Album Notes

Matt Sims’ music has been described as “Beatleseque songwriting warped by indie bands like the Shins, but with a dash of guitar virtuosity” and also as “What would happen if Sheryl Crow was a dude…who went to India…and who could really rock out on guitar!”

XM Radio says, "This rather mellow singer-songwriter from Texas simply knows how to write solid song after solid song. His whole album is awesome."

An accomplished and eclectic guitarist and songwriter, Matt Sims fuses pop, rock, folk, and world music elements together with surprising ingenuity to create catchy songs that defy ordinary categories. Recently, he had three songs played on XM Radio and was the "Featured Artist of the Week" on XM Radio's XMU Channel 43 on the Radar Report for May 8, 2008.

With seemingly effortless skill, he crosses back and forth between upbeat indie riffs and artfully executed songs of love and loss, with an occasional foray into India or Latin America. But even though the influences are diverse, the songs stay connected to an underlying rock groove that keeps you listening. From the Weezer-like head-bopping melodies of “Celebrity” to the wistful and laid-back “California,” a piece reminiscent of a Sheryl Crow ballad, you will think you have heard it all until the otherworldly sounds of songs like “Waiting So Long,” “Wild World,” ”Water Flows,” and “Strange and Beautiful” transport you to another place altogether. Themes of love, exploration, and exotic travel, as well as social commentary are deeply braided into memorable melodies. Surprises abound in this 14 song debut CD, including insightful (and sometimes humorous) lyrics as well as vocals that pay homage to Sting and stellar guitar work that draws from Eric Johnson, Mark Knopfler, and others.

A guitarist since the age of 7, Matt Sims learned country and blues licks from his father and went on to graduate from South West Guitar Conservatory before fronting several different rock bands in Texas. Initially a Music major in college, he switched to Liberal Arts in order to study Philosophy, Art, and English. Although he occasionally plays small venues, he spends much of his time traveling to far off parts of the world and then trying to capture those experiences while recording in his home studio. This CD, WILD WORLD, conveys a strong interest in the exotic, and the cover art and inner photos were taken by him on various trips through Peru, Tibet, and Cambodia.