Meet Jack Yoder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Yoder.

Jack, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a touring musician and I’ve been playing for 35+ years. Although the current state of affairs with COVID-19 has curtailed my ability to play live shows in person, I have been playing a daily live stream (Monday -Friday) on my Facebook page. Stylistically, I try to cover as many bases as I can. Mostly playing music in the Americana and Alt-Country genres, but I play a lot of different styles from Blues and R&B and take requests. And as I just released a new album (and I’m a songwriter), I add a healthy dose of my own original songs.

During the early days of the Coronavirus, I started a daily live stream called #screwthenews. There’s no political or social commentary to this. Just the opposite. I started it as a diversion to the 24-hours news cycle, which can be overwhelming. It ended up being a pleasant 15 to 20-minute intentional distraction for the sole purpose of entertainment. It’s been beneficial to my friends and myself.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think anyone has a “smooth road” story and if they do, that’s great for them. Some of my struggles were my own fault and some weren’t, but they all brought me to where I’m at today. And where I’m at, I think, is a pretty good place. Getting sidelined from playing live shows, without question, cut off that income stream. I’m a full-time musician, or at least I was until this started. But it became an opportunity to finish my latest album and transition to video streaming. That transition alone took a lot of trial and error. Some of those screw-ups have been entertaining as they happen to live (Entertaining for viewers, that is. For me, they were just embarrassing). And although I want to get back to playing live shows in person, playing the live streams has been a great way to interact with my friends, fans and to connect with new listeners.

Moving forward, I’m finding it difficult to navigate the constantly changing landscape of new rules and ordinances that affect my ability to book and play a live show. Especially when trying to book shows out of state. I don’t expect that to improve much for now, but I do feel we’ll get back to normal eventually so I just try to focus on that.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I play a solo acoustic show. I primarily work in the Americana and Alt-Country genres, but I dabble in a lot of different styles. Although I’ve played in bands (and still play in bands) for decades, I’ve been focusing on my solo shows for over 20 years now. I’ve won awards for my solo show and for my recordings.

I’ve gained a lot of attention recently as a multi-instrumentalist as well as for my slide guitar playing. And although that’s flattering, I still feel that I have a lot to learn. I’m particularly proud of the album I just released “Wagonload,” which showcases the multi-instrumental and slide guitar work that I do. That, and I’m pretty happy with the songwriting.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
In music, I think authenticity is the most important characteristic you can have. I think an audience can smell “fake” from a mile away. That’s tricky when you’re a songwriter because you’re not always writing about personal experiences. Especially when writing ballads. That’s why I do my best to write conversationally.

As for my performances, I’ve never been one for jumping around onstage. Some people can pull it off. Most can’t. It’s just not my thing and it really doesn’t work for my style of music. That said, I’m not a shoe-gazer either. I love to engage with the crowd, talk to them and ask THEM questions. I like to unplug and walk offstage and get the crowd to sing along with me. Songs they can relate to about drinking beer and being a misfit. For me, there’s nothing better than getting people to lose themselves and sing along.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jackyoder.com/
• Email: jack@jackyoder.com
• Instagram: @jackyoderamericana
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackyoderblues

Image Credit:
Amando Martinez

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