cover artwork by Bettina Rombout; image courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

Single Review of Simon Scardanelli: “Fish Out of Water”

Multi-talented singer-songwriter Simon Scardanelli recently released “Fish Out of Water,” an eclectic, storytelling-styled, sea shanty-rhythmed romp. I picture the coast of Ireland, a troubadour dressed like a sea captain in an ill-fitting costume, with a scruffy beard, regaling a small dockside audience that sways along to the song’s rises and falls. Then again, I can also picture the song being performed in front of a swaying bunch of drunks at a neighborhood tavern, so this mostly just proves that I have an odd and vivid imagination.

Lyrically, the song is a master class in discouragement, full of clever turns of phrase, something you can dependably expect from a Simon Scardanelli release.

photo by David Myers; photo courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

Liner Notes

The song was originally penned by Scardanelli from his Lower East Side apartment in New York City in 1993. An acoustic version of the song was released in 2005 on Simon’s HOBOHEMIA album. A 2011 recording of the song failed to meet with Simon’s approval and was never released. However, Simon recently returned to that 2011 version, added flute, violin, and accordion, and with those addition, this fully-instrumented version was released late last year.

Looking Ahead

Simon has a few upcoming live performances currently scheduled. If you’re in France, you can catch him on Friday, September 29 at Maman Poule in Trélevern, on Saturday, October 14 at l’île-aux-oiseaux in Guern, and Saturday, November 18 Ty Gavroche in Saint-Brieuc. For more information on these shows and future gigs, as they’re added, visit the “Shows” page of Simon’s website.