![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DSC_7229-1024x683.jpg\")
A long-time friend of Common John owners, Lebron and Angela Haggard, Simmons said he had been planning a performance at the brewery for some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLeBron and Angela graduated with me,\u201d he said. \u201cLast summer we were talking about doing something, and that was about the time everything kind of went sideways here [with Covid]. Then at some point, it was too cold to do shows outside there, so we just moved it to this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simmons said he enjoys playing locally and getting to catch up with old friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s fun. I mean, I\u2019m still in touch with a lot of people I went to school with. And I come from a big family so I\u2019m closer to them too. But I have played [in Manchester] often, over the years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A songwriter and performer, when asked if preferred one over the other, Simmons said he enjoys both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no preference,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I think \u201csinger-songwriter\u201d is a really appropriate term for people like me, because songwriting is by and large, a very lonely process. You have to have an introverted side of your personality. But to really enjoy playing gigs, and performing and singing for people, you also must have an extra extroverted side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simmons is now in his 20th year of being a musician in what he would call the \u201cofficial capacity.\u201d He has 15 records to his credit with a plethora of music that he has created or helped to create. He said it is still surreal to him that he has come this far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/em>Writing is just something I always did even before I knew that I ever wanted to perform,\u201d he explained. \u201cOn my dad\u2019s side of the family, there were a lot of musicians. My grandmother played guitar and wrote songs and so did my uncle. My dad also played guitar. And so that was a family thing that we always did, and I kind of grew up just wanting to join in. I was out of college before I realized I could get paid for it. I knew you could write songs, but I was older before I realized there was a thing called singer-songwriter. It\u2019s been around forever, but I didn\u2019t think about it as a career you go into or something you did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has enjoyed success, both at home and abroad, and as he looks over his career, the one thing he seems to be the proudest of, is the process of it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[Proud] is a tough word to use,\u201d he explained. \u201cI guess because I don\u2019t really use it. You\u2019ve always got the song that you\u2019ve started [but] you haven\u2019t finished, or the other album you want to make next. It sounds so cliche, but the process is what\u2019s fun and engaging. So you don\u2019t really spend that much time patting yourself on the back because by the time you\u2019ve done it, the satisfaction, bliss, and the joy you get is from the process, and then you\u2019re wanting to do something else because you\u2019re chasing that same feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To check out the music and work of Stephen Simmons, visit online at stephensimmonsmusic. com. To keep up with the latest musical happenings at Common John Brewing Company, visit them online at commonjohnbc.com. GN.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IT\u2019S HOT. The humidity is as thick as honey on a fluffy buttermilk biscuit that has just come out of the oven. People sit in their camp chairs and fan themselves with whatever is in arm\u2019s reach as they sip on a cold brew, both of which help to calm the heat. Taking the stage, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DSC_7149-1024x683.jpg\")