Simon Scardanelli

Simon Scardanelli

Simon Scardanelli is a UK-based indie-folk singer-songwriter and composer whose work combines acoustic songwriting with experimental arrangement and sonic composition. He first gains wider attention in the late 1980s as part of the Anglo-Canadian duo Big Bam Boo, which is signed to MCA and scores a top 20 radio hit in the United States in March 1989. After the duo relocates to New York and then ends in 1991, he stays in the city and works on installation pieces for art events and experimental films, while also performing at acoustic venues along the East Coast.

Early career and New York period

In New York he becomes a regular at Lach’s AntiFolk nights at the Sidewalk Café in the East Village. During this period he releases the album Eye Camera on Red Line in 1994. He later returns to London in 1995, then moves to Brighton to study 20th Century Music at Sussex University.

Composition and academic work

After stepping away from the live circuit, Scardanelli focuses on sonic composition. He studies under composer Jonty Harrison at the University of Birmingham and receives a PhD in Musical Composition in 2010.

Solo recordings

He returns to live performance in 2005 with HOBOHEMIA, a solo acoustic album described as his first album in more than ten years. He then releases That Dangerous Sparkle in 2007 and Dark Dog Days in 2013, along with various singles and EPs. His fourth solo album, Make Us Happy, appears in 2016 and uses a ramshackle ensemble including accordions, fiddle, cajon, clarinet, soprano sax, guitars, mandolin and Turkish cumbus in unusual arrangements.

Style and collaborators

Scardanelli’s songwriting is marked by unusual subject matter and a willingness to stretch the idea of the singer-songwriter. His songs include material about the dangerous journey of a migrant and a confession from a well-used dagger. His sound is associated with eclectic, risk-taking arrangements and has been compared with a range of experimental and offbeat styles.

Other projects

He is also associated with Big Bam Boo, Simon Tedd and the Adventures, and Dr Scardo.