JTE Acoustic Band promises upbeat, fast-paced, fun show at Lenawee County Fair tonight
ADRIAN — JTE Acoustic Band, a two-man acoustic cover band based in southeastern Michigan will light up the Lenawee County Fair bandshell tonight with an upbeat, fast-paced, fun show.
JTE Acoustic Band plays from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 27.
Jake Larson plays rhythm and lead acoustic guitar while providing background vocals and an occasional lead or co-lead vocal. Patrick Bates sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar and sometimes even gets out his harmonica for a crowd.
The band plays multiple genres of music, from Johnny Cash to George Michael, with a wide variety of songs and styles mixed in during each show.
Larson and Bates like to interact with the crowd and choose songs based on what people are really enjoying at that particular show. They keep up the banter between the two of them between songs and switch up styles.
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“We try to play songs that are fun. We’re big fans of entertainers who are obviously having fun when they are up there performing, and we try to do the same,” Larson said. “You might hear some goofy lyric changes and callouts to people in the audience and you’ll most definitely hear us tease each other.”
This year marks JTE’s 15-year anniversary as a band, and they are celebrating in their shows.
Music has been an essential part of both Larson and Bate’s lives for a long time. Bates grew up in Britton and lived there most of his life. He now resides close to Adrian. Larson grew up in Deerfield and now lives between Adrian and Tecumseh. Larson has been playing guitar since age 13, and Bates started playing guitar in high school.
Bates moved to Colorado 10 years ago, so the band played a reunion show just once or twice a year for a while when he came back into town. Bates moved back to Michigan last year, and the band picked up and has been busy doing shows ever since.
“We weren’t sure what to expect since it had been a while since we had tried to book shows around here, but we’ve played over 40 shows since he moved back last summer and we have no plans to slow down,” Larson said. “We’re always looking for new places to play since that helps keep it new and exciting for us. We also add new songs on a weekly basis which definitely keeps us on our toes.”
Both Larson and Bates have written original music, but they like to do cover songs at their shows, playing music people know and can sing along or tap their feet to.
“We like to keep it fun and upbeat, so whatever the crowd is into that night is what we’ll play,” Bates said. “Sometimes that means playing more country songs, and sometimes it’s playing ’70s and ’80s yacht rock, but we like to make sure the crowd is having a good time and enjoying themselves.”
Thursday at the fair
Hours: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Grandstand: 7 p.m., Lost Nations Rodeo. $10 general admission and $15 box seat. Grandstand prices are in addition to fair admission.
Bandshell: 7 p.m., JTE Acoustic Band.
Admission: Kids Day. $7 general admission; children 9 or younger are free; active military with identification are free. Parking is free and handicap parking is available in the Dean Street lot by the fair office and the grandstand entrance.
Midway: Opens at 2 p.m. Kids Day special: $27 unlimited rides wristbands (includes $2 activation fee)
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: JTE Acoustic Band promises fun show at Lenawee County Fair tonight
