what’s new

I can't believe it's nearly the 4th of July already. Wow, the summer is flying by! It's vacation time for Kathy and me at Sunset Beach, N.C., and we can't wait to get out of town. We'll take a break from work, the phone, computers, and all the standard day-to-day stuff to have an extended extravaganza of fun and sun. It's Kathy's every-other- year family reunion and there'll be lots of fellowship, food, fun, and, of course, music. In years past, I've been tempted to list the reunion as an official gig -- I end up playing more in that short week than I do in a month when I'm here at home!

Our raised-bed garden is looking great this year; we've got tomatoes, green peppers, squash, zucchini, strawberries, and some herbs growing like mad. All this rain we've had has kept the garden soaked and the plants are loving it. Plus, we've got a new patch of raspberry bushes growing under the big tree in the backyard that are going to yield some berries this year. I'm glad we're going on vacation and all, but it's hard to take a break from the garden. Neat little things happen nearly every day and it's fun to watch as it comes along.

I got invited back to Steppin' Out again this year. It's my ninth consecutive appearance! As always, I'll be working on rounding up a bunch of my musician buddies to make it as much of a "hootennanny" as I can. You never know who's going to be up there on stage with me so make plans now to come check it out. Steppin' Out is always fun and always entertaining for the whole family. It's one of my favorite gigs.

Well, that's it for now. Vacation, and then back to the regular grind.

At least we'll get to break that up a bit by going to see the "new" Salem Red Sox Carolina League baseball team. (They finally got rid of that awful name -- "Avalanche" -- so now I can support them wholeheartedly.) The major league All-Star game is coming up fast as well so I'm in baseball heaven right now. The Atlanta Braves, my favorite team, are struggling (again) but I still get a big kick out of griping and moaning about them.

To keep up with all the little things spinning around in my world, subscribe to the Meadow Creek Gazette, my twice-monthly newsletter. It's FREE! Sometimes things sneak up on me and goose me; other times, things conk me in the head like a lead pipe. Either way, it's in the MCG. I'd love to have you as a reader!

— David Simpkins, 6/19/09

the meadow creek gazette

David’s FREE twice-monthly e-mail newsletter, the Meadow Creek Gazette, is a popular, entertaining, and informative look at his gigs, his philosophies, his pet peeves, and the world of music (and anything else that strikes his fancy) in general. To start receiving the MCG, just e-mail amosflame@aol.com and write "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line. Or you can read the current issue of the Meadow Creek Gazette online.

booking information

David Simpkins is available for clubs, festivals, house concerts, benefits, private parties — anywhere anyone might want to listen to a guy play an acoustic guitar and sing mostly original Americana music. David will be happy to perform as an opener, for multi-act bills, or for full-length four-hour solo shows. Have P.A.; will travel.

David Simpkins, 125 Polk Street, Radford VA 24141

Home phone: (540) 633-1204   Home e-mail

Work phone: (540) 231-3502   Work e-mail

biography and musical influences

David traces his musical talents back to his paternal grandfather, Hamilton Simpkins, who fronted a Bedford, Virginia string music quartet known in the late 1920s. Playing rhythm guitar in that band was eight-year-old Troy Simpkins — Ham’s son, David’s father. David was also eight years old when he got his first guitar ... Read more of David’s biography and find out more about his musical influences.

press and reviews

“David Simpkins’ Long Story Short is pure Americana, but reminiscent of Canada’s Neil Young and groups like Poco and Crazy Horse. Don’t let this sway you too much, though — Simpkins is able to blend Americana, country, folk, and even a bit of bayou blues into his songs ...” Read more reviews of ‘Long Story Short’ and other press mentions.

nightmare gigs

Over the past several hundred years (or maybe only the past thirty or so) in bands, David has played some great gigs ... and he’s played some real dogs. Want to know how bad it can get? Check out the “Nightmare Gigs” page.

links of interest

A collection of links to sites about music, songwriting, and more. Check out the “Links” page.

some fine print

The definition of Americana music used in the image at the top left of this page is from the Americanamusic.org website.