Jason Reeves is a thoughtful guy.
He spends a lot of time musing about the fast pace of the world and the politics that drive it. What makes Reeves different from so many others is that he puts his thoughts and feelings to folk music. The acclaim that music has received has sent him on a dizzying path.
“It’s definitely insane right now,” Reeves said of his tour. “It seems like I’m always in a car driving, then playing and then doing it over and over again. It’s amazing.”
The whirlwind picked up steam in July when Warner Brothers signed Reeves to a recording and distribution deal and announced it would rerelease his 2007 album “The Magnificient Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales).” Reeves had self-released the album in 2007 and it was named one of iTunes Top Folk Albums in 2007.
Ironically Reeves wrote the songs on the album as a way to share his frustration about the rocky journey of building a career in music. That the day-in-day-out struggles and constant travel take a toll on personal relationships isn’t big news, but the way Reeves writes about the subject is.
His songs, though seemingly about a gloomy topic, have a very real cheer about them. That tone reflects Reeves’ attitude toward life.
“I always believe that something better is coming. And I’m not afraid of it either,” he said. “A lot of people are afraid of getting hurt, but [isolation] won’t get you where you want to be.”
Indeed, it was reaching out to a group of close friends that set Reeves on his musical path. Releasing his music on MySpace did the rest. As the number of requests for his songs grew, so did the buzz around him, which finally caught the ears of Warner Brothers execs.
Reeves, who co-wrote 10 tracks on Colbie Caillat’s 2007 platinum debut album, has modeled his songwriting in the style of masters such as James Taylor and Bob Dylan.
“We just play true to how the songs should be,” said Reeves. “We don’t hype it. We play music as it should be played.”
If you go
Tyrone Wells and Jason Reeves (both with full bands)
Where: Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Details: $12; jamminjava.com
Jason Reeves with Tyrone Wells and Welton Logan
Where: Sante Fe Café, 4410 Knox Road, College Park
When: 11 p.m. Friday
Details: $12; 202-397-SEAT; ticketmaster.com
