Tommy Simmons

Saturday, September 26th — Wine Walk & Shop — 1 PM

Well I'm not one to talk about myself in the 3rd person, so I guess I'll just give to you straight from the heart. So here goes...I was pretty much doomed to be a musician from the day I was born. I am a FOURTH-generation musician, so I guess you might say it runs in the family. Even my grandpa's name is Gene Simmons (He's definitely not the frontman for KISS, but a pastor and music teacher in Oregon...but hey, it's still cool to say haha). Since the day that I was born, I've been surrounded by music. My father, who is my biggest influence, has played in bands as far back as I could remember. I grew up with these bands rehearsing in my basement and traveled to their gigs to watch my pops play. My whole life I've been surrounded by the culture of live music, which I consider a blessing.

Ok...so fast forward a little bit. I graduated high school from the Seattle area (BTW, if you have never been to Seattle, you should definitely consider a trip there in June-August. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places on earth). I decided to go to college at Washington State University, which proved to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I met some truly awesome people whom I shared the amazing experience with. I also became very involved at WSU. My junior year I served as the Director of the Student Entertainment Board, and my senior year I was honored to serve as the Student Body Vice-President.

However while at college, the inevitable happened...music took a hold of me and just wouldn't let go. I started teaching myself to play guitar in 2005 (My sophomore year), and began singing in 2006. In March of 2007, I began writing music and soon began to realize that God had given me a gift. When I first stepped in front of a mic in November of 2007, I instantly fell in love with performing and it became obvious to me that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. I began writing and playing as much as possible and slowly became confident that I could legitimately make a career out of playing music. However, there were naysayers. People always told me that being a successful musician was a one-in-a-million chance and that using my degree to get a 9 to 5 job would be the best bet for a successful future.

I ignored them of course, and shortly after college, I drove down the west coast to the crazy world of Los Angeles to play music. I stayed there for awhile, played some great shows and met some great friends. However, my time there was cut short when my Mom got diagnosed with leukemia. It was the obvious decision to move back up home and help her with her battle.

Obviously that hasn't stopped me from playing music. If anything, the better understanding of just how short life is has driven me even harder to achieve my goals. Music is a dream in my heart that just won't go away. I believe that dreams are in our hearts for a reason. They are God's way of giving us a direction and a path to follow to happiness.

For those of you who choose to listen and support me, I sincerely thank you. Without ears to listen and appreciate, music is nothing. I love to hear what you all think so shoot me a message or a comment. I am still learning and growing as a musician and singer. I know that I have a long way to go, but in the meantime thanks for listening :)

Peace and Love,
Tommy