Not Another Machine: #jakeyjakeybigmistakeyy
With 9 minutes left on a Sunday, Jake Lynn is well into his seventh hour drumming behind other musicians in front of an audience. And the audience likely has a musician or 24 in it.
He’s on a roll that started with people worshiping while he drummed. Even though he finished the three church gigs before noon, people have continued to worship while he drums.
This isn’t every Sunday. But it could be any Sunday for Jake, aka jakeyjakeybigmistakeyy as he is known on the internet, and his drum case.
“Sundays are hilarious for me,” Jake smiles.
Every Sunday that Jake is in Tulsa, he plays multiple church services, then Bluegrass Brunch. Even though Johnny Murrell doesn’t have a single release every Sunday like this one, Jake often mixes into SOUP’s set, at least.
This is all after multiple weekend gigs in Green Country and abroad. This is Jake’s existence.
“Madness. Insanity. A pirate’s life,” Jake describes it to ASLUT.
“It's liberating, it's terrifying. Man, a lot of fucking people look at you like you're nuts until it works.”
Anyone who has experienced Jake perform can see that it works. Even if they don’t have the capacity to fully process what they are hearing.
“[I] want to leave people feeling the extremes, you know?” Jake says. “I want you to come to the show and really forget what's going on in your life, what's going on in the world. Feel happy, feel nostalgic, but feel those emotions deeply because we're giving you all that.”
This is what he’s wanted to do his whole life. Lack of representation at school career days be damned. He’s a professional drummer, music director, and session musician, who has also begun teaching lessons.
Humming theme songs before he could speak, Jake ended up in Branson shows before other kids were in Little League lineups.
“I've been madly in love with drums and music. But, I fell in love with drums head over heels,” Jake tells ASLUT.
Found, not lost, in the pursuit, young Jake spent every spare moment he could practicing. Summer meant many days only putting down the sticks for a quick bite.
“I wasn't there practicing rudiments and fills. I was learning songs,” Jake explains. “My mom would buy me concert DVDs. So I was learning all these tour shows. And that helped, too, because I was hearing all these crazy live arrangements, where they take the song and make it even more.”
Church choir, school band, state jazz, and a portion of his adolescent timeline on the OKC Thunder drumline helped, too. Within a couple years after high school, he was making a living playing covers in churches and casinos around Tulsa. Soon enough, he was playing originals with guys like Jacob Tovar, Wink Burcham, Paul Wilkes, JohnFullbright,t and Roger Ray.
“Moving to Tulsa was the decision to make,” he says. “It's been nothing but fruitful. And I know there's other industry towns. Maybe it would have made more sense to move to Austin or move to Nashville or LA or something like that. But there's a real organic spirit happening here. Every single musician I know here is uniquely their own.”
And Jake is trying to play with all of them. If he’s in Tulsa, he's likely going to be playing the drums. Only a matter of behind who, where.
Maybe at Mercury with the Johnny Mullenax Band. Maybe at Cain’s Ballroom for Tovar’s Christmas. Maybe at The Hunt Club with SydTrio. Maybe at Dead Format Records with Andrew Bair.
“I get a freakish high off of that,” Jake explains. “I love being the backing band for multiple artists. That's so much fun because you end up getting to play kind of everything.”
For the past five years, if he was out of Tulsa, he was likely playing drums for Red Dirt icon Jason Boland. A child learning from tour shows became a Straggler playing tour shows.
“It's been an amazing time, a life-changing time,” Jake shares with ASLUT. “I had $100 to my name the weekend they called me to come play.”
That first Fayetteville gig turned into years with Boland & The Stragglers, including debuting at Grand Ole Opry, co-headlining at The Ryman and playing at festivals around the country. Jake also became music director for the band in 2022.
“I'm very grateful for all the time I've spent with that band. There are memories from that that I will cherish for all of my days.”
A few hours before sitting down with ASLUT on a Tulsa porch, he was on a long-distance call with Boland to step away. That time, his time as a Straggler had come to an end.
“I still have mountains to climb and want to continue to push myself, musically, as far as I can. I think now's the moment.”
He won’t be alone in the moment.
“I'm excited for whatever lies ahead. Grateful to be able to be with my wife more, to be able to be with my friends here,” Jake says with downtown behind him. “There's a lot of Tulsa music that I am smitten with, that I love so much, and that I'm excited to be around for. Who knows what the future holds? My music heroes played with everyone. I hope that becomes my story.”
Whatever uncertainty exists in this transition, Jake is certain of where he belongs.
“Music has saved my life, broken my heart,” Jake tells ASLUT. “It's everything. Like sitting behind the drums feels right. It's indescribable to look out at your bandmates, and then to look at people enjoying what you're doing. And seeing cares lifted, and joy be pushed towards the audience and then pushed back towards the band. That's an indescribable feeling. It just feels right.”
Stay updated with Jake and secure your spot for his next performance by following him on Instagram at @jakeyjakeybigmistakeyy.