PLNU musicians have been showcasing their talent at a local venue of the Headquarters in Seaport Village to put on a music event last Friday night. This is PreFAB. Juniors Kirsten Swanson and Jack French joined former PLNU student Jake Smith in a brilliant multi-talented performance.
PreFAB is a place where small businesses can come and get their start. Roughly 70 people gathered into an artfully decorated room on Friday night and watched local talent display their music.
This marks the fifth PreFAB music event, however, this friday’s event was to celebrate the release of Smith’s professionally produced new album entitled “Because.” After a year and a half in the works, Smith was finally ready to share it with people.
Swanson opened the show by singing and piano accompaniment by Smith. They played four songs before French came up to play his enthusiastic set consisting of soulful singing and passionate roars. Sophomore Nathan Weir was in attendance and loves French’s music. “That man has enough soul for everybody in the room,” he said. “He’s super talented.”
Smith ended the show with a jazzy set of songs off of his new album. Women swooned as he projected his smooth voice into the microphone and scrambled across the keys in a bluesy piano solo. His effortless style is a clear reflection of his talent and dedication.
Friday’s PreFAB marked the commencement of Smith’s record-selling. He attended PLNU last year as a freshman vocal performance major and decided to discontinue college to actively pursue his career in music. Now, with an album out, he’s promoting while also giving opportunities to friends and musicians at PLNU to showcase their music. Past PreFAB shows have included music from James Bishop, Kristen Sabesky and Jack Marschke.
Swanson and Smith became friends during his time in school. According to Swanson, Smith saw her singing in Jazz Band and immediately approached her about singing with him. “We became super good friends and I ended up singing a duet with him on the record,” she said. “I definitely think he’s going to make it big someday.”
According to Smith, if one has a gift, they should let it out and share it with the people around them. “I’ve always wanted to share my music and I wanted to see what would happen,” he said.
The next PreFab event, which is free, will be on Oct. 24 and will feature unannounced PLNU musicians. Check out to Jake Smith’s Facebook page for updates.
