A week ago my ears were perked by the sounds of a band composed of a mandolin, a banjo, and the vocals of Judah Akers.
I had the fortune of a 3rd row seat to hear Judah and the Lion, a band who only found their way onto my Spotify a few months ago. I cannot recall how I found J+TL honestly but boy am I glad I did.
When my university, Oklahoma Christian, announced a month ago that Judah and the Lion would be on campus for a benefit concert I immediately thought yeah, that’d be cool to go to. The fact that student tickets were priced $10 and there would be no driving somewhere required made it a no-brainer for me to take advantage of the opportunity to see a new band . Plus, this is a band that just opened for Ben Rector on tour and I love Ben’s music so of course it would at least be worth giving them a shot, right? (honestly, it might be Ben who led me to find them I don’t remember.)
Leading up to the concert, I did what I always do and created a Spotify playlist so I can familiarize myself with the music of whatever artist/ band I’m going to see. Even if I don’t know the lyrics to every song, I try to at least find a couple of songs to learn a fair amount of the lyrics to. For Judah and the Lion, those songs were Twenty-somethings and Our Love. Twenty-somethings because I’m currently 19, turning 20 in August, so the lyrics of the song struck a cord with where I’m at in my life right now. Our Love because I enjoy the pace of the song and I really like the lyric ‘so wait for me as I wait for you and we’ll find a love we’ve wanted to and all come true,’ that lies within the song.
Finally, the night of the concert came. I was so excited when I showed up to Hardeman auditorium. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many denim or plaid shirts paired with jeans and desert boots in my life (I’m guilty of wearing a denim shirt that evening, oops.) The audience was hyped up by a supporting band from Lubbock, TX., Fellow American. They did a great job and I am so excited to hear more of their music in the future. Following a brief intermission, it was time for Judah and the Lion to take the stage.
I had no expectations for this band because it robs the ability to have a great time away from a concert but I was absolutely blown away by this folky band from my birth state of Tennessee. I did sort of expect to stay seated for the first time in my concert-going history, but that certainly did not happen. Instead, as soon as Judah took the stage everyone rushed to form a makeshift mosh pit.
Judah, alongside bandmates Nate Zuercher and Brian Macdonald, had such an incredible energy and spontaneity on stage that rippled throughout the audience. They intertwined several covers within their own songs, going as far to rap Eminem’s Lose Yourself in their song Twenty-somethings.
This band reminded me there are still musicians and bands in the music industry not for the money but because they love music and want to share that with others. It’s something I believe is becoming a rarer find and I love that J+TL exuded passion and not a longing for patronage.
Their passion for their craft was undeniable. The band made sure to get interactive with the crowd from calling a student on stage for a rap battle against Brian to Judah hoping off stage and walking through the crowd (right in front of me, eep!) They made their show so they were having a great time on stage and resulted in the crowd having a great time as well. I’m so glad I was able to share this experience with some of my very best friends; dancing, singing, and yelling the night away.
Between Judah’s tattoos and long curly mane (which I’m convinced he has because a. lion’s mane, duh and b. man bun purposes) to bearded Brian and Nate, this isn’t the type of band I would have listened in middle school and maybe even part of high school. But I sure am glad my college self is more open to different and new types of music my younger, only listening to country music, self would have been too bull-headed to even give a chance.
Thank you Judah and the Lion for being something different from the norm. For being a band I’ll add to the list of bands I’ll pay to see any chance I can. For speaking/shaping the struggles, joys, and the everything in between of our lives into beautiful song lyrics. For being so very kind when I was finally given the opportunity to meet y’all. Just thanks overall for being the band you are. I cannot wait to see and say hi to y’all again at some point, hopefully sooner than later.
Moral of the blog post: go see Judah and the Lion in concert, they’re pretty rockin’.
Thanks for reading!
-Kristyn
(A couple snippets from the night, down below)
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