 Simon has joined me in the studio. Simon, how's it going? You're very welcome indeed. Thanks very much for having me up, Tommy. It's great to be back here again. It's been a while since I've been up here with you. Simon, the last time you were up here with me, we're just after writing a song about your Uncle Michael. That's right. And so that was over two years ago now. That's what I was writing right while ago, definitely. That's right. That was a very special song for me, obviously, because it's about an uncle of mine that passed away. And it done very well for me, thank God, and it's still doing very well. And hopefully, actually, I'll have a video out for that song in the next couple of months as well. So you can keep an eye out for that as well. And Kamiro, before we talk about what we do in your new single, we were just talking off here about how long you've been into music. You started off and you were only a young fella. I remember George Hamilton before took a big interest in you, and I remember we were out in Nashville one year. That's right. How did it all start off you in the first place when you started off first? Actually, it was my uncle's wedding and Emin McCann was the band at the wedding and I had wrote a song at that time called The Offly Rover about John Hogan. And I went up with him in McCann's band, played that song. And I kind of went from there. Emin told me to record it and stuff. I recorded it and went from there to start getting guest spots. And we're here today, Tommy, with you. That was a great experience in Nashville. I remember your mum and dad were out and we actually met George Hamilton backstage at the Opry. But the songwriting as well, you had another great song out on one of your albums. It was kind of a tribute to Merle Haggard when you wrote yourself. That's right, Tommy. I wrote that one. Believe it or not, I actually wrote that song maybe four or five years before it was released. And then I just took an ocean one night and I was flicking through songs that I had half written and whatever, and that one came up. And I finished it, not realizing that Merle Haggard was actually severely ill at the time. And I passed away two weeks later after I had finished the song. So obviously after that, I thought it would be a good tribute to him to get under the studio, get it recorded and put it on my latest album. When you recorded first, when you were a young lad, not that you're not an old lad now, but did any of your friends think this is strange, you know, Simon, into the country music, you know? Because a lot of young lads would be more into the pop of the day rather than country music. Well, back then, I think it might have been a wee bit strange for someone my age to be in the country music, but I think nowadays it's a lot more popular. So back then, it might have been looked upon as if, Jesus, it's strange that Simon's in the country music, but I think now it's, he's in the country music as well as everyone else. It's quite big now, especially with the likes of country to country coming to L Fast and stuff and bringing the American artists here. I think country music in Ireland, Irish and American country has grown drastically. Yeah, I know your dad was big into the country and he loves his traditional country. It's changed since we were out in Nashville that time in the early 90s. It's changed big time now, hasn't it? From traditional to what it is now, like when you think there's Beyonce, number one lad. No, definitely. Save is all, honest to God. There's a lot changing out there. I was over there last April as well. I'm working with a record label on Music Row at the moment and that's why we chose Whoop to do. That was the song that they actually, they've seen me video. I don't know video with Hot Country TV and we put it on Facebook and I got hundreds of thousands of views in say 24 hours and it was actually the record label saw the video there and contacted me via email and that's how we got over there. Did you write that song yourself? I didn't write that song. No, that's, I'm gonna forget the name. Keith Garrus. That was an old Keith Garrus song that I had at home for years. My dad always listened to it and I think we kind of always overlooked it because we'd known the song for years and when we were picking songs for a single me and my dad just sat down, we picked that one and it went really well for us. One thing I noticed about you Simon and not just trying to be patronising or anything like that but any of the songs you did record, you recorded them while you got them done in a good studio but not only that but whether you're dad or who chose the song. You weren't picking songs like a lot of the artists that are around today doing covers of old Brad Paisley or all American songs and you all seem to be doing the same song. Songs you've recorded down through the years were all kind of different, they were country but they were different and you know the local, how did you come about choosing them? Was it just... It's kind of, it's the music that I grew up on it's the stuff that I always listened to was that older style country and obviously when you go into the studio record a song your biggest fear is that someone else is going to record the same song so you do try and go back about far to try and get a song that maybe not many other people would know so when someone hears it on the radio they relate it back to you instead of relating it to the original artists so kind of to get yourself more recognised I tried to pick up more songs that are more original to me. And recently now you brought out as I said the last one I remember playing was the one you wrote for your uncle Michael was that the last recording before this new single that's coming out? Or had you had anything? I had a single out there as well called What Am I Worth it was an old George Jones song Oh yeah, yeah, I think I had that at that time Old George Jones song, Sam McCarshall's version was the version that I actually learned it from as well so that was my latest single that went pretty well for me as well Yeah, it's amazing you know like if you look how many songs there is out there