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all that we keep is the journey, then young Simon Henry Bruce already
has his hands full. At age 23, Simon has toured the world playing
for thousands of audiences and has created a following of diehard
fans of all ages and in every continent.
Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, Simon found an affinity with
Italian opera singer Mario Lanza. "I really dug Mario Lanza and
then I got into Elvis. I was pretty young, probably eight or so,
but I thought he really rocked and I really dug him. I also found
out that Elvis had listened to Mario Lanza and had studied his work.
That was really interesting" Soon, Bruce started playing guitar.
"I got it from Santa," he laughs. By age 12, he began writing original
songs and listening The Beatles. Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Bob
Dylan.
 ......................
(simon w/ Jeff Lynne)........................(simon
w/ leanne rimes)
During high school, Bruce moved to Sydney and was soon lugging his
guitar and repertoire of mostly cover songs, busking up and down
the local weekend markets. At 15, he spent a few months in the UK
busking through Bath, York and London. "That was a real experience,
I loved it. I was playing a lot of folk songs, Dylan tunes, waltzes
and that was the real start for me. Returning to Australia, he played
at the Tamworth festival and then made musical history as the youngest
musician invited to play the South by Southwest Festiva l”in
Austin, Texas. He was granted an Outstanding Talent Visa, giving
him the right to work in the US and soon moved to USA.
Bruce
landed a high-profile support slot touring the US with John Hiatt,
playing among other venues, the Bitter End in New York and Threadgill's
in Texas (Janis Joplin's favorite gig.) He also toured Australia
and New Zealand with Dido, playing to more than 200 different audiences.
(simon w/ DIDO)
In 2004, Bruce recorded his first full length CD "Restless Thoughts",
released in Australia on Essence/EMI Records. It follows his successful
independently-released EP "The Champagne Sessions", (featuring Keith
Urban on backing vocals). Recorded live in just three days, with
Nash Chambers producing,– a method the young performer is
adamant he will never change – “Restless Thoughts”
was laid to tape "like in the '70s". Along with guitar and vocals,
Bruce plays harmonica, which instantly imbued the songs with sentimental
warmth. “Restless Thoughts” is all about strong songs
big on melody, playing filled with both contemporary spark and a
strong sense of history, and lyrics that belie their creator's tender
years. "Dylan to me is definitely what got me into words, made me
want to think and write from different angles," says Bruce.
In 2006, Bruce returned to the US to reside in Nashville. He toured
both coasts with another Melbourne-based band Bluehouse
and continued songwriting. Recently, Bruce recorded ten songs for
his next full length CD, and writing with friends Jesse and Noah
Bellamy, and other Nashville-based songwriters, including Grammy
winner Pam Rose.
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