Biography
Ciaran McFeely, who records and performs as Simple Kid, grew up in Cork, Ireland, where early exposure to British rock acts such as Led Zeppelin, the Who, and especially T. Rex prompted him to assemble a neighborhood group called the Young Offenders. The neo-glam ensemble scored a single British hit and performed on TFI Friday before further efforts stalled. Disillusioned with both the local music climate and the industry at large, McFeely left for California, where he spent several months hitchhiking the West Coast and crossing paths with strangers from varied backgrounds. Among them was a homeless man who served as an intellectual sparring partner; those encounters later supplied material for his songwriting and supplied the stage name Simple Kid upon his return to the United Kingdom.
Working alone in his apartment, McFeely adopted a deliberately minimal setup that combined eight-track or cassette recorders with a laptop, sometimes sampling and looping his own performances. The resulting tracks merged his glam and rock foundations with looping beats reminiscent of Beck and Super Furry Animals, earning critical acclaim and a dedicated following on both sides of the Atlantic. After the 2003 release of the Fierce Panda singles “I Am Rock” and “Truck On,” the album 1 entered the U.K. charts in 2004 and subsequently appeared in the United States through Vector Recordings. Although commercial returns remained modest, relentless touring and heightened scrutiny led McFeely to withdraw for what he termed “The Great Hibernation,” covering portions of 2004 and most of 2005. A stint at a neighborhood video store restored his focus, and fresh material soon coalesced into the 2007 album 2. Following a year of touring in support of that record, Simple Kid declared in January 2008 that he had entered the studio to begin work on a third album.
Working alone in his apartment, McFeely adopted a deliberately minimal setup that combined eight-track or cassette recorders with a laptop, sometimes sampling and looping his own performances. The resulting tracks merged his glam and rock foundations with looping beats reminiscent of Beck and Super Furry Animals, earning critical acclaim and a dedicated following on both sides of the Atlantic. After the 2003 release of the Fierce Panda singles “I Am Rock” and “Truck On,” the album 1 entered the U.K. charts in 2004 and subsequently appeared in the United States through Vector Recordings. Although commercial returns remained modest, relentless touring and heightened scrutiny led McFeely to withdraw for what he termed “The Great Hibernation,” covering portions of 2004 and most of 2005. A stint at a neighborhood video store restored his focus, and fresh material soon coalesced into the 2007 album 2. Following a year of touring in support of that record, Simple Kid declared in January 2008 that he had entered the studio to begin work on a third album.
Albums
