Full disclosure time: Big Sur singer/guitarist/songwriter Jake Hemming gives the greatest bear hugs in Seattle (and I’ve been the fortunate recipient of a few), so pardon the sentimentality over the next three paragraphs.
I first met Jake in August 2011 at that year’s Doe Bay Fest. It was 11:00 on a Wednesday night, pitch-black, and I was fumbling pathetically to assemble my tent. Inside of two minutes, Hemming–then a stranger–came to my rescue, providing a literal beacon and helping me construct my makeshift shelter in record time.
During some downtime the next morning I wandered through the resort’s trailways, mesmerized by Doe Bay’s verdant lushness. Somewhere in my reverie, music–sung with rough-hewn beauty and strummed out on a lone acoustic guitar–floated from one of the path’s detours. Inside of two minutes, the tune–melancholy yet tinctured with a core of hope–ensnared me. Sure enough, the amiable bear of a guy who’d given me a hand the previous night was standing at the Doe Bay busking station, pouring his heart out musically.
By the end of that weekend, Jake Hemming was greeting me like a decades-long friend, freely bear-hugging me with the the unreserved genuineness of a cherished brother. Even in a music community rife with communal warmth, his friendship and instantaneous goodwill took me by surprise. Scores of Jake’s friends, however, could tell you similar stories, so it’s not surprising that a small army of musicians have his back the way he’s often had theirs.
Jake underwent extensive back surgery to correct a debilitating herniated disc last fall. The condition had spawned nerve pain so acute that it made most tasks, even playing music, physically agonizing. Happily, he came out of the risky procedure (which involved the removal of his larynx and voicebox so a cadaver bone could be inserted to repair the condition) with flying colors. In recent weeks he’s even resumed performing his trademark stable of richly-rendered songs live. All told, he’s speeding towards a full recovery…in every way but financially.
To combat the monetary duress, Columbia City Theater‘s putting on a Celebration and Tribute show for Jake Hemming Saturday night. Tickets ($10 a pop) are an absolute steal, independent of the cause.
Not surprisingly, the line-up boasts some of Seattle’s finest purveyors of roots and folk songwriting, including Kevin Sur of Indian Valley Line, Kevin Long, and Ethan Jennings. But Whitney Ballen‘s dreamy cabaret folk, Invisible Shivers‘ danceable and infectious new-new wave, the gorgeous roadhouse soul-pop of Smokey Brights, and a solo set by Jonny Henningson (guitarist/singer on one of 2012’s best regional releases, Hounds of the Wild Hunt’s El Mago) demonstrate the breadth of Jake Hemming’s influence as a musician–and as good people.
As befits the loose-limbed, easygoing nature of the get-together, CCT promises ‘Super Secret Special Guests,’ an especially promising prospect given Jake’s beloved place in the local music scene. Musical collection plates don’t come more melodic or well-deserved: Here’s hoping said platter overflows tomorrow night.