Juliet Simms - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard, Arrangements Joe Nelson – Guitar Daniel Currier – Drums Sean Noll - Bass Guitar "Butterflies have knives cutting up my insides." It's lyrics like these that draw people to Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter. Her emotional lyrics and heart-felt vocals reveal a vulnerability that makes her music intimate. Raised in Tampa, Florida, Simms was raised by a family of musicians (grandfather is a jazz pianist, aunt played violin for Rod Stewart, brother is a producer) and surrounded by music from the greats: Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and especially Janis Joplin. “I was attracted to her voice, because it has that male quality, that rawness,” recalls Juliet. Singing since she was four, writing since she was nine, Simms became a fixture of the local music cafes as a teenager. It was here that Beck caught one of her shows and offered his support. Automatic Loveletter began recording their album with producer Matt Squire (Panic at the Disco, Boys Like Girls, Cute is What We Aim For). “He challenged me and I challenged him,” Simms said. “I felt very comfortable and that’s when the best of me comes out. The entire time was playful and fun and that’s what rock n roll’s about to me -- having a good time.” Simms took her massive songbook to Squire and together they narrowed down the right tunes and crafted them to fit together, sometimes taking songs in entirely new directions. “The Answer,” for instance, was originally a ballad, but became one of the more upbeat numbers on the album. “A lot of them are based on heartbreak, depression, obsession,” Simms says. “The lyrics go in all different directions because I never stop writing.” It is exactly her propensity for relationship epics that inspired the name Automatic Loveletter, although it’s not that literally defined. “When I write, I feel like I’m writing a ‘loveletter,’” Simms explains. “And ‘automatic’ is the edgier side of me. I’m thinking of an automatic gun. The letter is almost a weapon.” Drawn to her voice, Juliet has been approached by several bands to lend guest vocals to their records. Simms’ voice can be heard on records from Lovehatehero, All Time Low, and, most recently, Cartel. It’s the voice and the lyrics that make Automatic Loveletter engaging. And it’s the incessant, earnest songwriting that makes this a band to keep on your radar.