“I feel amazing, I had an absolute blast. The space was perfect — I got to bring my recorded songs to life with a full band and have my fans experience the record in a new way,” said Drew of Jake Swamp and the Pine about his headline show at Brighton Music Hall on June 2nd to celebrate the release of his latest album Simpson & Banks. *As an important note, no one in the band is named Jake — so if your name isn’t Jake either, you can buy a Jake Swamp and the Pine Not Jake hat.
What started out as a couple of guys meeting on Craigslist, bonding, and forming a band, turned into an album that pays homage to where Drew and Stu started their duo — Drew used to live on Simpson Ave, and Stu on Banks St in Somerville, paving the way for the title of this album.
As one of Jake Swamp and the Pine’s self-proclaimed biggest fans, I hadn’t seen Drew perform in this capacity before — I had seen him perform as a duo with Stu, as a trio, solo with his kick drum and harmonica, and with Ben Cosgrove. This was my first time seeing him with a full band, and it was Amazing. The band members consisted of Jonathan Ulman from STL GLD on drums, Rachael Wolff from The Wolff Sisters on electric guitar, Josh Gold from the Adam Ezra Group on keys, Bev from Copilot on bass, and of course Drew on acoustic guitar. We were privy to some mandolin shredding thanks to Stu, who popped out on stage as a surprise guest and played some of the older Jake Swamp and the Pine songs to honor where they started and the direction Jake Swamp and the Pine is moving in. (Hint: in a trio/full band and Americana folk rock vibe) “The outdoors brought to your ears” is the official slogan for Jake Swamp and the Pine 🪵
Before we get into how Jake Swamp and the Pine rocked the stage, I have to mention the two supporting acts of the night, Grace Givertz and Julie Rhodes.
Grace, accompanied by her friend Madison Duffy on violin, took us through her folk vibes, with powerful vocals and introspective lyrics. There was even a change of instruments from guitar to banjo (Grace) and violin to bass (Madison). They also performed a cover of Clean because, like many of us, Taylor Swift inspired Grace to sing.
After Grace Givertz’s performance, we got ready for Julie Rhode’s Brandi Carlile tribute set. At any point , there were at least 10 people on stage, including Wyndoran, Matt Zappa, The Wolff sisters, Rachel Jayson, and Nicole from The Devil’s Twins. Julie’s raspy vocals did Brandi’s songs (including ‘My Song’ and ‘Raise Hell’) justice with the crowd dancing and passionately singing along.
Once we were done crying to Grace Givertz and yell-singing for Julie Rhodes, it was time for Jake Swamp and the Pine, and boy did Drew make an entrance. He stormed out with his rockstar demeanor and kicked off his set with the first song on Simpson & Banks — ‘Drive, Drive Drive.’ Drew wrote the song during the peak of the pandemic, when he felt stuck as an artist and scrounging for inspiration. In fact, Drive, Drive Drive had started the conception of Simpson & Banks, so it’s fitting that Drew started his set with the song. “One of my core memories of my music journey is when the audience at Brighton Music Hall yelled and sang the words ‘drive, drive drive’ with me,” he reflected.
Simpson & Banks dropped on streaming platforms back in December, but Drew was happy that he took his time to plan the album release show 6 months later. “There’s more time for people to get familiar with the album, digest it, and sing the lyrics along with me,” he noted. Drew also wanted to make sure the album captured the vibe he wanted — hanging out with friends, going on a hike, driving on 93-N, singing into a wooden spoon on a Sunday morning. The essence of nostalgia and moving forward in life is woven in the lyrics, melodies, and song titles throughout the album.
Drew wanted the show to start out with a folk rock vibe with the full band, then flow into taking it down a notch with just him on stage, then adding Stu to the mix. Finally, he brought the energy back up again with the full band, which led to their big finish. Strangely enough, this flow is very similar to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Unfortunately, Jake Swamp and the Pine has always timed releases with Taylor Swift’s music announcements and drops — ‘Empty Stomachs and Bloodshot Eyes’ clashed with the drop of her latest album, Midnights, AND the Outside the Studio (Live) EP coincided with the release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Luckily, when Drew performed ‘Empty Stomachs and Bloodshot Eyes’ solo at Brighton Music Hall, Taylor Swift did not steal his thunder again.
Drew also performed folk rock version of some of his older songs with the full band, giving us a new twist on Chapstick and Change and ‘My Sister’s Old Guitar’. Since this was Stu’s first time performing with Drew in a while, Drew made a last-minute decision to change a classic line of ‘Chapstick and Change’, singing “I’ll make my way home back to Stu (instead of you) no matter the cost.” Drew even hinted at the possibility of re-recording ‘My Sister’s Old Guitar’ with a full band. 👀
Jake Swamp and the Pine’s first headline show at Brighton Music Hall ended with us yelling “One more song” for the coveted encore, ‘Don’t Be Afraid of Sundays’. Thanks to Jonathan Ulman, what started as a bucket list entry a few years ago has become a dream that Jake Swamp and the Pine accomplished on Friday night. Drew’s goal for this show was to give the audience the best evening possible, and I can definitely say the vibes, energy, and music made it one of my best evenings in a long time!
A lot of local artists featured on Simpson & Banks in all capacities, including Josh Gold, Jonathan Ulman, Rachael, Don Mitchell and Auyon Mukharji from Darlingside, Corrina Smith, and Francis Hickey. I asked Jake Swamp and the Pine which other local artist they’d like to work with in the future, and Drew said he’s keen to collab with The Q-Tip Bandits. He loves their stage presence and sound, and would love to combine both their genres — and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I’d love to hear that too!
“Stream the f*ck out of Simpson & Banks, add it to playlists, memorize the lyrics so you can sing along at my next big show!” is what Drew of Jake Swamp and the Pine left me with. I hope you listen to him and stream Simpson & Banks, buy his new merch (I’ve bought way too much already and it’s great!), and support him at his shows!