Joseph Simmons

Joseph Lee Simmons (born June 18, 1978) is an American guitarist, bass guitarist, songwriter and brewer. Originally from Houston, Texas, Simmons grew up in Coral Springs, Florida, where he notably played in the hardcore punk bands Dinner Time and Lock Down, the sludge metal band Bird of Ill Omen and the metallic hardcore band Morning Again. He later moved to Gainesville, Florida, where he played i...

Joseph Lee Simmons (born June 18, 1978) is an American guitarist, bass guitarist, songwriter and brewer. Originally from Houston, Texas, Simmons grew up in Coral Springs, Florida, where he notably played in the hardcore punk bands Dinner Time and Lock Down, the sludge metal band Bird of Ill Omen and the metallic hardcore band Morning Again. He later moved to Gainesville, Florida, where he played in the metallic hardcore bands Culture and Some Sort of Radio, the melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust, and the emotional hardcore / post-hardcore band Salem. He currently plays in the black metal band Rot in Coffins. From 2007 to 2013, Simmons was the co-owner of the independent record label Sound Study Recordings, which he co-founded with former Bird of Ill Omen, As Friends Rust and Salem band-mate Thomas Rankine and recording engineer Matthew Finch. The record label released music from such artists as Burning Love, Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves, Comadre, Coliseum, Off with Their Heads and Ruiner. Outside of the music industry, Simmons works in the brewing industry, having held the position of head brewer at Swamp Head Brewery and First Magnitude Brewing Company, both based in Gainesville, Florida. In 2019, he and partner Matthew Juaire opened their own brewery, Bay Cannon Beer Company, in Tampa, Florida. Following Bay Cannon's closure in 2023, Simmons opened Grand Scheme Brewing in Gainesville. Background Early bands, Fork in the Road and Bird of Ill Omen (1994–1997) Simmons' early bands include Dinner Time and Lock Down, two hardcore punk bands based in Coral Springs, Florida, active during the mid-1990s. In August 1996, Simmons joined the newly formed North Miami, Florida-based sludge metal/metalcore band Fork in the Road, which quickly changed name to Bird of Ill Omen. The band also included vocalist Damien Moyal (who had previously been in Culture, Shai Hulud and Morning Again), guitarist José Martinez (who would later play in Poison the Well), bass guitarist Thomas Rankine (who would later play in As Friends Rust and Further Seems Forever) and drummer George Rios (formerly of doom metal band Floor). Martinez, Rankine and Rios had previously played in the emo band Crestfallen earlier that year. While writing a full-length album's worth of material during most of late 1996 and early 1997, Bird of Ill Omen played local shows with Shai Hulud, Morning Again, Discount, Strongarm, Vision of Disorder, Earth Crisis, Zao and Cavity. The band's membership was revised when former Morning Again bass guitarist Peter Bartsocas (who would also later play in As Friends Rust) replaced Martinez in November 1996, and the recruiting of a second vocalist, Rob Ogman. In March 1997, Simmons was kicked out of Bird of Ill Omen, after he was asked to join Morning Again as their new guitarist (having already filled in as bass guitarist in December 1996 after Bartsocas' departure). The band quickly recruited Andrew Logan, who had played in Crestfallen, to replace Simmons. Moyal was displeased about Simmons' firing, which was done without his knowledge while he was out of town with Culture, and in turn lead to his quitting the band. By this time, the band had written half a dozen songs with Simmons and Moyal for a planned full-length debut. The band ended up using three of these songs ("Spoon", "Pronoun" and "Now Ruin Is") on Bird of Ill Omen's debut album, Self, Dare You Still Breathe?. The album was released on compact disc in February 1998 by Eulogy Recordings, on 12-inch vinyl in July 1998 by Think Tank Records, and on compact cassette in October 2021 by Contraband Goods. Morning Again (1996, 1997–1998, 1999) Simmons first played with Morning Again on December 26, 1996 (while still a member of Bird of Ill Omen), when he filled in as bass guitarist for a concert in Atlanta, Georgia, following Peter Bartsocas' departure. The band then also included guitarist John Wylie, drummer Louie Long, vocalist Kevin Byers, and fill-in second guitarist Stephen Looker (who was then playing in Culture, but filled in for Morning Again after Micheal Wolz's departure). Morning Again's line-up eventually stabilized with Gerardo Villarroel on bass guitar and Ryan Stafford on guitar. Simmons was formally asked to join Morning Again as its new guitarist in March 1997, replacing Stafford, which lead to his dismissal from Bird of Ill Omen. Although Stafford had recorded guitar tracks in February 1997 for the band's forthcoming release, Martyr (Good Life Recordings), Wylie chose to credit Simmons in the liner notes in place of Stafford (a picture of Stafford is, however, included in the booklet above Simmons' name). In promotion of Martyr, Morning Again embarked on a tour of the United States and Canada with Bird of Ill Omen during June 1997, which included performances at Syracuse 3-Day Super Festival in Syracuse, New York and Indianapolis Hardcore Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. Upon returning home, Long was replaced by Matthew Thomas. Continuing its promotion of Martyr, Morning Again embarked on a European tour in July–August 1997, accompanied by Belgian hardcore bands Congress and Hitch. The tour included stops to perform at Malmejock-Skatefestival in Oostmalle, Belgium, The Ultimate Hardcore Festival in Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium and Hardcore: The Next Generation in Ypres, Belgium. While in Europe, Morning Again stopped over at Midas Studios in Lokeren, Belgium in August 1997, to record a new song, "Dictation of Beauty", with producer Tony De Block. The song was tracked especially for a split 7-inch vinyl and compact disc with 25 ta Life, released by Good Life Recordings in January 1998. Morning Again returned for a second European tour, this time accompanied by Agnostic Front, Vision and Maximum Penalty, spanning November–December 1997. In February 