Born in Philadelphia, raised in New England, with time spent at the University of Massachusetts and a graduate of the University of Oregon with a BS in Business Management and a minor in marketing, plus a lifetime’s devotion to live music all lead to the formation of Simon Says Booking. From childhood music lessons on piano and trumpet and eventually guitar, to taking the stage at open mic nights and forming garage bands, to attending literally thousands of shows, to booking bands, venues and events- Phil Simon has pursued a passion for live music his entire life.

“If you had asked me when I was a teenager what I wanted to do, I could clearly enunciate that I wanted to combine my passion for music with my developing skills in business. At the time I didn’t know what that meant: selling trumpets? Selling sheet music? Working for a record company? I didn’t know what that meant. But as I began to see live music in clubs and concert halls, it dawned on me that there were people working for the bands that were on tour, and my career in live music booking began, decades ago.”

Simon Says Booking began in the 1990s in Oregon booking garage bands and the bars where they played and with patience and determination plowed through the difficult formative years of any business. In 2000, Phil became the head of booking at the Planetary Group in Boston where he built a roster that included Max Creek, Jiggle the Handle, Uncle Sammy, ulu, Freekbass, Phat Phunktion, the David Nelson Band and more. While there he got involved with the Boston Music Awards and the NEMO music showcase events, before forming Simon Says Booking for the second time. From there it was full steam ahead booking thousands of shows a year, picking up venues and festivals, adding publicity and other