Check Out Jake Bartlett’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Bartlett

Hi Jake, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a musical family. My grandmother played various instruments and traveled around Michigan with her family band, playing square dance events in barns. She even eventually inspired the name of a now very famous rock band from my hometown: Greta Van Fleet (her name is Gretna Van Fleet). My mom and aunts also played piano. It seemed like a piano was in every house when I was younger. I walked to my neighbor’s house for piano lessons when I was a kid, and that helped me get started in music, but I never wanted to learn the sheet music note for note. I would learn by ear and make up my own versions of the songs… I don’t think my piano teacher liked that very much.

Church played a significant role in music for me early on, too. I remember one service when the choir conductor was directing so enthusiastically he knocked a vase of flowers off the altar. It crashed to the ground and that was the most rock and roll thing I had seen at that point; it was incredible!

I got my first toy drumset when I was four years old. I remember my mom cleaning the house upstairs, blasting Fleetwood Mac or Dan Fogelberg, maybe the Oakridge Boys, I can’t remember the exact music, but I remember locking in with the beat and how it felt. I was hooked ever since that point.

My hometown, Frankenmuth, MI, is a big tourist destination with a strong German heritage. I attended many local music festivals as a kid and eventually connected with a high school classmate of my mom’s who played drums in a polka band. He let me borrow one of his drum kits – it was an old white Pearl kit – while I saved money from lawn mowing to get my first real set of drums. My mom paid for half of that kit, and I covered the other half, and in 1997, I became the proud owner of a jet-black Pearl Export kit. I was gigging in a jazz band shortly after that, and I was so small I couldn’t carry most of the gear. My mom hauled it in her minivan, helped me unload/load, and set up/teardown. I’m forever grateful for my mom’s support and encouragement early on and still to this day.

From there, it was school jazz bands, punk rock garage bands, and eventually finding my groove with some friends in an Americana band. That eventually brought me to Nashville in 2007, where I attended Belmont for music business and kept the band going. Americana, roots, folk, and rock music have been a big focus of mine since then.

After I graduated, I realized the music business was no place to be for a stable and lucrative career, which I needed to pay of my student loans. So, I worked in technology for a while, and music was a side thing, more of a hobby. I left Nashville in 2011 and moved to Chicago (I met my wife there), then lived in Denver, San Francisco, and Grand Rapids before returning to Nashville in 2022.

My wife and I were living in Grand Rapids during Covid and something about it just didn’t feel right, we wanted to move south and I was starting to play more music and wanting to focus more on that, so in 2022 we bought a place in Donelson. We love it here!

I’ve been touring pretty heavily ever since with an artist named Myron Elkins. We’ve been lucky to do about 100 dates per year the last few years, supporting folks like Marcus King, Charley Crocket, Dawes, Shane Smith, Blackberry Smoke, Marshall Tucker Band, and more.

I do a lot of drum tracking from my home studio and studios around town as well. I also have a side gig writing marketing content for businesses. It’s a little extra cash and flexible enough if I’m on the road. It’s also a pretty creative thing, and I enjoy the work. Speaking of side gigs, I think we need to normalize talking about that stuff. Making a living full-time in music is challenging. There’s nothing wrong with picking up some restaurant shifts or, in my case, writing geeky marketing content to make ends meet.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve tried to quit music a couple of times. I even sold my drums and gear only to get a gig offer three weeks later and purchase a new kit. Music is hard, but I’d go crazy without it.

My biggest struggles with music early on were based on finances. I essentially had to jump careers to be able to pay off my student loans. Now, I’m in a much better financial position, and I can afford to take risks, such as trying to make money as a drummer, haha.

Still, the biggest challenge of a music career for me is keeping music fun and positive, not getting wrapped up in comparison culture, and always wanting more. It’s a business, and you have to treat it like that if you’re trying to make a living doing it, especially today. You used to be able to be a great band with good songs, and everyone else would take care of the rest. But today, you need to be a business person, a leader, and a marketer, even as a side musician. The balance between business and enjoyment can be tricky sometimes.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a touring and studio drummer, and I suppose I’m an aspiring producer. I’m starting to do more work at home and in other studios around Nashville. I love being in the studio; creating something from nothing is the best feeling.

I’d love to produce more singers/songwriters and collaborate with more people here in Nashville and beyond. Playing live is fun, but creating in the studio is just as rewarding for me. So, if you’re interested in collaborating, reach out! I want to surround myself with good people and good music.

I’ve gotten to do some pretty cool things, like play the Ryman, perform in front of huge festival crowds, share stages with great artists and musicians, and rub shoulders with people who give me severe imposter syndrome. However, I’m most proud of the little home studio I built with my dad. We converted a garden shed into a drum tracking room/small production studio in 16 days. It’s cozy, vibey as hell, and I’m incredibly proud of it.

What were you like growing up?
I was a terrible student growing up, but I was good at showing up to school on time. I knew I was a terrible student, and so did the teachers, so the least I could do was show up on time and be decently well-behaved. Even that was hard sometimes. I got an E on my report card in gym class one year. See, terrible student.

I got along with everyone though… from the jocks and popular kids to the weirdos and music nerds. I never wanted enemies. Still don’t.

When I was younger, I was either cruising around town on my BMX bike, seeking a set of stairs to jump off, or I was in my mom’s basement, smacking the shit out of my drums and making music with friends. My mom basically let me take over the entire basement as my own studio, and my brother and sister, bless their hearts, were patient and supportive (most of the time) in letting that happen.

Now, in my mid-thirties, I’m still doing the same things, haha… except I traded the BMX bike for a bike with gears, and I have my own studio in my backyard.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jakebartlettmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakebartlettdrums/