Dancin' Moon Music Projects
Scott Simpson Songfinch Artist Page
One-of-a-kind, wow moments-- the Songfinch artist community will turn your stories and memories into a custom song for just $199.
Artist: Scott Simpson, Spearfish, SD, United States-- Folk, singer-songwriter.
Scott Simpson is a songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, educator and indie music producer who lives in Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He’s been songwriting and recording songs since age six or seven, and since 2000, has produced and released more than 40 albums (most available on all digital outlets).
Kamala: Challenge Nurtures Beauty
Release: August 12, 2024
"SenseWin" is an Ambient/Jazz/Dance/Industrial album to make you swear you've slipped right through a rip in the time-space continuum and danced in the swirling eddies of ravenous black holes.
Kamala: Challenge Nurtures Beauty
Release: August 12, 2024
Are you in need of some mindfulness over the next three months? Is the news putting you on high alert? Are you engaging in some challenging conversations or interactions that seem to be leading to more division than understanding?
"Kamala" is a Sanskrit word meaning "lotus". Many of us are hopeful that it will soon also mean "POTUS".
People have drawn lessons from the lotus over the centuries to gain wisdom and peace... lessons like, "challenge nurtures beauty". Well, I've felt challenged by our political environment for quite some time now and occasionally, I even start feeling hopeless. Hopelessness leads to paralysis though, and I don't think we can afford to have a paralyzed America... a paralyzed electorate. I've taken the lesson of the lotus--Kamala--to heart the last few days and have allowed challenge to nurture some beauty that I hope will be helpful-- to me and to anyone else who would like to use it.
Scout's Honor, Get a Stick
Release: May, 13 2024
Get a Stick is a collection of new songs, and a couple of old ones, all written and composed by songwriter Scott Simpson and performed by Scout, an A.I. collaborator with a gentle, intimate style that leans fully into indie, acoustic singer-songwriter and acoustic pop.
It's been a joy to work on songs and then hear them through Scout's voice. Don't get me wrong-- I love writing, recording, producing AND singing, but somehow this voice opens up new possibilities for songs I thought I knew... but knew only partially.
Wash My Feet by Stone Campbell Revue
Release: March, 14 2024
Stone Campbell Revue's album, "Wash My Feet," is inspired by the legacy of the Stone Campbell church movement and the cultural vibrancy documented by the Federal Music Program of the 1930s and 1940's, "Wash My Feet" weaves together themes of unity, struggle, and resilience. Through an eclectic blend of musical styles and lyrical exploration of faith and community, the album serves as a testament to the enduring power of music to bridge divides and inspire hope in times of uncertainty.
Running the Milky Way
Release: January 19, 2024
In a captivating fusion of visual and auditory artistry, Oglala Lakota visual artist, Sandy Swallow, and songwriter, Scott Simpson, both Spearfish, SD residents, present “Running the Milky Way.” This collaborative song, inspired by Swallow's evocative mixed media piece, delves into the sacred bond between the Lakota people and the Horse Nation.
The song is an homage to the Horse Nation, making it a resonant piece for anyone who shares a deep appreciation for these majestic creatures. "Running the Milky Way" is set to release on January 19th, 2024, and will be available on all digital music streaming and download platforms.
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Berries & Thistles
Release: July 1, 2023
The title song deals with the spread of both berries and thistles by birds, the presence of both berries and thistles in all that we do, and the knowledge that living will always include both berries and thistles.
The album itself, I hope, will be much like many of my summer hikes in the Black Hills: round a corner in the path and a hillside of raspberry bushes opens up. Suddenly a full hour has passed, your hands are stained, sweetness on your lips... and soon you're aware of the little thorns, burrs and thistles in your clothing you've picked up while enjoying this surprise treat.
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Songs for Human Beings 2
Pre-Order: 01/01/23
Release: 01/15/23
Since June 2022, I've had the privilege-- through being a Songfinch Artist-- of turning strangers' stories, loves and occasions into songs (as well as a few who are friends and family).
This second album in the series includes a number of songs composed for international clients... German, Indian, Libyan, Jordanian. In my thinking, this album is a celebration of the breaking down of barriers, borders and boundaries.
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Virtue
Virtue is a haiku cycle and series of flute compositions inspired by seven teachings of the Lakota /Dakota people. These are NOT indigenous writings or songs, but rather poems and instrumental compositions pointing to and honoring the Elders and the teachings I've been able to spend time with over the last decade of my work in indigenous education in South Dakota and North Dakota.
If you are interested in learning more about indigenous teachings and culture, you should seek out indigenous Elders or culture-bearers as your guide. One place to start is the WolakotaProject.org site where you can listen to hundreds of video interviews with indigenous Elders.
