Review: 'Mind Control' JD Simo

JD Simo

By Mike O’Cull

Guitarist, vocalist, and blues/rock/psychedelic visionary JD Simo brings us all deeper into his world on his invigorating new album Mind Control. Released November 5th, 2021 on Crows Feet Records, the platter was tracked during the pandemic at Simo’s home studio The House of Grease, in Nashville, Tennessee. Simo made it all happen with drummer and frequent collaborator Adam Abrashoff and friend, bassist/producer/engineer Adam Bednarik (Justin Townes Earle) providing the support he needed to take his creativity and his inspirations farther than ever before. Mind Control blends the hill country sound of RL Burnside, the Afro Beat of Fela Kuti, and the lysergic wisdom of Hendrix and Captain Beefheart with the hard blues of John Lee Hooker and the noise of Nirvana. No other modern performer does it like Simo does and his fearless pursuit of his own musical soul is a welcome blast of clean air.

Born in Chicago and now working out of Nashville, JD Simo has caused a lot of commotion in recent years with his highly individualistic approach to roots music. His way of connecting the soul of Motown with the subversive freedom of Woodstock and Seattle has made more than a few fans of outstanding guitar music take notice. Already, he’s worked with important artists including Jack White, Tommy Emmanuel, Luther Dickinson, and Blackberry Smoke, performed at Bonnaroo, Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam, and Mountain Jam, and been invited to join Phil Lesh and Friends.

Making Mind Control was JD’s way of coping with the Covid situation that has impacted all of our lives. “Like everyone, I was unprepared in how to deal with this new “normal” so I turned to the thing that always helps me: music,” he said, “I just started playing, opening up my socials and jamming and from that, Mind Control was born.” The end result of working through this vulnerable time is a fully artist-oriented record that does exactly what it wants to do. It’s the sound of a small, talented crew making music for themselves.

Simo begins casting his spell right from the jump with the raw and hypnotic “Go Away Satan.” He leans all the way into a wild, Hendrix-inspired, hallucinatory trance funk state of mind and lets the notes fall. It’s raw and genuine, immediately commanding attention and threatening to blow your speakers to bits. Simo’s guitar work is exemplary in this almost avant-garde setting, as are his vocals. Hear it and you’ll want more.

“I’m In Love” is moody, atmospheric, and equally heavy. Simo lives entirely in the moment like the blues greats of old and seems to toss off incredible stream-of-consciousness tracks by the force of his soul, alone. The song just keeps unwinding and Simo lets it go where it desires. His full, reverb-soaked tone fits his vibe perfectly and helps him take control of this expressive piece.

“Know It All” opens with a complex and mystical groove that works its way into the smallest parts of your psyche. Simo is simmering, dissonant, and aggressive in turn, calling out an offender who is “allergic to truth…weak and so small” and evolving the cut into a freestyle, soul-cleansing noise workout. Simo’s artistry and intensity are both on point and beyond, happy facts that put him at the leading edge in any discussion of contemporary guitar monsters.

“That’s When You Know That You’re Down” is a dark, undulating journey of a song that delivers a Robert Johnson-level sense of existential dread and disorientation that’s seriously amazing through headphones. Simo is otherworldly in a way that no one else on the current scene could think up, much less execute. He might not excite the blues purist crowd but has the potential to become a major point of light for everyone else.

Every track on Mind Control has much to offer all of the adventurous listeners out there and, at only ten songs in length, there’s no excuse for missing even a moment of this career-making effort. JD Simo is exactly the iconoclast the roots music universe needs right now. He’s here to remind us that the future is what it’s all about now and that we have the power to remake any tradition in our own image. Ignore him at your own risk.

Watch “Know It All”