Harmonica man Bob Beach, left, will have a cross-country musical conversation with David Jacobs-Strain on Friday. The duo, seen here at the 2015 Juan de Fuca Festival in Port Angeles, will do a free online concert. (Diane Urbani de la Paz/for Peninsula Daily News)

Harmonica man Bob Beach, left, will have a cross-country musical conversation with David Jacobs-Strain on Friday. The duo, seen here at the 2015 Juan de Fuca Festival in Port Angeles, will do a free online concert. (Diane Urbani de la Paz/for Peninsula Daily News)

Blues, rock ‘In Your Living Room’

Juan de Fuca Foundation to host online concert

PORT ANGELES — The Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts will host its first “In Your Living Room” live-streamed concert — free to the public — at 6 p.m. Friday.

The performers, slide-guitarist and singer David Jacobs-Strain and his longtime partner, harmonica man Bob Beach, hail from Portland, Ore., and Philadelphia, respectively.

The Juan de Fuca Foundation’s YouTube channel is the place for the hour-long concert, accessible from JFFA.org/calendar, or by subscribing to JFFA’s YouTube channel. The stream will start at 5:30 p.m. and the concert promptly at 6 p.m.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

From their home studios, the pair will put on an all-out show, Jacobs-Strain promised in a phone interview. The experience is teaching him how to orchestrate sound, lighting and his signature fury.

Jacobs-Strain and Beach are beloved around here, said Kayla Oakes, executive director of the Juan de Fuca Foundation. Jacobs-Strain has been appearing at the Memorial Day weekend Juan de Fuca Festival since 2012, bringing his style of Pacific Northwest-roots music to Port Angeles.

Beach and Jacobs-Strain were among nearly 75 acts set to play the 2020 festival before it was canceled. Oakes said she can hardly wait to see the duo again for a live show.

“They do funny, subversive blues and soulful ballads, and then they swing back to swampy rock ’n’ roll,” she promised.

Jacobs-Strain did quite a few online concerts last spring, and then he took a summer break since he wanted to get outdoors while the weather was good.

Now it’s time to reconnect, he said.

“There’s this other kind of intimacy on Zoom,” Jacobs-Strain believes. “I just have to play and create my own mojo. People can share their stories, and say, ‘Hey, we’re sitting on our porch, we just poured a microbrew; we’re having our Saturday night concert.’ ”

In this case, it’s a Friday evening show, with no tickets needed. Donations are welcome and will be shared between the nonprofit Juan de Fuca Foundation and the artists.

Zoom has improved its sound in recent weeks, Jacobs-Strain said.

“You can now broadcast in stereo. That opens up the possibility of a more immersive sound — a lot better than your average conference call,” he said.

The musician has been “holed up in Portland,” working on an album with Christopher Worth, another performer who had been scheduled to play at the Juan de Fuca Festival.

Despite the fact he can’t go on tour and play gigs and festivals as he loves to do, “I’m feeling hopeful right now,” Jacobs-Strain said.

He and Worth wrote a song Friday morning that he’s in love with; he revels in the feeling of cooking up something out of nothing.

“I’m feeling creatively excited,” said the artist, who has nearly a dozen albums to his credit, including “Terraplane Angel,” “Ocean or a Teardrop” and “Live from the Left Coast.”

Samples of his and Beach’s music can be found at DavidJacobs-strain.com.

This Friday, he and Beach will engage in a slide guitar-harmonica conversation, mix in some resonator-guitar groove and add some stories.

“Everyone can sing along,” Jacobs-Strain quipped, “in any key they want to.”

________

Diane Urbani de la Paz, a former features editor for the Peninsula Daily News, is a freelance writer living in Port Townsend.

More in Entertainment

Singer-songwriter to perform at Concerts in the Woods

Jesse Terry will perform at Concerts in the Woods at… Continue reading

April Surgent’s “Portrait of an Ocean” will be part of the Water Connects Us All exhibit that is the inspiration for Thursday’s Civic Minds and Creative Hearts presentation.
Port Angeles Fine Arts Center to host presentations

The Civic Minds and Creative Hearts series will present… Continue reading

Mountain Gazing in the Sunset by Ailo Saari of Port Angeles placed first in the Art category for youths 0-9.
Tidepools Magazine winners announced

The 2025 Tidepools Magazine contest winners in the categories… Continue reading

Joe Euro will perform at Candlelight Concerts on Thursday.
Euro to play at Candlelight Concert series

Joe Euro will perform during a Candlelight Concert at… Continue reading

Music, stage performances set for this weekend

Music and stage performances plus a seed exchange highlight this weekend’s scheduled… Continue reading

Jodi Ericksen is the core teaching artist for Aging Creatively, Northwind Art’s program for people with memory loss, along with their caregivers. Ericksen is pictured at Northwind’s Jeanette Best Gallery in Port Townsend. (Diane Urbani/Northwind Art)
Aging Creatively program is for people with memory loss

Aging Creatively, a new free art program especially for… Continue reading

Rachel Lee Priday will be the guest soloist for the Port Angeles Symphony’s first concert of spring on Saturday. (Lisa-Marie Mazzucco)
Soloist to play with symphony Saturday

UW music professor to join Port Angeles group

Luke Bulla will perform at the Palindrome on Sunday.
Bulla to perform at Palindrome on Sunday

Rainshadow Concerts will present Luke Bulla in concert at… Continue reading

Cast members, top row from left, Rick Mischke, Rebecca Gilbert, Mary Kaye O’Brien and, in front, from left, Rich Hendricksen, Susan Bjork and Steve Henrickson, at a rehearsal for “The Man in the Green Truck.”
Port Angeles Community Players to stage production this weekend

The Port Angeles Community Players will stage a production… Continue reading

Garden show tops list of weekend Peninsula events

A garden show, performances on stage and music concerts highlight this weekend’s… Continue reading

Colin Urwin will present “Irish Concert: Irish Stories and Songs” at the Port Angeles Community Playhouse on Wednesday.
Irish stories, songs to be presented

Colin Urwin will present “Irish Concert: Irish Stories and… Continue reading

Sachinmayi Menon plays Sandra in Allycea Weil’s Caged at 3 p.m. on Sunday. (Port Townsend Film Festival)

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Daily News relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in