Faster than you can say, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" Jake Speed & the Freddies have hit the Cincinnati music scene and ventured down the old dusty road of American folk, bluegrass, and ragtime music. Jake Speed & the Freddies are a four-piece band [+]Faster than you can say, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" Jake Speed & the Freddies have hit the Cincinnati music scene and ventured down the old dusty road of American folk, bluegrass, and ragtime music. Jake Speed & the Freddies are a four-piece band made out of flat top guitar, dobro, mandolin, and upright bass (plus harmonica, kazoo, washboard, and watering can). Their songs leap right out of Depression-era freight trains and boom shacks while their performances transform venues into old-time western saloons. Their near-vaudeville style stage shows and quick-witted charisma rope in loyal fans of new and old generations alike. The Freddies traditionalist approach to the old timey music style has won them the respect of fellow musicians, music lovers, and even hard-nosed critics. Local music icon Ric Hickey says this about Jake Speed: "He is a natural born talent and a one-man renaissance of the long-lost American forms of the country folk-blues." A devoted Freddies fan and college student Aaron Smith says, "The Freddies are flat-out inspiring. They're original, fun, and full of life." If you're still not convinced, maybe their winning of three 2002 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for Artist of the Year, Best Singer/Songwriter, and Best Folk/Roots Musicians will provide your stamp of approval.
While news of their recent awards is late-breaking, the Freddies certainly are not. These boys have been aboard the Cincinnati music scene for a number of years. In 2001-02, they played over 150 shows at more than 40 venues in 6 different cities. They have performed opening sets for national acts such as Ralph Stanley, Jay Bennett (WILCO), The Waybacks and Michelle Malone. Their music has been broadcast in all areas of the Tri-state on several different radio stations. The Freddies have performed on multiple occasions on News Channels 9 as well as on the City Nights cable access show. Their monthly gigs at Arnold's, Northside Tavern, and Kaldi's have laid the tracks for a solid following of fans, young and old. A true bonus to any Freddies show is their tongue-in-cheek stories and crowd-engaging antics, such as audience parades, watering can solos, and sing-alongs, all of which keep audiences of all makes and models thoroughly entertained.
The Freddies' de
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