that hasn't been recorded by I was talking to somebody else about that the other day about there's that many songs like I have that many country albums and every so often at home I would go through them just to see rather than playing the same Merle Haggard songs all the time I came across a few Merle Haggard songs and albums that I had and I never played them before and I started playing them now there was an old Porter Ragnar song to that McFlaven had on I heard McFlaven sing it out in the Lord's chair and I said God I wonder who did the original Yeah and I've seen it was Porter it's called I think it's called Your Time Was Come or Something Like but it's a great song and you know like there's forgotten songs like on Randy Travis albums or as you mentioned like your new song now is it's a cover too it's not of a guy who would wouldn't have been a big name artist but he was Yeah he'd done a couple of albums just to say that's right Jeff Griffith again I think that his album was took out in 2007 and I was actually a good friend of mine from I'm not going to say where he's from because I can't actually remember but he's from Donegal Martin Fury Oh yeah man but actually Martin actually gave me the song and he told me that he thought it'd be a great song for me and I'd say that was maybe ten years ago Martin gave me that song and I was always on the list to record but I was only getting around to getting it recorded now and so thanks very much Martin if you're listening forgive me that song and I think it's just a great song and also I recorded it down with Jonathan Owen so we changed it up a wee bit from the original it's a bit different but that's quite contrary so we'll see how it goes Yeah I remember years ago when he brought out that album I had done an interview with him and he was telling me like he's not on a big label he's on a minor label and he paid to get the record on himself and I think his day job was he was in construction yeah and like he's only brought out two or three albums and you know when you look back at the album there's lots of other songs you could actually pick up at two different great songs you know he definitely had great songs on that album it would be hard to choose a favourite from the album Fishing Forever was obviously one of my favourites from it but he had a song and ain't the clothes that make the man as well some great songs on that album would just I think would go down well in Ireland as well for an Irish artist to record like Yeah and can really tell you who would have been like when you were starting off who would have been your favourite artist who did you like who would have been influential on the Irish country scene I've grew up always listening to John Hogan John Hogan and Mike Flavin kind of thing but it's mostly the American country scene that I would have listened to Sammy Kershaw I'd be a huge fan of Keith Whitley George Jones and artists like that is what I grew up listening to and even Stull today I'd be even coming down the road there just coming down the bird road I was blasting Keith Whitley flat out coming down the road like it's You mean you weren't listening to me I'll be listening to it now I know You were talking about George Strait and the like and it's great to see George Strait George Strait is a great song out it was on one of his box sets it's called kicked out a country That's right The lyrics is great it's all about the likes of him and the guys Jones and Cash and Haggard The new country radio doesn't want them there They'd be turning in their graves now if they heard what's coming out I was mentioning the other night like about Beyoncé and all like she's a great singer and a good artist but she is pop and like but not just her but like a lot of stuff coming out from National now is pop if you've read the CMA Awards in the last couple of years it's just pop Yeah, no definitely I can't agree with the air don't get me wrong I do like some of that music like I can listen to it but I can appreciate it it's not country music and my roots have always stuck with the traditional country which I grew up on and I love and still love to this day but when the farm's good and the weather's good I can still listen to the country pop as well You'll be hitting up the bell fast Is it really coming to bell fast this year? It's not coming to Dublin this year? It's not coming to Dublin this year no just bell fast I wonder why One or two years I was up there now and I would have gone to see maybe two of the acts that I'd be on and like all the acts that are on they're only on for about 20 minutes or half an hour so I said I couldn't be bothered Marty Stewart was up there one year I'd have gone to see him or I'd have gone to see Dwight Joachim but somebody arrested him Yeah, that's right I was actually there that night to see Dwight Joachim myself that was a great show we put on that night So Khmer, any word on a new album or are you working on any material or are you? Well when I was just down with Jonathan there finishing off that one a couple of weeks ago we were talking about it so we'll be getting back in the studio now in the next maybe five or six weeks time and we'll be setting down all the tracks to finish the album maybe take out another two or three singles before the album's finished but we will be working on it in the next couple of weeks so I'll be looking forward to that as well Khmer, gig wise how are you doing these days? I'm doing a lot of guest spots Tommy You're very popular at the moment again Yeah, definitely I have a lot of private parties in there as well that I've, I don't know, grade eight teams there and Bali are there last weekend and I have a 40th birthday party coming up next weekend sorry, I've come to the country next weekend and the weekend after I have a 40th birthday party so a lot of private parties there as well which is good to get like Right, so we're going to give it a spin and thanks for coming up and once again, do you want to dedicate it to anybody? Just all your listeners out there Tommy I hope you enjoy it and when it's out on Friday I hope you can all get requesting on Highland Radio so thanks very much Tommy