ABOUT
Jake Howard offers a promising and captivating preview for the future of mandolin. His career has evolved from hours hunched over YouTube and sticky-floored bar gigs to his roles now as the mandolinist for the Henhouse Prowlers and Westbound Situation. Starting at the age of fifteen, Jake found himself enamored with roots music. Less than three years after he first started playing his Kentucky A-style mandolin, Jake began studying with another idol and future mentor, Joe K. Walsh, at the Berklee College of Music, ultimately graduating with a B.A. in Performance and American Roots Music.
Jake’s playing has a distinctive curiosity, always looking for more. His mandolin is first and foremost a tool of emotional expression where he can examine the relationship between roots music and intense sentiment. Through this pursuit, Jake was essential in the creation of multiple groups, most notably, the Page Turners which carried him across much of the US on a consistent string of tours and earned the Freshgrass Best Duo Award in 2016. Following this, Jake joined the Henhouse Prowlers and quickly found a new space for growth, exploring various styles of world music through a bluegrass lens.
Jake is equal parts impactful player and versed teacher instructing at programs such as Savannah Music Festival’s Musical Explorers in partnership with Carnegie Hall, Bluegrass Ambassadors, Ossipee Valley Music Camp, Berkeley Music Festival, Berklee Five Week and String Intensive and Julian Fiddle Camp in addition to teaching private instruction. Jake considers himself to be a lifelong student and values the privilege of sharing his experiences in music with others.
Jake will make his Henhouse Prowlers’ album debut with their upcoming record The Departure, coming out May 21. You can catch him on the road with them and Westbound Situation in the near future.