David Jacobs-Strain Performs in Bayport, May 13

David Jacobs-Strain, a consummate fingerstyle and slide guitarist and a song poet from Oregon, who brings an old-school sensibility to a new generation of blues and roots music, plays the upstairs room at Grey Horse Tavern (291 Bayport Ave, Bayport, NY, www.greyhorsetavern.com) on Friday, May 13 at 9:30 pm. Bob Beach accompanies him on harmonica. $15 cover charge.

Although he plays in the blues tradition, Jacobs-Strain isn’t from it. He’s a modern roots musician, singer and songwriter. Known for his virtuosity and spirit of emotional abandon, David’s live shows move from humorous, subversive blues to delicate balladry, and then swing back to swampy rock and roll. It’s a range that ties him to his own generation and to guitar-slinger troubadours like Robert Johnson and Jackson Browne.

“I’m fascinated by the way that rural blues inscribes movement and transience,” says Jacobs-Strain. “The music that frees a singer keeps them on the run; there’s a crossroads where a thing can be enchanting but dangerous; damaging but beautiful.”

Jacobs-Strain grew up in Eugene, Oregon, in a community that was centered on cultural change and environmentalism. He sees a distinct connection between the principles embodied in his upbringing and the democracy of the blues. “I’m really into handmade culture and real people making real music,” he notes. “The voice. One guitar. Even at their simplest, the blues have always been a vehicle for expressing your own situation – whether as an individual or a community. There’s such power in that.”

Jacobs-Strain began playing on street corners and at farmers’ markets as a teenager and bought his first guitar with the quarters he saved up. Before he dropped out of Stanford to play full-time, he had already appeared at festivals across the country, and was often billed as a blues prodigy – but he had to fight to avoid being a novelty act. “I wanted to tell new stories; it just wasn’t enough to relive the feelings in other people’s music,” he recalls.

David Jacobs-Strain has appeared at festivals from British Columbia to Australia – including such notable ones as Bumbershoot, Merlefest, Philadelphia Folk Festival and Telluride Blues Festival. He’s also taught at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch.

Here’s a link to a video of David performing “Hurricane Railroad” with Bob at Music City Roots Live from The Loveless Cafe in Nashville:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrtwjFhibuw&feature=youtu.be

For more information, visit www.davidjacobs-strain.com.