In 1995, Simon Says recorded their first disc, Little Boy, on a shoestring budget ("nine songs for $1,200," Diebels recalls with a laugh) and managed to sell 5,000 of 'em at their shows, traveling throughout California. Another self-produced album (and future collectors' item), 1997's Perfect Example, sold out its limited run almost immediately. Within a year, Simon Says were signed to Hollywood Records. The band continued its intense touring schedule by playing lunchrooms at local high schools during their regular tours. "We did two shows a day, 12 shows a week," says Diebels. "It was pretty brutal, but it was well worth it because we sold a lot of records and let kids know who we are."

Jump Start, the band's 1999 major label debut, was a change of pace for Simon Says. "Our previous two records were a lot angrier and heavier," explains Diebels. "We write songs about our present state of mind and experiences and when we wrote Jump Start we were really on top of the world. So that's a very optimistic record, a lot poppier, though it does have angry moments."

That unity of purpose is part of what makes Simon Says such an amazing band, along with - but hey, why over-analyze it. Simon Says have, after all, learned to keep things simple. "We're just down for good music," says Franks. "This is our dream, our band, our music and we're going to do what we want to do."