1998, Morning Again entered Studio 13 in Deerfield Beach, Florida, to record its ten-song debut album, As Tradition Dies Slowly, with producer Jeremy Staska. Only three weeks after the album was recorded, Simmons was fired and replaced by Stephen Looker, who had just quit both Culture and As Friends Rust to join Morning Again. As a result, Simmons moved to Gainesville, Florida and joined both Culture and As Friends Rust, taking up Looker's former position. The album was eventually released on June 30, 1998, through Revelation Records, but Morning Again would break up a mere four months later in October 1998. In December 1999, Simmons briefly rejoined the band to perform two secret reunion shows under the names Hand of Hope and Cleanest War; the first at Club Q in Davie Florida, the second at Gainesvillefest in Gainesville, Florida. The line-up at those shows also included Wylie, Moyal, Eric Ervin and Jason Dooley. A live concert recorded during the band's first Belgian tour in 1997 (with Simmons on guitar), was included as bonus tracks on the compact disc compilation Hand of the Martyr, co-released by Eulogy Recordings and Alveran Records on April 30, 2002. The original version of "Dictation of Beauty" recorded in Belgium was repackaged again on the 12-inch vinyl compilation II, released by Germany's Demons Run Amok Entertainment on September 25, 2015. Culture, Some Sort of Radio and As Friends Rust (1998–2002) In early March 1998, immediately after having been kicked out of Morning Again and replaced by guitarist Stephen Looker, Simmons was invited by former Bird of Ill Omen band-mate Damien Moyal to move to Gainesville, Florida and simultaneously join the established metallic hardcore band Culture and the newly reformed melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust (taking Looker's former position in both bands). The two bands then shared several members, including vocalist Moyal, guitarist Gordon Tarpley and drummer Timothy Kirkpatrick; Culture additionally included bass guitarist Christopher "Floyd" Beckham, while As Friends Rust included bass guitarist and backing vocalist Kaleb Stewart. With its new line-up, As Friends Rust recorded the song "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" at Goldentone Studios in late March 1998 with producer Rob McGregor. "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" was combined with four songs from the band's 1996 demo recording session to make up As Friends Rust's debut extended play, The Fists of Time, released by Good Life Recordings in July 1998. Meanwhile, Culture also wrote a new song, "Pimping the Revolution". Although the song was never recorded properly in studio, a live recording from Ieperfest was released on Belgian record label Genet Records' 1999 Various Artists compact disc compilation, Vort'n Vis Hardcore Festival 1998. In September 2012, Eulogy Recordings, Ghetto Josh Records and New Ethic Record Co-Op co-released the compact disc and 12-inch vinyl compilation of previously unreleased material, From the Vaults: Demos and Outtakes 1993–1998, which included the same live recording. From April–May 1998, Culture was booked for a two-month North American tour with Shutdown, but the band's van broke down on the way to the first show and Culture was unable to continue the tour. Frustrated by the event, Tarpley quit both As Friends Rust and Culture simultaneously in April 1998, leading Moyal to recruit ex-Morning Again bass guitarist and then-guitarist of Bird of Ill Omen (though the band was on hiatus) Peter Bartsocas as As Friends Rust's new guitarist and co-backing vocalist, and ex-Wounded Knee guitarist Kenneth Brian Sulak for Culture. As Friends Rust embarked on a five-week tour of the United States accompanied by Discount and Dillinger Four in June–July 1998. The tour included stops to play at such festivals as More Than Music in Columbus, Ohio, Tin Can Full of Dreams in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Wilkes-Barre Festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Culture then toured Europe in August–September 1998, which included a stop to play the Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium. Upon returning home, Simmons and Kirkpatrick both quit Culture, but remained with As Friends Rust. From the ashes of Culture, Moyal and Simmons re-teamed with bass guitarist Gordon Tarpley to form Some Sort of Radio (named after an unreleased As Friends Rust song), a metal project which was active from late 1998 to early 1999, and also featured guitarist Rob Proctor (from Assück) and drummer Bradley Bulifant (later of Some Day Soon and The Æffect). Although recordings of rehearsals exist, Some Sort of Radio never entered a studio nor played a show. In October 1998, guitarist James Glayat replaced Bartsocas in As Friends Rust, and the band returned to Goldentone Studios to record "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" with McGregor. The song, which had been partly written with Bartsocas, would appear on a split CD and 7-inch vinyl with Discount, released by Good Life Recordings in December 1998. As Friends Rust returned on the road to tour Europe and the United Kingdom from December 1998 to January 1999, accompanied by Discount and Purusam. In late 1998, As Friends Rust signed a three-record deal with record label Doghouse Records, and in May 1999 returned to Goldentone Studios to record six songs with McGregor. As Friends Rust was released by Doghouse Records on September 17, 1999; the European version, released earlier in July 1999, was erroneously promoted under the titles God Hour and 6-Song CD by Good Life Recordings. As Friends Rust toured the United States in June–July 1999, accompanied by Keith Welsh. The tour included stops to play the Wilkes-Barre Summer Music Festival in Kingston, Pennsylvania and Syracuse Hell Fest in Syracuse, New York. The band quickly followed up with a five-week European and British tour in July–August 1999, playing at such festivals as Good Life Midsummer Hardcore Festival in Kuurne, Belgium, Festival Hardcore in Sant Feliu De Guíxols, Spain and Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium. On October 5, 1999, Japanese record label Howling Bull Entertainment released the compilation Eleven Songs, which included a selection of As Fri