Simon Joyner
"A Rag of Colts-Disgraced Songs 1987-2012"
(Unread Records

 Simon Joyner is a folk fella currently in his 40s residing in Omaha. His music has been cited as influencing and inspiring artist such as Conor Oberst and The Mountain Goats and reached acclaim when John Peel played Joyners album "The Cowardly Traveller Pays His Toll" in its entirety on air. The great label Unread Records and Tapes, currently operating out of Pittsburgh, has released 3 tapes by Joyner. Rag of Colts, the latest release, is a collection of demos and abandoned songs from 1987-2012. Joyners style is reserved and pulls no tricks but his style of song and storytelling is pure. Some songs are Joyner alone and others are with a band or another collaborator. All in all for someone who is not drawn to this sort of thing I really enjoyed this tape. The whole thing plays out well and is a nice clouded dip into his world.

http://unread-records.com/
http://unreadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/unread-125
http://www.simonjoyner.net/

-- Mark Johnson