Simple Kid
Encyclopedia
Simple Kid, real-name Ciaran McFeely, is an Irish
-born solo musical artist. In early 2011 it was announced on the official website that there will be no further music or tours by Simple Kid.
's, although Simple Kid used his own recordings as sources. More often his sound is compared to the similarly eclectic and deliberately ramshackle Beck
.
Simple Kid's influences included folk, country (he prominently featured banjo
s and slide guitar
in his work), glam rock (particularly T. Rex) and late 60s big pop arrangements of records like The Beatles
's 'White Album'.
Before becoming Simple Kid, McFeely was a member of The Young Offenders. Forming when he was 17, the band was composed of friends made while growing up in Cork Ireland. The group attempted to release an album in America but met with failure and broke up.
Although having spent considerable time in America before becoming Simple Kid, his popularity today is mostly limited to the United Kingdom and Ireland. His touring was based out of London and he has played support for R.E.M. and Kings Of Leon
,Snow patrol at Ward Park among others.
Television appearances included Later... with Jools Holland, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, The Late Late Show
and Other Voices
on RTE
. He was also the subject of a Channel 4
(4 Play) short documentary and appeared on TFI Friday
with The Young Offenders.
His second album, 2, was released by Country Gentleman Recordings in October 2006 in the UK, and by Yep Roc Records
in August 2007 in the US. "2" was included in Mojo Magazine
's top 50 albums of the year, was CD of the week in The Times
Culture section and had positive reviews in the NME
, The Guardian
, Time Out and the Independent on Sunday, to name a few. The Rolling Stone Magazine also featured Simple Kid as a breakthrough act for 2007.
The track "Lil' King Kong" off "2" is featured in a Saturn automobile advertisement in the US, as well as in an advertisement in the UK for the mobile phone operator Orange.
"Lil' King Kong also featured in Hollywood movie Jumper
in 2008.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-born solo musical artist. In early 2011 it was announced on the official website that there will be no further music or tours by Simple Kid.
History
Simple Kid's approach to recording involved recording to an 8-track cassette player then fed into his computer where he applied more modern techniques to create finished songs. He mixed and mastered the tracks on albums "1" and "2" on his own equipment. His style of remixing and sampling has been compared to Fatboy SlimFatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
's, although Simple Kid used his own recordings as sources. More often his sound is compared to the similarly eclectic and deliberately ramshackle Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
.
Simple Kid's influences included folk, country (he prominently featured banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
s and slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
in his work), glam rock (particularly T. Rex) and late 60s big pop arrangements of records like The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
's 'White Album'.
Before becoming Simple Kid, McFeely was a member of The Young Offenders. Forming when he was 17, the band was composed of friends made while growing up in Cork Ireland. The group attempted to release an album in America but met with failure and broke up.
Although having spent considerable time in America before becoming Simple Kid, his popularity today is mostly limited to the United Kingdom and Ireland. His touring was based out of London and he has played support for R.E.M. and Kings Of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
,Snow patrol at Ward Park among others.
Television appearances included Later... with Jools Holland, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
and Other Voices
Other Voices
Other Voices may refer to:Literature* Other Voices, Other Rooms , the 1948 novel by Truman Capote* Other Voices , an electronic journal of cultural criticism and cultural studies...
on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
. He was also the subject of a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
(4 Play) short documentary and appeared on TFI Friday
TFI Friday
TFI Friday is an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of Guest Presenters. It was broadcast on...
with The Young Offenders.
His second album, 2, was released by Country Gentleman Recordings in October 2006 in the UK, and by Yep Roc Records
Yep Roc Records
Yep Roc Records is an independent International record label based in Haw River, North Carolina and owned by Redeye Distribution . The label has put out albums by artists like The Go-Betweens, The Fleshtones, Gang of Four, The Reverend Horton Heat, and The Minus 5, as well as the work of important...
in August 2007 in the US. "2" was included in Mojo Magazine
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
's top 50 albums of the year, was CD of the week in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
Culture section and had positive reviews in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Time Out and the Independent on Sunday, to name a few. The Rolling Stone Magazine also featured Simple Kid as a breakthrough act for 2007.
The track "Lil' King Kong" off "2" is featured in a Saturn automobile advertisement in the US, as well as in an advertisement in the UK for the mobile phone operator Orange.
"Lil' King Kong also featured in Hollywood movie Jumper
Jumper
-Clothing:*Sweater or heavy sweater pulled on over the head, used in the UK and Commonwealth*Jumper , in the USA, a sleeveless, collarless dress, known elsewhere as a pinafore or pinafore dress* Part of the uniform of the United States Navy...
in 2008.
1 (a.k.a. Simple Kid 1 or SK1)
Released September 2003 (UK), June 2004 (US)- 1 – Hello
- 2 – Truck On
- 3 – Staring at the Sun
- 4 – The Average Man
- 5 – The Commuter
- 6 – Drugs
- 7 – Loves an Enigma
- 8 – Supertramps and Superstars
- 9 – Kids Don't Care
- 10 – Breakups Breakdowns
- 11 – No News
2 (a.k.a. Simple Kid 2 or SK2)
Released October 2006 (UK), August 2007 (US)- 1 – Lil' King Kong
- 2 – Self Help Book
- 3 – The Twenty Something
- 4 – Old Domestic Cat
- 5 – Serotonin
- 6 – A Song of Stone
- 7 – The Ballad of Elton John
- 8 – You
- 9 – Oh Heart, Don't Be Bitter
- 10 - Mommy N Daddy
- 11 – Loves an Enigma Part II