Folk Rock Remasters
Recorded, mixed and remastered at Dancin' Moon Studio, Folk Rock Remasters is a compilation, remaster retrospective of “Folk-Rock” tracks from among the 31 albums I’ve recorded over the last 21 years. The oldest track was first released in 2002 and the most recent was released in early 2021. Read More.
Nanapapa: Here We Go Now
Music for kids, and the adults who love them...
Ozzie's Guitar 20 Years Later
Started in the summer of 2019 and finished up during the CovID-19 pandemic social distancing, this album has, in many ways, been percolating for 20 years. Album number 28, it celebrates the 20th Anniversary of my first album, Ozzie’s Guitar, by bringing 20 years of experience into a novel reimagining of those same songs... Read More.
Where the Growth Begins
Release: October 17, 2024
Coming October 17th, 2024 my latest album project launches, “Where the Growth Begins”. This album translates 14 poems collected from my notebooks from 1988 to 2010 into Americana/Roots songs.
Good Book Volume One
by Stone Campbell Review
Release: September 2024
The first album in a series that will explore key biblical stories in Folk / Americana style songs based upon selected sections of the Bible. Our hope is to explore the ancient texts in fresh ways, explore lesser-known perspectives from their stories, and avoid sectarian indoctrination.
Let the Bible speak... and, in this case, sing.
Lost for Words
Release: August 15, 2024
I love words, but I also LOVE music with no words. That kind of music can take me anywhere. This is a Jazz album with some bebop, swing and a bit of funk... but no words.
Let it wash over you. Let it move your body.
Being "lost for words" can be a really good thing.
Songs for Human Beings 5
Release: May, 1 2024
This fifth album in the series includes several love songs... for a couple determined to make it work, for a couple separated by miles, but under the same moon, for a woman who loves her amazing husband who's battling a brain aneurysm, for a loving couple on year 50 of their marriage, for a soldier who's a hero when deployed and a goof-ball at home, and for a woman who cares for everyone else but needs to be reminded to care for herself.
Sister Star
Release: February, 14 2024
Sister Star is the second collaborative project of Oglala Lakota artist Sandy Swallow and Songwriter Scott Simpson. It is an honoring song for Sandy’s older sister Donna who was murdered in 1968, and a song of action and encouragement for all families of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women or Men. #MMIW
Lakota words for older sister star
“Tanke Wicahpi” —male term
“Cuwe Wicahpi” —female term
Songs for Human Beings 4
Release: August 13, 2023
iTunes Preorder: August 1, 2023
Since June 2022, I've had the privilege-- through being a Songfinch Artist-- of turning strangers' stories, loves and occasions into songs.
This fourth album in the series includes tales of trailer park romance, fire-fighter love, immigrant parenting, redneck birthdays, Dad wisdom, love lost, a rockin' marriage, an equity warrior, a retro father, an artsy henna artist / poet match and a tragically diminutive organ.
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Songs for Human Beings 3
Release: 04/01/23
Since June 2022, I've had the privilege-- through being a Songfinch Artist-- of turning strangers' stories, loves and occasions into songs (as well as a few who are friends and family).
This third album in the series includes songs written for a wide swath of human beings-- a former inmate and his prison pen-pal, a military chief of staff, married graphic designers, a Martha's Vineyard grandma, a tiny real estate broker and her giant husband, a pair of whiskey aficionados, and a couple that began their relationship at the zoo (to mention a few). Love and life shared with others is at the center of most of these songs... with a couple of surprises sprinkled in for good measure.
Songs for Human Beings
Release date: 09-12-2022
Since June 2022, I've had the privilege-- through being a Songfinch Artist-- of turning strangers' stories, loves and occasions into songs (as well as a few who are friends and family).
Their stories and insights and quirky lives have inspired me in surprising ways. I've been energized by getting to work with pieces of their stories and experiences musically.
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Four Restored
I began publishing music in 2000. For various reasons, four of my early albums currently only exist in less-than-pristine digital versions in the public sphere. As I was gearing up for a new studio album of original songs (summer 2022) I decided to rectify this problem with those early albums...
Hymnautica
Hymnautica: Items related to the navigation of hymns.
The spiritual and cultural music of my growing up years embedded itself in my bones. It’s the soundtrack to my identity; it vibrates with a familiarity and a warmth that’s more centered in my body than in my consciousness... Read More.
Keys to My Head
12 images, 12 sounds, 12 songs, mostly written at the start or during the early stages of the pandemic. Intimate mixes, lots of nylon (guitar and uke)... Read More.
Being Human Albums & Journals
Of course, the easiest way to use the songs on these albums is simply to find a time to relax and listen. Listen to one, if you have only a bit of time; make your own playlist, or set them on shuffle if you have a bit more time. The journal, on the other hand, invites you into an opportunity to consider just a bit about the origin of each particular piece, and offers you a set of “invitational” questions to pique your reflection or journaling during or after your listening... Read More.
