"Omaha has given us the reigning heir to Henry Miller's dark emotional mirror, Townes Van Zandt's three-chord moan, and Lou Reed's warehouse minimalism: his name is Simon Joyner." — Gillian Welch

"Pound for pound Simon Joyner is my favorite lyricist of all time. He has shades of all the greats (Van Zandt, Cohen, Dylan) but exists in a space all his own ... He truly is an American songwriting treasure. It is my hope that more people will discover his music and share in the unique joy that it brings." — Conor Oberst

"Simon's always been a secret handshake amongst me and my peers. He's a pioneer. He's helped pave the way for many people, myself included. He's an artist in its purest form--for his only concern is crafting a
perfect song--which he's done time and time again." — Kevin Morby

Simon Joyner is among America’s best songwriters, so says Gillian Welch, Conor Oberst, Kevin Morby, and others. With his new double LP, Step Into The Earthquake, the songwriter strikes for the personal while acknowledging that the times they are a-changin’ around us again. In fact, things are leaning shitty right now, and the characters in Joyner’s songs experience the dissolution of comfort amid anxious concerns regarding our turbulent times. 

 Joyner traverses the human predicament, in general, and the American psyche specifically, using fiction to tell difficult truths. Characters struggle through personal crises while absorbing America's currently failing experiment. 
 
To record, Joyner’s band, the Ghosts, holed up with longtime collaborator, Michael Krassner (Boxhead Ensemble), in Omaha's ARC Studio, developing songs from skeletal foundations to full-on group efforts. Hence, each compositions’ power comes equally from the lyrics working in tandem with the subtle arrangements.
 
Joyner’s vision may be dark but it stops short of nihilism. Where do we go from here? The best move towards answering that question is knowing where we stand right now. Joyner's expansive album offers a poet’s truthful view, however disconcerting, that to survive whatever is coming for us, we have to confront and understand it first. So, go ahead and step into the earthquake.

Other releases by Simon Joyner:
Coyote Butterfly (Vinyl/CD) 2024
Songs From A Stolen Guitar (Vinyl/CD) 2022
Pocket Moon (Vinyl/CD) 2019
The Cowardly Traveller Pays His Toll (30th Anniversary Reissue) (Vinyl) 1994 / 2024

01./A1. Hail Mary - (03:42)
02./A2. Annie’s Blues - (05:00)
03./A3. Another Midnight Special - (04:24)
04./A4. I’m Feeling it Today - (06:48)

05./B1 Atlanta Bypass (05:02)
06./B2. Flash Forward to the Moon - (05:07)
07./B3. Earthquake - (04:12)
08./B4. Illuminations - (04:59)

09./C1 Galveston Blues - (05:18)
10./C2. Daylight - (05:50)
11./C3. As Long As We’re in Danger - (03:00)
12./C4.  I’ll Fly Away - (07.33)

13./D1. I Dreamed I Saw Lou Reed Last Night - (19:24) 

All songs by Simon Joyner, Cowardly Traveller Music (BMI), except the adapted verses from “Vigilante Man,” by Woody Guthrie, Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. & TRO-Ludlow Music, Inc. (BMI) 
and the adopted question “Why” that bears repeating, by Yoko Ono, heard within “I Dreamed I Saw Lou Reed Last Night.”

Band: The Ghosts:
Ben Brodin
Chris Deden
Kevin Donahue
Michael Krassner
Alex McManus
David Nance
Jim Schroeder
Megan Siebe
Noah Sterba

Engineered by Ben Brodin
Assistant engineering by Jon Ochsner
Recorded in February 2017 at ARC Studios
Strings recorded in March 2017 at Hand Branch Studio
Mixed by Ben Brodin and Simon Joyner at ARC Studios
Cover photograph by Dana Damewood
Design and Layout by Zack Nipper