Tonight starting at 7:30 p.m., Nine-twentynine Coffee Bar will host Jake Slinkard, opening up for Sam Mooney on his ‘Mississippi in the Spring’ tour. Tickets are $5 pre-sale at the coffee bar and $7 at the door
Mooney is a singer and songwriter from Brookhaven, Mississippi. He released his debut EP, “Somewhere in Between,” in 2014, and he is releasing his second this year. His latest EP, “Find My Way,” reached No. 8 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart on April 5. This show is part of his spring tour, but Mooney is calling it his ‘Album Release Party.’
Jonette Shurdan, Mississippi State alumni and barista at Nine-twentynine said she is excited about the concert and for the artists.
“He’s calling it his Album Release Party,” Shurdan said. “I think he’s definitely excited about the new album and about growing his fan base. The artists we have come play here aren’t usually mainstream, and I think it’s a great opportunity for the community to be introduced to local and up and coming artists and appreciate this venue in a unique way.”
Jake Slinkard, kinesiology major at MSU and Jackson native, will open for Mooney. Slinkard has performed at many local venues including Dave’s, Two Brothers, Nine-twenty nine and on-campus with a few Music Makers productions. He plays seven instruments and has been writing his own music since he was 12-years-old. Slinkard said he is excited, as always, to perform.
“I’ve been to concerts at Nine-twenty nine, and I’ve performed there before as well,” Slinkard said. “It really is an awesome venue. It’s big enough that you have a lot of energy in the room, but it’s also intimate enough that you can really feel like you’re a part of it. I love it down there in the basement; there’s good sound and a good community of people.”
Mattie Carter, sophomore food sciences major from New Albany, Mississippi, plans on attending the event. She said she was very excited to hear that Sam Mooney and Jake Slinkard were playing together and that she wouldn’t miss it.
“I’ve seen Jake Slinkard perform several times over my college career and his talent has progressed so much,” Carter said. “He has such great stage presence and always makes sure to play plenty of well known songs for the crowd to really get involved.”
Slinkard said his favorite performance was at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville. He recalled that it was nerve-racking to be performing solo in front of a large crowd but exhilarating at the same time. He was also excited to say he would be playing some new songs Friday.
“I’ve got a couple new original songs I’ve decided to play,” Slinkard said. “That’s one thing you have to do as a songwriter is put your stuff out there and gather feedback, and it’s important to see what is working for the audience and what isn’t.”
Shurdan said Nine-twentynine will have dollar-off beer specials for the show and that they will also extend closing time until the show is over. Nine-twentynine coffee bar is located on East Main Street across from the courthouse.
