Indie folk rock songwriter Jacob Rountree to play Eichardt’s, Fall Fest

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

After nearly a decade of writing music, Jacob Rountree remains committed to exploring the human condition through his craft. Rountree’s special blend of alternative folk and indie rock has always centered on his quest to tell unique stories in a therapeutic way, seeking inspiration from a wide variety of topics while still focusing on what makes us tick as a species.

Rountree will play a free live show at 8 p.m. at Eichardt’s Pub on Friday, Aug. 30.

Hailing from Bozeman, Mont., Roundtree classifies his music as, “alternative-indie only because it seems to be the least descriptive title one could have for their art.” 

Jacob Rountree and the Somethings playing live. Courtesy photo.

The alt-folk, indie rock musical genre is fitting because it is based on classic Americana, folk and rock, but “includes experimentation with unconventional time signatures, tunings, soundscapes and arrangements,” Rountree told the Reader.

“I like to think of my music as a Paul Simon or Bob Dylan level of folky-storytelling combined with the imaginative experience and multi-dimensions of music like Pink Floyd,” he said. “It’s easy on the ears, it’s familiar, yet it takes an open mind to enjoy such an inventive approach to songwriting and production.”

In Rountree’s forthcoming album, Truth or Dare, set for release Sept. 20, he said some of the songs are playful fiction, “written with desire to connect to a live audience through dance, while others are introspective ballads on love and conflict. I even bring in concepts of quantum physics and theories of existence stemming from my mechanical engineering degree and work in nano research.”

Rountree will play with three of his five bandmates — which make up the group Jacob Rountree and the Somethings — at the Eichardt’s gig, but if you miss that show, you can see the band at Spokane’s Pig Out in the Park on Saturday, Aug. 31 or at Schweitzer’s Fall Fest at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1.

While he often appears solo, Rountree said playing as a band is always the performance of choice. 

“There is a natural, soulful quality to my music, which is enhanced by sharing the stage with other expressive musicians,” he said. “The intimate environment [at Eichardt’s] allows for more storytelling and connection, as well as hearing some hidden gems.”