Jelly Roll Team Profile - Jake Yanachek

I was born in New York City and raised not far away in the suburbs. As I look back, it was a great place to live; close enough to the city, but far enough away for m to know there was much more to life than suburbia. The search for "something else" -fueled by my love of Kerouac, loud music, and movement of any kind- brought me west at the age of 18. I began university in San Francisco, California and eventually finished in Phoenix, Arizona with a B.S. in Urban Studies, where I focussed on the cooperation of municipalities and non-profit service providers.

 

After finishing my studies, I moved back to New York. This move was short lived, however, as the place where I grew up had become much too small. I started traveling in my early twenties, eventually making my way through Central America. Along the way, I met a beautiful German girl who invited me to come visit Hamburg. There wasn't much tying me down at that point, so I jumped at the opportunity. I found myself in Hamburg in May, 2014 with no job, no visa and dwindling cash. I quickly realized that I wanted to stay (for the girl, less so for the grey city) and found a solution: busking.

I spent the summer of 2014 on the streets of Hamburg with an acoustic guitar, an empty box and a growing repertoire of songs to play. I had never done anything like this before. I'd always wanted to play in the NYC subways, but I was always somehow intimidated. It was still a bit unnerving in Hamburg (after all, you never know if you'll be praised, harassed, chased by cops or beggars, etc...) but it had become my job. I made nearly 2000 Euros that summer; it was enough to sustain myself until my Schengen visa was up.

I returned to HH for good in November, 2014. I completed a teaching certification course and have been working as an English teacher ever since. From time to time, I still busk.

 

Music has always been a passion of mine. I began playing guitar at 13. My Mom took me to my first concert at Madison Square Garden shortly after that. I've been fortunate to have been able to travel to may different places to see live music. The Jelly Roll Factory allows me to combine my skills, previous experience and passion for music into one project.

And if you see me on the streets, throw me some change.