Slide-Guitarist Jacobs-Strain Opens KAC Performance Season

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
On Saturday slide-guitarist and singer David Jacobs-Strain will perform for Kodiak residents during a one night show presented by the Kodiak Arts Council.
Strain’s trip to Kodiak this weekend will be his second, he played alongside musician Corey Harris a few years back during a performance at the Rendezvous. This time Strain will play at the Harbor Convention Center on Saturday starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for students, $25 for adults and can be purchased online through the Kodiak Arts Council or at the door before the show.

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
On Saturday slide-guitarist and singer David Jacobs-Strain will perform for Kodiak residents during a one night show presented by the Kodiak Arts Council. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more.

— (David Jacobs-Strain INTRO :15 Slide guitar sounds…"I really got into playing slide guitar and learning the old Mississippi delta kind of stuff.”)

It sounds like strumming straight out of the backwoods of Tennessee, but in fact it’s the soulful slides of musician David Jacobs-Strain. And while Strain’s talent could easily compare to the Delta blues strumming he gains inspiration from, this Portland-based artist actually found his sound far from the Mississippi riverbed.
— (David Jacobs-Strain 1 :16 “Well I grew up in Eugene… you better take some lessons.”)

Strain did take lessons and eventually found a culture of music that provided a framework for his own unique style.

— (David Jacobs-Strain 2 :39 “I heard a guy named Taj Mahal…and blues in particular at first. ”)

At some point Strain began crafting his own songs and drifted away from recreating the sounds of old music. He said the style he plays today is hard to define. He jokes that it’s a blend of gangsta grass or geek-a-billy, but in the end labels his most recent album as some form of indie rock.

— (David Jacobs-Strain 3 :24 “That means a lot of different things…feeling like my own thing. ”)

Strain’s highly praised guitar skills have been compared to skillful musicians like Jack White, but his surprisingly raw talent as a lyricist gives his music an unexpected glimpse into the emotions behind his sound.

— (David Jacobs-Strain 4 :36 “You know I’m definitely a verbally….and the meaning second. ”)

Strain’s trip to Kodiak this weekend will be his second, he played alongside musician Corey Harris a few years back during a performance at the Rendezvous. This time Strain will play at the Harbor Convention Center on Saturday starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for students, $25 for adults and can be purchased online through the Kodiak Arts Council or at the door before the show.

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