Collaborators

Simon Smith

Vocals and acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandocello, keyboard.

Simon is the singer/songwriter frontman of Carry the Can. He founded the band in 1994. He performs his own original material with the band. The songs are rooted in experiences, events, places and contemporary themes.

Oliver Wilson-Dickson

Fiddle player, composer, and community musician.

Oliver is a highly regarded fiddle player, composer, and community musician with roots in Welsh traditional music.

Hailed by R2 magazine as “an expressive and exceptional fiddler,” he gained acclaim as a member of the Welsh folk trio ALAW, who performed at the BBC Proms in 2018, as well as with Jamie Smith’s Mabon and the storytelling and music group The Devil’s Violin. Oliver has composed for stage and radio, contributed to film and television recordings, and appears regularly in the house band of the Welsh TV show Noson Lawen.,/p>

In 2024/2025 Oliver recorded the violin parts for Simon’s album Repair Café. Available from this website and bandcamp.

Ian Jones

Bass guitar, banjo and cello.

Trained as a classical guitarist and studied guitar and cello at the Royal Academy of Music. He worked as a mastering and remastering engineer at Abbey Road Studios in London before moving to Mid Wales where he runs a Bed & Breakfast with his wife. He now plays banjo, cello and bass guitar in a variety of live bands and sings the blues. He continues to record and master from his home in Wales.

Ian recorded Simon’s 5th album Repair Café in November 2024 at his recording studio in Wales. It was released in April 2025. He plays bass on 4 tracks.

Rosiewithwords – Rosie May

Creates a multi-sensory experience for audiences using immersive spoken word, poetry film portraits, live sensory collage, videography, projection and captured real moments.

Interviewed on BBC radio, she is described as possessing a “brave and unique voice”, that is “startlingly original”. Michael Rosen described one of her gifted poems as “Unbelievably strong. Beautiful. Overwhelming. Wow. Very special”. Her first poetry collection ‘A Year of Lovers’ was published in March 2024. She is studying an MA in Fine Art at the University of Falmouth. Rosiewithwords can be found at The Globe (Hay on Wye, UK) every Friday evening.
Instagram: @rosiewithwords

In the summer of 2025 Simon collaborated with Rosie on her poem song Supernovas. Together they performed it at The Globe in Hay on Wye.

Pete Plowman

Pianist, accompanist and keyboard player.

A versatile pianist, accompanist and keyboard player whose performing career has ranged from solo recitals of classical repertoire, collaborative work with solo instrumentalists, performances in theatre bands and orchestras and as keyboards player in rock bands.

Simon started working with Peter in the autumn of 2025. Together they have worked on and developed some of Simon’s songs which are due for performance in 2026..

Katherine Sheers

Designer, life artist and painter.

Trained at Chelsea College of Art, Katherine spent her early career working as a lingerie designer. The body, in particular the female body, was a necessary preoccupation during that time. Now, as an artist, mother of daughters and breast cancer survivor, it is the body which continues to hold her gaze.

Simon first met the artist Katherine Sheers in Hay on Wye during festival week in 2025. Their conversations about artistic process, loss and healing have influenced his songwriting. The body of work includes Voices of the Voiceless, Eryri, Angel, Wolf Moon and the paintings-inspired Soul on Fire.

Working together in 2026 and 2027 Katherine aims to create the artwork for an album of Artist’s Loft inspired Simon Smith songs.

Anastasia Olaru

Sculptor and portrait artist.

Ana is based in Hertfordshire. She likes to explore using nature to frame human experience. She is the oil painting tutor at the Courtyard Arts Centre. They first me while working on environmental projects together. Ana invited Simon to her exhibition of new artwork in 2025. He was impressed enough to ask about artwork for his latest music project.

Ana is working on the artwork for Simon’s newest album of songs, scheduled for launch in 2027.