The Dukes of Simpleton were a tribute band dedicated to bringing you the music of XTC, performed live, in the mid 2000's.

XTC, the legendary British New-Wave/Pop band led by Andy Partridge, ceased touring in 1982, but since then has released 7 studio albums, each more lush and complex than the last, none of which have ever been performed live by the band. The "big idea" of The Dukes of Simpleton is to bring this post-touring period of XTC’s catalog faithfully to the stage at long last.

The band has rehearsed over 25 XTC songs, spanning the breadth of their career, from the 1979 album Drums and Wires, through their most recent release Wasp Star, from 2002. The band is working on plans for an orchestral extravaganza, featuring XTC songs which were recorded with string ensembles, that will have the band performing with, at the least, a 4 piece string ensemble. Future plans include entire “album oriented” shows, that would feature a particular album from XTC’s catalog, played from start to finish.

The members of The Dukes of Simpleton bring a legacy of stage performance, spanning 25 years of Austin music history, with some members having performed together in various projects at different times since the late 1970s.

They Were:

Pat Brown-- Drums, Percussion

Dennis Bruhn, Drums, Percussion

Joe Funk-- Guitar, Various Noise

Brian Harmer-- Guitar, Vocals

Mark Howell-- Trumpet, Harmonica, Guitar

Kirk Kellam-- Vocals, Percussion

Monte Mann-- Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, etc.

Patrick McFarland– Keyboards, Percussion

Chris Vreeland-- Bass, Big Idea

Erin Wilson-- Vocals