Crooked Rider began as a writing session with myself locked up for an entire weekend, focused on composing spaghetti-western-inspired music for a potential film project. While the film opportunity did not move forward, the material continued to grow and evolve, eventually becoming a standalone recording project rooted in cinematic guitar themes, surf, punk, and desert-western influences.

​

The project later expanded into a live band after conversations with my good friend Zach Graham, president of International Motorsports, leading to performances at motorbike events and other non-traditional venues. As the live band developed, additional material was written and recorded, allowing the project to exist both as a performance outlet and a studio-based creative platform.

​

This Is Not An Album is a collection of self-produced recordings that document this phase of the project. The tracks function as exploratory studio recordings, with some pieces remaining as-is and others intended for re-recording and further development in 2026. All music was composed, performed, and recorded by Simpsonelli, with select tracks featuring guest musicians.

​

Crooked Rider continues to inform my work as a composer and producer, particularly in areas of tone, rhythm, and cinematic structure.​