Simple Kid

Simple Kid (aka Ciaran McFeely) grew up in Cork, Ireland, worshiping volume giants such as Led Zeppelin and the Who. The process of getting his first band, the Young Offenders, signed to a major label was difficult enough, but the constant chaos of its upkeep and the lack of creative control disillusioned the 17-year-old. Everyone in the band went their separate ways, and McFeely found himself in San Francisco, where, after a fight with his girlfriend, he became homeless. Broke but not broken, he traveled up and down America's West Coast, drifting from San Francisco to Monterey to San Diego and back up again to Santa Cruz. In fact, it was in Santa Cruz that Ciaran was first dubbed the Simple Kid, a moniker handed down to him by a homeless man. Eventually, McFeely moved to London, and tried once again to kick start his career. Using his nickname as a creative guide, McFeely wrote songs with the aim of keeping them simple. In 2003, the highly respected indie label Fierce Panda released "I Am Rock" and "Truck On," which started the buzz on Simple Kid; high-profile shows with the likes of Travis, Suede and the Thrills kindled the buzz into a deafening roar. Vector Records, which successfully launched the career of another Irish troubadour, Damien Rice, picked up Simple Kid, and released his debut album, 1, in the U.S. in June 2004.