Whether he’s playing an open mic, strumming with his band or busking in the streets, Jake Loew is quickly becoming a staple in the Athens music scene.
Loew, a junior studying audio production, sings and also plays both the baritone and tenor ukulele, as well as the five-string banjo.
“I started playing the uke when I was 14, and then I started playing the banjo a little more than a year ago,” he said. “I bought a ukulele ‘cause I thought it was funny.”
Logan Black, a senior at Rio Grande Community College in Rio Grande, Ohio, makes a 25-minute trek to Athens almost every week to participate in Donkey Coffee and Espresso’s open mics and other shows. He was first introduced to Loew’s music by hearing him at a coffee shop.
“It’s very rock-folk; his vocals are very interesting, mixed with the claw-hammer style, which is a banjo style,” Black said. “His vocals kind of remind me of a more country American version of Mumford & Sons, more upbeat though.”
Loew used to write his own music until he started viewing music from an academic standpoint.
“I just couldn’t write anything satisfactory anymore,” he said. “I just stopped enjoying it.”
Loew now often plays covers, although he still plays music he wrote in the past. He also continues to compose music for the ukulele.
“I think that the way I play each instrument comes from a different part of my brain”, said Loew. "The uke is more sentimental and the banjo is more danceable."
Mitchell Toler, a sophomore studying audio production at Ohio University, described Loew’s playing as intricate and memorable.
“The lyrics definitely had Appalachian themes and fit into a normal bluegrass style, but they were fresh and I feel like he had original concepts,” Toler said.
While he is talented alone, he also enjoys playing in a band that frequents venues around Athens. Hunnabee & The Sandy Tar Boys, a bluegrass band, can be seen from time to time playing on the streets of Athens, with their next performance being at the annual Pawpaw Festival on Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. on the main stage.
“I’m just a guy and I like to play music and I’ve been doing it pretty consistently in Athens for two and a half years,” Loew said. “I know that I’ve played for a lot of people, so maybe that’s something that people identify me with — my music, I guess."
Loew’s next solo gig will be at Donkey on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. To hear music from Hunnabee & The Sandy Tar Boys visit their website at sandytar.bandcamp.com.
je726810@ohiou.edu
