Jake Speed & the Freddies' 25th Anniversary/Album Release/Benefit for Cin'ti Public Radio

Jake Speed & the Freddies, Cincinnati’s long-running folk/Americana band, host a night rooted in toe-tappin’, foot-stompin’ original tunes that muse on Cincinnati’s unique past & present. Known as the Woody Guthrie of Cincinnati, Jake Speed uses a traditional folksy delivery to compose timely and timeless songs that tell great stories with a bit of a lyrical edge. This special Queen City-centric concert celebrates 25 years of music-making, storytelling, and deep ties to the region, featuring cameo appearances by Mike Oberst of The Tillers, Ed Cunningham of The Comet Bluegrass Allstars, and Chris Cusentino of The Turkeys. The concert also marks the release of the band’s sixth studio album with 12 new songs, some of which pay tribute to Cincinnati musical icons Katie Laur, The Comet Bluegrass Allstars, dancing with daffodils at Washington Park, and their roots in Ohio. More than a performance, this 25th Anniversary concert is a celebration of Cincinnati’s music, stories, and community. Proceeds benefit Cincinnati Public Radio, helping sustain the local voices and institutions that preserve the past, enrich the present, and guide the journey ahead. Jake Speed & The Freddies play a mix of traditional & original folk, country blues, and ragtime tunes that muse on Cincinnati’s unique past & present. Known as the Woody Guthrie of Cincinnati, Jake Speed uses a traditional folksy delivery to compose timely and timeless songs that tell great stories with a bit of a lyrical edge. The band, built out of guitar, mandolin, fiddle, tenor guitar and upright bass (with hints of harmonica, kazoo, and washboard), has been hailed by CityBeat magazine as a “…a fixture of Cincinnati’s traditional Folk scene” since releasing its first of five albums, Queen City Rag, in 2002. Speed’s tongue-in-cheek stories and crowd-engaging antics (such as watering can solos, sing-alongs, and dance moves) keep audiences thoroughly entertained. Just two years after hitting the Cincinnati scene, the band won the 2002 Cincinnati Entertainment Award (Cincinnati’s equivalent of The Grammy Awards) for Artist of the Year. The band is now a five-time winner of the CEA for Best Folk Musicians (2001-2004; 2008). Jake Speed is a two-time winner of the CEA for Best Songwriter (2002, 2006). Cincinnati Magazine’s 2007 “Best of Cincinnati” edition named the band as one of the Top 40 Best Things About Cincinnati. In 2004, the readers of CityBeat Magazine voted them Best Local Musicians.