Feenstra & Simpson release double A sided single called 'I Don't Get It' / '75'

Feenstra & Simpson release double A sided single called 'I Don't Get It' / '75' Feenstra And Simpson announce their new double A Sided single called ‘I Don’t Get It’ / ‘75’, a self release. Written as a homage to the Wilko Johnson era Dr. Feelgood, it will be released digitally the 10th of May (Lee Brilleaux’s birthday).

The  double A-sided release is  a musical departure for the pop roots rock duo who comprise award winning songwriter/lyricist/promoter and author Pete Feenstra and John Simpson, the former Wilko Johnson championed Feelgood Band main man, multi instrumentalist and indie artist.

As John explains, the two songs mark a return to his rhythm & blues roots: “In early 2013 I had an idea to put together The Feelgood Band and play the music of the Wilko Johnson era Dr.Feelgood.  Then almost as if fate decreed, in July 2013 Fender released a limited run of 400 “Wilko Johnson” signature replicas.  

I duly bought one and little did I know that within 2 years I would be playing that Telecaster with Wilko watching on.  He told me I was “more Wilko than Wilko.”  I was flattered to be told I was even somewhere close by the man himself.  Within a couple of months Wilko had jumped on stage with the band, played my Wilko Telecaster, and signed it. 

I left the band after 10 years, while the guitar which had played upwards of 250 gigs was put out to rest. Not long after Wilko passed I was telling Pete about the guitar and he mentioned the band’s 10^th anniversary.”

Pete: “I asked John if he still played his Tele, and he mumbled not really, but then he added; “I can’t resist the urge to give it some Wilko occasionally.

So the germ of an idea was born. We’d only done pop stuff up to this point and I thought it would be interesting to explore a new style of writing.

‘I Don’t Get It’ happened very quickly. I scribbled it on a south London train one morning. John cut it in the afternoon and then took a day to research his collage of photos, including Wilko Johnson, Big Figure, Dean Kennedy, Will Birch, Lew Lewis, French Henri and Malcolm Wilkinson. John Sparkes.

‘75’ took longer as I was trying to lyrically match John's intense choppy guitar lines to evoke the era of the time. I was amazed by how much we could cram into a little over 2 minutes.”

Pete Feenstra: petefeenstrablues@gmail.com                 

John Simpson:   Johnsimpsonmusic@btinternet.com 

Facebook: John Simpson Music / Pete Feenstra  / www.petefeenstramusic@gmail.com