Chris Huntt Jr and Jake Kohn Draw Huge Crowd at Troubadour Lounge & Park

Two old soul country boys sing warmly from the heart on a chilly Saturday night 

Troubadour Lounge and Park, you hidden gem, you. About an hour away and several mountainous twists and sharp turns later and I arrive at a homey little bar tucked away in quiet Berkeley Springs, WV. It’s just about show time and every booth in this place is reserved, not that I’m surprised. Chris Huntt Jr and Jake Kohn are performing tonight, I knew damn well there wouldn’t be much wiggle room and I was right. 

Chris Hunnt Jr is here supporting Jake Kohn this evening and at 9 pm sharp, he steps up behind the old school microphone and grabs his acoustic, and gets to goin’. He’s got a top hat out on a barstool for tips and an ice-cold Coors light within arm’s reach. Originally from Stephens City VA, Chris often plays around Winchester but tonight he’s graced WV with his talent. 

Chris croons soulfully as he strums away at his acoustic, his golden curly locks peeking out from under his trucker hat. His stunning baby blues catch the light every so often as he looks out into the packed venue. He’s got the stage for an hour tonight and he makes sure to really take care of the crowd. At one point, his buddy Brennan Edwards hops up to play a song he wrote called “Ten Chickens in a Dog Crate”, and not long after he starts to sing, Jake, Chris, and ‘The Sherminator’ join in and they all perform it together. Chris took control of the stage solo after, and he played several originals for us. “Shadows”, “Railroad Rider”, “Die Alone”, and “Demons” to name a few. Want to hear some of these yourself? Check our Chris on YouTube. 

Chris’ set ends and he thanks the crowd and hypes them up for Jake Kohn, or “J Kizzle” as he calls him. 

We have a brief intermission before Jake’s set and the owner of the Troubadour draws a ticket to give away a 10-pound box of bacon. This was honestly such a perfect touch for this cute little country bar, very West Virginia. I loved it. 

Jake takes the stage and the crowd falls silent as he starts to play and sing. It’s been said by many and I’ll say it again, you don’t expect that voice to come from that person. Jake Kohn is a 15-year-old Virginia native, but you wouldn’t know it from his voice. He’s an old soul for damn sure, and his voice will tell you that right from the get-go. 

Jake performs several of his original songs, including “Hard As Stone”, which recently went viral on Facebook and currently sits at 1.1 million views. This guy really sings from deep in his soul, his expressions matching the depth of his lyrics. Jake plays guitar and sings as his past-the-shoulder wavy brunette hair flows with him as he moves, standing on his toes and really leaning into the mic as he hits the really powerful notes. 

At one point, Jake looks over to the booth to his left and says “Mama, record this one” before he sings a song about disagreeing with the government. All during his set, he’s glancing over at his parents as he performs with all of his heart. After each song, the crowd showers Jake with a deafening roar of cheers and clapping. After about an hour or so, he takes a small break and steps outside. He is playing for two hours, after all, so the jukebox spins while Jake stands by the fire and chats music with Chris and a few of his other buddies. 

Intermission ends and Jake returns to the stage, putting on an even more incredible second act. He blows it out of the water every time, and this performance is no different. The night comes to an end and the crowd is buzzing about the show, two very talented and powerful artists back to back for almost three hours. Time to head back down the mountain, if only the incredible energy I left the show feeling could be bottled. I could have turned off the headlights and used it to guide me home. 

Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see. 

Chris Huntt Jr.

Jake Kohn