Meet Jacob Bachman | Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Bachman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
Kurt Vonnegut’s “slaughterhouse five”. I’ve been a Vonnegut fan since this first short sentence in this book, and subsequently all of his other works. “Slaughterhouse” influenced me immensely as a budding songwriter because it broke down all notions I had of storytelling. When I first started out as a songwriter I believe I started in the same place everyone else does, taking about circumstances that I had directly faced or experienced. I soon found out that those topics dry up relatively quickly and you end up writing the same song over and over again. It becomes stale. Vonnegut opened my eyes to taking a story that is founded in fact, holding true to that story but adding your own fictional – often subliminal – creative license.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I found songwriting in my own voice to be incredibly challenging for the first decade or more. It wasn’t until I realized that songwriting doesn’t have to be solely about your personal experiences that I felt like I became successful at it. Everyone has a story to tell, and I’m proud that I have developed into a writer that can sit back, observe and then deliver that story in a way that connects with others. It was very difficult to “let go” of trying to tell a story and simply let the story tell itself, but I’ve learned through many “2:00 AM – I better get this recorded on my phone before I forgot it!” moments that stories just want to be told and most of the time your just the chosen conduit.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, my current city of Charlotte has a great arts scene. My first recommendation to anyone who is in the roots music world is to visit The Comet Grill to catch Jack Lawrence and Red Rocking Chair play every Tuesday night. Jack was a counterpart of Doc Watson, and to get to interact with such a legend in such a personal way is what makes bluegrass an easily accessible and personal experience. Go to NoDa to walk the visual art scene. Go to Plaza to eat amazing food and look at vintage guitars. VisArt does an amazing songwriter round on Tuesday night. Check them all out if you can.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without all the guys in the band I play in, The Well Drinkers, as well as all of the incredible novelists and local storytellers that have inspire me throughout my life.

Website: https://www.thewelldrinkers.com/

Instagram: Welldrinkers_bluegrass

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWellDrinkers?mibextid=9R9pXO

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/27nKGgIbguOnFGuiGsXSP5?si=B3uqwAq1QT2bXWDuF8ExVQ

Image Credits
Jared Searcy Dustin Sims