A Musical Life

Joe Simpson is a member of the band Circular Reference, which recently issued the record One. “One of the most important parts of being a musician is being a good listener. I think we have the responsibility to be the type of fan and listener that you would want to be at your shows. Whenever you can pick up gear, help a band on the stage, tell them how much their music means to you, put money in the tip jar, buy a cassette, buy a CD, even just showing up … that’s what makes our music scene in Wichita great. How I take my influences and craft it into Circular Reference is really kind of pigheaded. I take the guitar and I make a chord that has some really extreme voicings. You’re adding all the extra harmonies, notes that don’t make sense. I pound it out one chord at a time. Then comes rhythm. Then comes melody. Then comes harmony. Drums are an essential part of making any music interesting. I don’t think there’s a good band that has a bad drummer. I worked in a music store for about