Idea Engine

By J.J. Hudson

Bring up the topic of squirrels, and Simon Ennis can barely contain himself. He is truly enthusiastic about our furry, tree-dwelling friends. By day, Ennis is a mild-mannered teacher, researcher and squirrel scientist.

By night, he is the "Simon" in St. Simon 3, a jazzy, swing, rock ‘n’ roll trio slated to play the Brick Coffee House Saturday.

"He’s been studying squirrels for many, many months," said Tara McConnell, bassist for the trio. "I’m not making fun of him at all, but we tease him."

Ennis is six months away from earning his Ph.D. in psychobiology at the University of California, Davis, much of his research focusing on the effects of stress on the brain. That is where the squirrels come in. He stresses out squirrels by exposing them to rattlesnakes. By studying the physiological response of the squirrels to stress, we can learn how the human brain works.

What does this have to do with music? Well, nothing, really. It is just an interesting side note about the cerebral frontman of St. Simon 3.

Sacramento-based St. Simon 3 is Ennis on guitar, harmonica and lead vocals, McConnell on electric upright bass and Chip Conrad on drums. Both McConnell and Conrad are formally trained and come from classical and jazz backgrounds, McConnell having studied music at the University of the Pacific and Conrad having studied percussion under Harold Chang, the drummer for exotic jazz artist Arthur Lyman. All three come together to make smart, often funny and extremely eclectic pieces of music.

"There’s a lot of stuff. It’s really hard to categorize us," McConnell said. "We’ve been described as Elvis Costello backed by the Stray Cats."

Music off their debut album, "The Future We Were Promised," is a mix of blues, Tin Pan Alley jazz and guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll from the ’50s and ’60s. Ennis points to pop icons Buddy Holly, Elvis Costello and Chuck Berry as influences. He even looks a little like Costello and Holly.

"I really like Elvis Costello," Ennis said. "His songs and mine have a lot of words. If I could play one guitarist in the world, it would be Chuck Berry. He is so succinct, which is something I try to emulate."

As for a St. Simon 3 show, the trio’s music has been observed causing humans to move their bodies rhythmically to a beat. Other physiological effects include a lowering of stress levels, a heightened state of well being and a stimulation of certain locations in the brain important to understanding humor. Further research is needed. No squirrels or rattlesnakes are harmed during a Simon show.

Published March 25, 2004 in the Appeal-Democrat.