Where In The World: A Blues Ambassador's Travels goes to the Brasil! Follow along for the entire month of September!
Introducing, born in Sao Paulo and Jacarei, Danilo and Nicolas Simi of The Simi Brothers!
Known for their ability to match and cross guitar arrangements, something they brought from their early days backing up harmonica players, brazilian brothers Nicolas and Danilo Simi (The Simi Brothers) are a force to be recognized in the Blues scenario. Their marvellous work taking many prestigious american artists to tour Brasil has give them a deeper conection and understanding about this music that, although are not Brasil's original culture, shares a lot of the same african roots.
Business, music and life partners; the 12 years gap in between brothers Danilo and Nicolas Simi gave them a strong connection. During his teenager years in the late 90s Danilo were responsible for his brother during the afternoons, which by that time, they spent listening to rock albums. As Danilo was getting more and more involved with music in early 00s and the support shown by the parents, it was very natural that Nicolas has follow his big brother trail. They both fall in love for traditional Blues and made their names as trustable sidemans in the brazilian scene, mainly because of their work backing harmonica players, what later led them to get calls from south american tour promoter Adrian Flores; every work Danilo dropped during his career Nicolas would take it right after.
It was only in 2018 that they really join forces under the name "The Simi Brothers". Their work alongside Darrell Nulisch, Big James Montgomery, Phil Wiggins, Alabama Mike, Keith Dunn, Hook Herrera, Dylan Triplett, Candice Ivory and many others created a buzz in the Blues music community and made them experience a breakthrough in Brasil's hot festivals scene, figuring in almost every Blues festival bill in the country for the past seven years; highlighting their many performances at the Rio das Ostras Jazz & Blues Festival. In 2023 they debut in Europe playing the Blues Heaven festival in Denmark and touring France for 10 days alongside rising star vocalist Dylan Triplett; this trip gave them new music connections and tied up some old ones, helping them to achieve a next step in the music business career.
Parallel to the hardcore touring schedule with american artists, Nicolas and Danilo has their very own show called "Original & Classics", where, as the name suggest, they present a mix of original material and versions for hand-picked classics from their personal library. Working hard in new songs and arrangements, the brothers are expecting to release their debut album later in 2026.
BluesME: Where were you born?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D: Brasil - São Paulo/SP
N: Brasil – Jacareí/SP
BluesME: What music was playing in your house as you grew up.
Nicolas/Danilo:
D/N: All kinds of brazilian music, although two artists had a bigger role in the house, Djavan and Tim Maia. We also were exposed to Lionel Ritchie, Al Green and even the Gypsy Kings.
BluesME: How did it influence or shape your early years.
Nicolas/Danilo:
D/N: As a child, especially in the first years, you don't realize that you are being heavily influenced by the environment you're exposed to. That being said, our father always has been a big music and life fan, no doubt he is our former and biggest influence.
BluesME: Any live music you attended in your early years.
Nicolas/Danilo:
D/N: Chuck Berry
BluesME: Who were your biggest influences.
Nicolas/Danilo:
D: My biggest influences on Blues were Muddy Waters, Lightnin Hopikins, Blind Boy Fuller, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson;
N: I'm still being influenced by lots of artists, but in the early years I would say Otis Rush and Magic Sam.
BluesME: Music education, was it offered in your schools?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D/N: Unfortunately, not. Brasil's educational system doesn't give the deserved worth to arts in general; it needs a big change.
BluesME: What was your first musical instrument?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D: Ordinary acoustic guitar
N: Brazilian Gianninni SG model 1970
BluesME: How many instruments/guitars do you play?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D: I have three eletric guitars, an acoustic one and a resonator and I play them all! Lately I've been playing a cheap nylon acoustic guitar a lot when at home.
N: I mainly play my telecaster thinline made by a Brazilian luthier. But I do have a Taylor Big Baby and a Hofner that needs some work.
BluesME: Have you given your instruments names?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D: Not really, but I have this old Kay guitar that has taken lots of efforts to be back in shape and it turns out to be my best guitar with a perfect pitch; I kindly nicknamed her "grandma".
N: My first guitar was nicknamed "Paddle". The Telecaster is called "Tele Torta" something like "Twisted/crooked tele".
BluesME: In your travels, have you witnessed any performing arts in the schools?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D/N: As we said, Brasil's scholarship needs major changes...we played seven shows for kids in public schools in France in 23, it was nice to see how art plays a big role on students' grades.
BluesME: What was your first professional gig/tour?
Nicolas/Danilo:
D: It was in 2003, with my very first professional Blues band called "Blues à Velha". The place was a restaurant in Jacarei that is gone now.
N: First show was in 2010 at this brokeass kart race track...I did my first tour as sideman in 2015.
Presented by the Central Iowa Blues Society's BluesME program.
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