By Jamie Atkinson

At the basement venue of Vibe Lounge in Rockville Center, the atmosphere feels much more like a large gathering of friends than a concert with a strangely diverse bill. But there, in the middle of inside jokes and the constant loading in and out of drum kits and guitars, is Jacob Vanags and his keyboard.

“This is his first show with an actual band,” explains his friend, Erin Willett. “He normally plays alone like it is on his EP.”

But a viewer would have to pay close attention to find a hint of nerves because Vanags’ is so confident on stage that one would have to believe he eats, sleeps and bathes in the spotlight. He jokes with the audience and his smile is even audible in his voice as he banters on between songs. The audience cheers back, shouting to him personally, exemplifying a real connection between Vanags and his loyal fan base. But it wasn’t always this way.

“I think I made a conscious decision to play shows when I came to New York,” explained the junior music-business major amidst the hustle and bustle of Bits’n’Bytes on a late Wednesday morning. “I like playing for new audiences because they don’t know what to expect. It’s all new. It’s always new.”

Vanags honed his onstage skills and stage persona over the summer as he played six to seven shows around New York City while living in Queens. All booked by his close friend and manager, Ryan McKeon, a junior marketing major, Vanags felt a change take place over time.

“I mean, I still get those little nervous moments before I go on stage,” said Vanags. “But once I’m up there, it all comes naturally.”

Vanags hails from Kent, Ohio where he spent most of his time trying to make the piano his passion. His parents pressured him into piano when he was young because he showed the most talent of his siblings. While Vanags enjoyed playing piano, he couldn’t stand what he was given to play. Soon enough, he was straying from his practice pieces and playing what he felt like, whether it had sheet music or not. Years later he picked up guitar in what he jokes as succumbing to peer pressure.

“Writing music for me is all trial and error,” said Vanags. “I’m just a trial-and-error type of guy.”

Vanags’ first EP, “The Come On Collection,” was recorded by a former Hofstra student over the course of six months. Due to economic constraints, Vanags maintained a very DIY mind -set for the project. They used a stamp to label the individual CDs and stickers acted as front covers for the disks. Drawing from influences such as Ben Folds, Coldplay and Sufjan Stevens, melodies come easy to the twenty-year-old singer-songwriter. Vanags, always plagued with a surplus of melodies and a shortage of lyrics, finds that his subject matter for the EP seemed to center around the common theme of change. Specifically, the change from Kent to living in New York and the way relationships changed because of his move.

“I can’t write about something that didn’t happen,” he explained. “Every song relates to a real experience, big or small. Every song has a little message, whether its for me or for everyone else.”

However, the major difference between the soft rock piano EP and the live show that he presents is that Vanags is currently in the process of assembling a permanent band to play with.

“I’ve always wanted to collaborate, but it never just seemed to work out. This was the next best step.”

What started as a joking sign propped up on his merchandise table proposing a need for a musician of any sort, even someone to just stand on stage and clap, ended with several musicians interested in joining him on stage. He took a few on loan from other bands for his show at Vibe, but plans on turning to do a full search for a permanent set. Vanags knows that having a band on stage will change the entire atmosphere of the show.

“It’s different being a solo artist. You have to be a comedian, a musician, a host, you have to be everything,” gushed Vanags. “You have to captivate them to keep them interested in a set because the focus is all on you. With a band, it aleviates that, it gives them someone else to take their attention while you can regroup.”

However, despite being in search of a band, Vanags reassures that he will likely stick to his roots and not pursue a more aggressive sound. He recognizes the challenges of appealing to an audience that is in pursuit of fast drums and louder guitars.

“I know I’m not always the same style as the other musicians I play with. I don’t plan on falling into that mold. I feel like some of the most creative and respected artists got to where they are because they were not only good at what they did, but they did it differently.”

And as Vanags prepares for his second EP, set to hit studio time in January, he remains constant in his hopes for it.

“I always want my next song, show, album to be the best yet. I think my next album will really fulfill that. But it is definitely only the warm up to something bigger.”

Vanags and McKeon agree that the focus of this EP will be to put more professional and better quality recordings out there to grow a fan base and use for promotion. McKeon is on a constant look out for possible shows, often booking on campus as much as possible, such as the upcoming show at Hofstra USA on November 13.

“I just want to get him out there for people to hear,” explained McKeon. “I really have a lot of faith in him from both the standpoint of a friend and coworker. I want to help him get out there.”

As for what will happen until Vanags attains the attention he deserves, he remains unsure and doesn’t mind.

“I just want to get out and see the world, I don’t want to be stuck in some office somewhere. I want to experience life,” said Vanags. “We’ll just have to see how it all goes.”

How very trial and error.