Sunset Profile: Fake Melody

Fake Melody membersSimon Donovan, Miles Spearman, and John Anderson

Music of all sorts wafts through the Sunset, rocking in bars and pubs, at inspiring classical concerts at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, cheering crowds at the Stern Grove Festival, and laying down a lively soundtrack for the Sunset Farmers Market and community gatherings. 

For many musicians, the Sunset is also home.

“We have a great network of musicians in the Sunset; we all know each other,” says Simon Donovan. He plays keyboard and manages the group known as Fake Melody, which plays frequently for appreciative fans at Java Beach Cafe, as well as other venues and festivals throughout the Bay area.

“We have played many of San Francisco’s coolest places, from the well-heeled Epic Steak to Sunset neighborhood events hosted by Hunt & Gather and everything in between,” he adds. “But the gigs at Java Beach and Mercury Cafe in Hayes Valley are sometimes the most fun because people don’t expect live music.” The band’s appearances are listed on their website.

Fake Melody members Simon Donovan, Miles Spearman, and John Anderson

Whether they expected live music or not, a happy, noisy Java Beach crowd was clearly enjoying Fake Melody’s mix of swing, bebop, and West Coast blues on a recent Saturday afternoon. This was hardly a New York supper club audience, but instead folks coming in off the beach trailing dogs and parking surfboards at the door. They whooped and shouted as the trio moved through its repertoire of Horace Silver, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and others. 

“When we see audiences sing along or tap their feet – it makes all those hours of practice worth it!” says Simon. 

Simon has studied piano all his life and continues to study with noted jazz pianist Peter Horvath. For years, he performed solo and occasionally with an old friend, John Anderson, a classically trained bassist. In April 2021, they formed Fake Melody and started playing at various venues in San Francisco. About a year ago, when they were playing at Vic’s Winehouse in the Fillmore, a young man toting a trumpet walked up and asked if he could sit in. “The guy was really good,” says Simon, and Miles Spearman has been a regular ever since. 

Originally from Boston, Simon and his wife Monica moved to the Sunset 22 years ago, when they bought the longtime home of Monica’s grandmother, Helen Gibbons, at  23rd and Lawton. They raised two now-grown sons there. 

“We’ve always loved the Sunset,” Simon says. “When I walk my dog in the morning, people say hello. I know all the people in the shops. You have different neighborhoods, surfers, a cool book store. This feels like a small town inside a big town.”

Reported and written by volunteer community journalist Jan Cook. We encourage residents with journalism experience, retired journalists, and student journalists in high school and college to volunteer as writers for Supervisor Engardio’s newsletter. Interested? Apply here. Do you know a story you would like to see featured in the newsletter? Tell us about it here.