The bluesy singer/songwriter confessionals heard on Keaton Simons' first collection, Currently, barely hint at the varied depth of musicianship and experience that hide behind the music's relaxed demeanor. As a youngster growing up in the Los Angeles area, Simons had a natural flair for playing instruments, and by his early teens had already decided to pursue a career in music. In addition to co-founding the jazz-influenced group Nobody Knows, he took on gigs all over the city and eventually found himself involved in L.A.'s hip-hop scene playing for artists like Tré Hardson (Pharcyde) and Kim Hill (Black Eyed Peas). The unexpected dissolution of Nobody Knows (due to the death of a bandmember) had Simons questioning his choices, and soon he found himself studying music and composition at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.