Edinburgh's original open mic night

Jake

at OOTB

(March 2004)
Jake was next up to give us a colourful performance, and not just her red hair. She made a point of telling us what her songs were about, something which is sorely missed by most performers I think, and so her first one was about letting go of the past. Her big vocal range was complimented by sad but energetic guitar playing, with the top strings ringing out over lines like "Don't you know that nothing ever stays the same, how I want yesterday". She went straight into her second, which had a similar feeling to the first but with slightly different subject matter. "Trying to be someone, no one, everyone" sounded almost apologetic, or like trying to please someone, and it definitely pleased the crowd. Her last was 'about finding someone who gets you so much that you never could get yourself', and it was just as interesting to hear the inspiration behind the song as the song itself. This one was slower, starting with a more melancholy feeling and some finger picking. There were some very low vocals, and a bongo accompaniment from the G, finishing off a very energetic performance from Jake.

(May 2004)
Jake's final quip before leaving the stage was "there's more to Jake than melancholy" and she proved it tonight. Nice bass notes on the picking, great voice control and lyrics like "I won't be holding my breath but I'd like to" made me sit up and take notice. Jake has a strong voice and good ideas both musically and lyrically.