Lakewood UMC is excited to present An Evening with Billy Simons Jr. on Friday, July 31st. Purchase tickets at www.lumc.net/billy

In this solo acoustic performance, Billy weaves together original songwriting with narratives that explore the landscape of modern life and the persistent spirit of political resistance.

Two ticket options are available: 1) General admission tickets 2) General admission tickets with a discounted copy of Billy's Book "Earth Is Not a Planet", a collection of poems and stories Billy wrote and illustrated. Learn more about that at: www.thebillysimonsjr.com Billy Simons Jr. is a folk Americana artist who writes songs that dig down and punch up. Whether he’s calling out injustice, honoring the quiet resilience of everyday people, or spinning tales of heartbreak and hope, Billy crafts songs that hum with humanity and humor. His first protest song Jesus Went to Heaven put him on the map with its critique of religious hypocrisy and Christian Nationalism, earning praise for its lyrical bite and stripped-down sincerity. He followed it with They Made a Pig the Pilot, a darkly comic take on corrupt leadership, that became an underground favorite for its clever bite and literary allusions. In We Are Great Again, he sings a searing satirical ballad that turns political doublespeak into a folk anthem. And in The Bottom Has a Basement, Billy digs even deeper - chronicling a nation’s seemingly endless race to the bottom. If a Tree Fell is perhaps the darkest bit of wry storytelling he has shared, using a flurry of metaphors to address, well... the Epstein Files. His music blends raw acoustic grit with sharp storytelling, channeling the spirit of Prine, Croce, Chapin, Dylan and the modern protest folk tradition. His songs don’t ask for permission - but rather they demand attention, empathy, and change. For Billy, the truth still belongs in a song - and the song still belongs to the people.