“Thank you, mom, for my beer,” Tommy Simms (pictured far left) announced from the stage as he raised his cup. The 20something old Clearwater resident’s band, Win Win Winter, had just started an outstanding 40-minute set that took place Fri., Sept. 5, at State Theatre in St. Petersburg as part of this publication’s CL in Concert series. The crowd of about 200 largely included Simms’ fans, friends and family. Tommy’s younger 21-year-old sister, Juliet Simms, and her nationally signed (Sony/Epic) pop punk band, Automatic Loveletter, closed the show with Tommy sitting in on guitar.
Win Win Winter’s performance, which kicked off around 10:15 p.m., met high expectations as the band displayed its mastery of styles ranging from angular indie rock to bouncy keyboard-laden numbers to rustic ballads marked by the lap steel playing of Nate Oliver (pictured far right), who also sat in with Automatic Loveletter and is a member of ace alt-country outfit Have, Gun Will Travel (more on them, and other local music breaking news items, after the jump).
Photo of Win Win Winter by CL Street Team honcho Shawn Alff. Also, check out the pics CL Online Producer Stephen Hammill posted here.
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2008.