Jake Ybarra kicks off CAJ at The Stage
Date: 04/27/2023
Time: 12:00 pm
Country singer Jake Ybarra will stop by WTJU April 27 at 12 for a live session at The Stage. He is currently in the midst of a national tour in celebration of his new album. The Cosmic American Jamboree airs Thursday afternoon from 12-2.
This is a free event, open to all. Masks are strongly encouraged for all attendees. on the radio (91.1 FM) or on-line, and even video stream it at WTJU’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. But concerts always sound better with you as part of the studio audience. WTJU is located at 2244 Ivy Rd in Charlottesville, right next door to Vivace. There is plenty of parking, both in our lot as well as the Sentara lot next door.
With music swirling around the house, it’s no wonder Jake Ybarra wound up singing and writing superlative songs that instantly imbed themselves in the listener. The Greenville, South Carolina native started off singing in choirs as a boy, then playing in rock bands as a teen. Ybarra (pronounced e-BAR-a) moved on to college to earn his degree in Political Science and Government at Furman University, including a legislative internship at the European Parliament in Brussels.
After graduating, Ybarra got serious about songwriting. Inspired by the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, James McMurtry, John Prine and Lucinda Williams, he turned his attention to creating music that bore his own signature. In 2020 Ybarra recorded what he calls his “pandemic project,” the four-song EP Basement Songs, and posted it on Instagram.
The response was swift. His songs not only earned him a dedicated following around Greenville, but also landed him a management deal and an opportunity to record his stunning debut album, Something In The Water. Ybarra’s evocative, emotional lyrics display a hard-won wisdom that belies an old soul in a 25-year-old’s body. The characters in his stories invite comparisons not only to his songwriting heroes but also to his favorite authors such as George Saunders, Stephen Vincent Benet and Ernest Hemingway. Armed with the heartfelt tales on Something In The Water, Jake Ybarra is bending ears and pulling on heartstrings wherever he plays.
