Meet Jake Stringer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Stringer.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I spent the better part of my early 20s around the area and on the road playing drums with every band I could. Blues bands, rock bands, metal bands, country bands; anything I could find to stay busy. Got into a few higher-profile country gigs and fell in love with the art of songwriting.

At about 24-25, I bought a guitar and started learning. I learned enough to start putting songs together. I eventually got together with some friends I’d played with in the past, and we all kinda switched instruments and started working up songs. Everything was new. Everyone was doing something different. It was fun, but I was hesitant to really go for it until we booked our first show.

At that point, I was forced to go for it. I had to figure out how to be a frontman and how to do it fast. I was nervous as hell, but I got through that first show and I was hooked. By the end of that year, we were finishing up our first EP and starting to travel, booking any little dive that would have us.

Since then, I’ve been able to tour the better part of the country, both as a solo act and with the band. We’ve had a lot of great opportunities so far, and it’s been a lot of fun.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Basically, imagine that the road is just a couple of ruts in the dirt. Potholes everywhere. Wildlife is ready to jump out and cut your trip short at any moment. And your car is constantly on the verge of overheating.

Every once in a while, you see a Flying J or a Casey’s and you have this big sigh of relief because you know you’re on the right path. You fuel up, rest up, and get back at it. The biggest struggles in this business are the hoops you have to jump through to get noticed, to get to a point where the music pays enough to keep it going.

There are rainy seasons and droughts, band members come and go. Babies are born and weddings are had and people sometimes just drop off the planet. The logistics of keeping the show on the road are always working against you, but when you make it work, it’s worth it all.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a singer/songwriter with a minor in passable guitar picking.

I specialize in metaphorical songs about life. I hope that by beating around the bush about exactly what my point is, more people can find their own life and their own experience in my words.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Be nice until it’s time to stop being nice. And learn when to say “no.” I say I’ve learned that lesson, but I’m really still working on that one.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.betterthannothin.com
• Instagram: @itsbetterthannothin
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItsBetterThanNothin/
• Twitter: @jakeoftheozarks
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hw6KNerkTNRER7apCyZf4?si=KKN6OBuRRZ-d-1iluo7qPA

Image Credits
Tyler Giles and Keyven Dunn