Simon Joyner

Simon Joyner’s music is timeless: on his critically acclaimed albums, he explores themes of love and loss that get right to the heart of your soul. As one of the pioneers of the Omaha music scene, he’s been mixing indie folk with elements of Americana, country, and folk rock for over two decades. Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Gillian Welch and Kevin Morby are big fans, and we are happy to join them.

Simon Joyner is a renowned American singer-songwriter who first came to prominence during the Lo-Fi movement of the early 90’s alongside contemporaries mining similar territory, like Will Oldham, Peter Jefferies, the Mountain Goats, Smog, and Alastair Galbraith. Joyner was championed early by the British DJ John Peel and was seen as the perfect mix of the world’s greatest artists. In his music, you can hear the darkness of Cohen, the desolation of Van Zandt, the coolness of Lou Reed and the presence of Bob Dylan.

In Lab Grounds, he will present us his latest album Coyote Butterfly (2024). It is a very personal record, as it pays tribute to his son Owen, who passed away two years earlier. With this album, Joyner attempts to process the loss of his son and understand the incomprehensible through a series of imagined dialogues and raw confessions. The result is a beautiful collection of sensitive, intimate songs with poetic lyrics that will break your heart.