, euphonium, double-bass and a wide variety of toy instruments, such as the toy piano. He has also played a wide range of music...
, I'm Sore, Future Sperm Brasil and Mugstar amongst others. Each title was released in limited editions of 50 copies in hand-made sleeves, and the label became a favourite of obscure music collectors around the world, as well as being much enjoyed by magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s such as The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
.
In 2000 Williams took a position at Nation Records, initially doing press and PR before becoming the label manager. Following this he moved to Charmenko. Owned and run by Nick Hobbs (The Shrubs, Mecca, Black Paintings), Williams specialised in organising concerts and events across Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and the former Soviet Union. These included major concerts for Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, Manu Chao
Manu Chao
Manu Chao , is a French singer of Spanish roots . He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
and UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
.
Williams' remit at Charmenko also included working as managerial assistant to David Thomas
David Thomas (musician)
David Lynn Thomas is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.He was one of the founding members of the short-lived protopunkers Rocket From The Tombs , where he went by the name of Crocus Behemoth, and of punk group Pere Ubu . He has also released several solo albums...
and Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group from Cleveland, Ohio.Père Ubu may also refer to:* Ubu, the enigmatic central figure of a series of French plays by Alfred Jarry, including Ubu Roi, and subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné...
as part of Ubu Projex, managing the London based indie pop band Spearmint and running their record label, HitBack, as well as working as Managerial Assistant to Laibach
Laibach
Laibach can refer to one of the following:* German name for Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia* Laibach , Slovenian industrial musical group** Laibach , the title of the debut album by the band with this name...
and The Band Of Holy Joy.
In October 2009 John Robb
John Robb
John Robb is a Codhead vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade. Based in Manchester, he has also written several books on music and frequently appears as a journalist/commentator on documentary/light entertainment music shows.-Early life:Robb was born in Fleetwood and grew up in suburban Blackpool...
's book Death To Trad Rock (Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
Books) included an entire chapter on Williams' music and his place in the history of the UK independent music scene.
Graphic design
Having initially trained as a screenprinter in the mid 1980s, during which time he printed the infamous "Drugs Not Jobs" T-shirts (famously worn by Spiritualised), Williams currently works as a freelance graphic designer under the company name of drinkMILK. He is the chosen designer for all the latest Nightingales record sleeves and CD covers as well as designing T-shirts for various bands and LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry.