Chad "Chicoree" Stokes'(in the bands State Radio & Dispatch) solo project is inspired by Chad's train jumping adventures across the US-which didn't fit musically with his bands' and is less political. Chad wrote this album to keep challenging himself creatively. Simmerkane II is a more accessible look at Chad Stokes and features album guests: Carly Simon, Blake Hazard (The Submarines), Matt Embree (The RX Bandits), the White Buffalo and Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.