Today we’d like to introduce you to Cy Simonton.
Cy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Atlanta and I went to Wesleyan in high school. I went to college at the University of Alabama and briefly came back to Atlanta for a semester at Creative Circus before ultimately heading back to Alabama to finish school. It was while finishing school there that I began to play more frequently out in bars and write more music.
CBDB formed in Tuscaloosa in 2011 after I recorded a solo album and wanted to put a band together. I found Kris Gottlieb, our guitarist, first and he was playing in another band, Deep South Dread, at the time with our saxophone and keyboardist, Glenn Dillard.
Our drummer, Paul Oliver, joined us after playing in a local band called The Hypsys. Mike Sinopole, our bass player, joined us most recently in 2016 after our former bassist decided to go in a different direction. Since the beginning of the band, we have gone from a local bar band in Tuscaloosa to a full time nationwide touring act.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In some ways, it has been smooth, in that we all enjoy what we do musically and we are still great friends after a lot of time together. In a lot of other ways, it has been a huge grind and a test of endurance and will. It isn’t easy to cram in a van week after week and spend time away from our families and homes.
We have gone through some member changes because of some of those challenges. It comes down to fact that we love and believe in what we do and have the support of our loved ones to keep grinding.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with CBDB – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a rock & roll band. Our sound is the result of a blend of different influences throughout the members that ends up sounding like progressive, pop rock & roll. We are proud to write and play music that is completely our own.
Each member adds his own input in the writing process. And, in performances, we do a good bit of improvising… that’s what makes CBDB completely unique. If we didn’t keep open minds, the sound would be greatly affected and lose its magic.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have just released our most recent album ‘Out of Line’ and we plan to tour extensively to support it in the coming year. We will actually be headlining Terminal West July 14th! We have some other exciting festivals coming up this summer & fall, as well.
Hulaween down in Florida is one we very stoked on. We also plan to continue writing new tunes and flexing our creativity to keep growing as a band. I look forward to playing new cities and venues and meeting different folks across the country.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cbdbmusic.com
- Email: cbdbband@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbdbmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBDBmusic/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cbdbtweets/
Image Credit:
Craig Baird of Home Team Photography, Ben Adams, aLive Media Coverage, Live and Listen, Brittan Allison, Kinsey Blake Haynes
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