Biography
Emerging from the collaborative I-Town Records collective based in Ithaca, NY—an outfit whose cooperative approach and operational model echoed Athens’ Elephant 6 Recording Company—the Sim Redmond Band took shape under the direction of singer/songwriter Sim Redmond. Redmond, who performed on guitar and vocals, had already spent his teenage years making music alongside brother Asa on drums in early groups including Ginger and the Ducktape Band. By the late ’90s bassist Dan Merwin and lead guitarist Jordan Aceto had joined, locking the core lineup into place.
Redmond first crossed paths with vocalist/songwriter Uniit Carruyo during a 1998 open-mic night at Collegetown Bagels in Ithaca; she soon became a permanent member, prompting the group to increase its live appearances. Their debut album, The Things We Keep, was tracked in early 1999 and issued on the fledgling I-Town imprint, establishing an airy aesthetic that drew on the worldbeat lineage of Paul Simon and Lucky Dube by merging distinctly American pop hooks with African arrangements. Although the band’s reggae attempts occasionally fell short, the musicians compensated by accentuating the music’s inherent breeziness, yielding stronger results.
The follow-up, Good Thoughts, arrived the next year and reflected improved production values along with cello contributions from I-Town associate Hank Roberts on several selections. Even while maintaining a demanding cycle of touring and laying down new material, Sim and Carruyo each found time for solo releases—Wishing Well from Redmond and Uniit from Carruyo. Life Is Water appeared shortly thereafter, after which the band embarked on its first national tour, highlighted by multiple dates on the self-titled I-Town Roadshow that introduced the group to numerous major markets for the first time.
Redmond first crossed paths with vocalist/songwriter Uniit Carruyo during a 1998 open-mic night at Collegetown Bagels in Ithaca; she soon became a permanent member, prompting the group to increase its live appearances. Their debut album, The Things We Keep, was tracked in early 1999 and issued on the fledgling I-Town imprint, establishing an airy aesthetic that drew on the worldbeat lineage of Paul Simon and Lucky Dube by merging distinctly American pop hooks with African arrangements. Although the band’s reggae attempts occasionally fell short, the musicians compensated by accentuating the music’s inherent breeziness, yielding stronger results.
The follow-up, Good Thoughts, arrived the next year and reflected improved production values along with cello contributions from I-Town associate Hank Roberts on several selections. Even while maintaining a demanding cycle of touring and laying down new material, Sim and Carruyo each found time for solo releases—Wishing Well from Redmond and Uniit from Carruyo. Life Is Water appeared shortly thereafter, after which the band embarked on its first national tour, highlighted by multiple dates on the self-titled I-Town Roadshow that introduced the group to numerous major markets for the first time.
Albums