Meet Korey Simeone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Korey Simeone.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was born on a mountain 4 miles north of Elk River, Idaho. As my mother wanted a home birth, my father delivered me instead of a doctor. Growing up on our land was an incredibly innocent experience that formed my artistic endeavors ever since, especially my music. I seem to write songs reflecting everything I experienced in that rural place.

The other great childhood influence was my exchange year in Germany in 1990. This opened the world up to me, showing me how multi-faceted our world is. I was exposed to many new ideas, music, and people from all over the globe. I learned the language fluently and even did a rap album in German!

I have also lived many places in the United States, including the East Coast, Northwest, Southwest and Texas, where I spent 14 years touring out of Austin. It was a crazy, fun time to be there, learning so much and getting into acting as well. I had the good fortune to be a part of such projects as Sin City, Prison Break, and Friday Night Lights.

In 2010, I decided to make the big leap to Los Angeles and I’ve never regretted it. I love my new city, both for the opportunities and a vibrant creative scene. I started my own band, Ikes Creek, here and I feel like the sky’s the limit!

Please tell us about your art.
I am a musician and actor, mainly, although I do dabble in painting as well.

Musically, I have played almost every genre of American music there is, from jazz, rock, and blues to country, bluegrass, Irish, and experimental. Although I am often referred to as a multi-instrumentalist, I am mainly a violinist/fiddler but have recently been focusing on writing songs and singing for my Roots Americana band, Ikes Creek. We have gotten off to a strong start, winning Best Band honors at the 2018 Topanga Folk Festival. I also play mandolin, dobro and guitar professionally.

I have been a musician for most of my life now so I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t want to play or sing or express myself through music. I usually just say it is what I do and even though I could do something else and sometimes do, I can’t imagine not playing music.

It’s always my hope that my music will make people both feel something and inspire as well. I try to write songs that are as hummable and catchy as my heroes, Beethoven and Hendrix, wrote. And I really want everyone to have a great time at our shows! That’s why I play with as much energy as I can muster.

I also would like for my acting to make an impression but not for the same reasons. Acting is much more about making the character you’re playing come alive for the audience, so much so that they don’t see you anymore and instead experience the character. In that way, it’s much more introverted than performing live music. I love it just as much, though, and hope to play more great roles in the future.

What do you think about the conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
This is a great question. Honestly, it has always been difficult for artists to make a living but it does seem to be getting harder and harder to make enough to even get by, especially in Los Angeles.

I think many factors come into play in this including rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and the fracturing of union influences, at least in music and acting. More often now, the few artists at the top make all the money that is left over from what the middlemen like Spotify and iTunes take. So, the modern artist is left to rely on live performance to earn even a meager living and more than ever, people don’t like to leave their home where they have vast entertainment choices at their fingertips.

I would love to see some things happen in Los Angeles that happened in Austin, namely a city program for musicians to receive low-cost insurance and learn marketing skills. Also, I think a program to teach musicians how to negotiate wages for gigs would be of great help. Unions provide basic minimums for actors, writers, etc. but freelance musicians don’t have that unless they’re in the musicians’ union which has almost no power or sphere of influence.

I would also love to see low-cost housing for musicians who could prove they play full-time for a living but given the housing shortage already in the city, that might prove to be difficult.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can experience my work in many places! First and foremost, they can come see my band at a live show. Our website, www.ikescreek.com has all the information about our upcoming shows.

We also love it when people buy our music or merchandise, either a cd at our live shows or online in all the usual online music marketplaces like iTunes or CDBaby. So, come on out and support local live music! It’s lots of fun.

In terms of acting, you can catch me in many productions on streaming services or on DVD. I have an extensive imdb.com profile or you can find my personal website at www.iamkorey.net

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ikescreek.com
• Email: ikescreek@gmail.com
• Instagram: ikescreekofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IkesCreek/
• Twitter: @IkesCreek
• Other: www.iamkorey.net

Image Credit:
Kevin Mcintyre, Miriam Bernard

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