is the stage name of 30 year old german songwriter Simon Hermann.
After a long musical journey playing in rockbands and traditional music he started writing his own folksongs on guitar. Music inspired by contemporary folk musicians and bands as Ryan Adams, Fleet Foxes and Sufjan Stevens. As a solo performer he strums or finger-picks on acoustic guitar. Now and then his tunes are accompanied by a harp or foot tambourine but they are always played with great intensity. These songs tell stories about life on the road. An intense but challenging lifestyle thats also causing loneliness and anxiety. Songs about friendships and how to keep them up while beeing abroad. Songs that want to express feelings honestly. Songs as a meditation on human relations and self-relief. Trying to find a way out of emotional pain. There are stories about the underdogs and the hobos in a modern conflicting world. The fellows with a wild quest for freedom and truth. And there are Songs that consider their setbacks. Music like a ray of hope leavened with a dark and lost note of melancholy. Or the other way round.
In December 2015 The Trees like Torches published his first EP called “From the Shed”. A limited edition of 100 handstamped cardboard digifiles. The EP was recorded during two week “Songwriters on the Road” tour through mid and east Germany when 4 songwriters with different musical and cultural backgrounds from England, Germany and New Zealand joined together on a tour. In 2016 he chose to become a fulltime nomad and has been constantly traveling since. Besides his visits to France, Spain and the US he spent a year in Canada busking from coast to coast, exploring Canadas folk music scene and the native culture. Recently he finished an extensive 8 Months lasting DIY tour through Russia, Mongolia and China while traveling 25.000 km from Europe to Southeastasia by land.