About Jake Wiest
Music
Jake has been singing and playing guitar since age 14. He also learned to play bass and formed his first band Smoking Bill while attending the University of Idaho, where he alternated between bass and rhythm guitar and lead and backup vocals. After college he developed a solo singer/songwriter act with elements of folk, punk, and comedy music, and he now has a repertoire with up to four hours of original and cover songs. Jake also plays and sings dozens of Irish traditional songs, and can play a full set of Irish music, which he has done annually on St. Patrick’s Day for many years. Over the years he has also incorporated other instruments into his work including ukulele, mandolin, hand drums, and the tin whistle. He released his first official solo album in 2021, “Lycanthropic Dreams,” showcasing the various genres of his songwriting, with influences ranging from classic folk music, punk rock, hip-hop, comedy, and Irish music and poetry, and artists such as Woody Guthrie, Luke Kelly & the Dubliners, Johnny Cash, They Might Be Giants, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Eminem, Nirvana, Tenacious D, Bob Marley, Sublime, Green Day, Weird Al Yankovich, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Bo Burnham, Jon LaJoie, Rancid, NOFX, Frank Zappa, and MC Frontalot. He also excels in improvised singing/songwriting, and has won awards from the San Francisco Improv Music Jam, and has worked as an improv singing Irish bard at Renaissance Festivals. Other musical work includes his roles as singer/guitarist for the Boise, Idaho-based comedy rock duo Sleeve of Wizard; bass drummer for the Portland, Oregon-based cosmic party marching band Lovebomb GoGo; and as bassist, guitarist, and lead singer for Portland indie rock band Garden Goat. His current primary focus is with the new Berlin ska/punk band Mad Life Crisis, where he once again sings and plays guitar alongside Michael Alderson-Smith from Wales and Voytec Calow from Poland. Mad Life Crisis began as a Rancid cover band, and now plays a solid mix of covers and originals. MLC takes heavy influence from the 90s post-punk genre, tours internationally, and diligently works at honing their craft ever more as pro ska/punk rockers.
Film and Stage Acting
On stage since a young age, Jake has performed in dozens of plays since he started in community theater when he was ten years old. Throughout high school he was an active core member of the theater club and took summer courses with Idaho Theater for Youth, varying from improv to Shakespeare. He continued training in stage theater at the University of Idaho. After getting his liberal arts degree with emphases in Writing and Anthropology, he continued taking acting classes from various teachers and schools, most notably at Voice One Acting School in San Francisco, where he took courses in improv, musical improv, and voice and film acting. Most recently he took a series of improv courses in Berlin, and it his primary exercise as an actor. He has worked in many voice, film, and stage roles, including short films, commercials, and plays. He also has many years of experience with live hosting and entertainment, including pub trivia quiz hosting, trade shows, and performing standup comedy internationally. In 2019 he got his international mermaid swimming license from the Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy, and taught mermaid swimming courses in the lakes of Berlin with the Mermaid Island Experience. He has also worked at Renaissance Faires as “Merman Jake”, and as a wandering musical improv entertainer character, “Nathair, Bard Extraordinaire.” Jake currently works in Berlin with various projects, including as an establishing member and core organizer of the short form comedy improv troupe Naked Flamingos, who perform monthly shows at Improv Works. He also works as a tour guide, leading groups of international guests around the city by bike or by foot, speaking about various aspects of the city’s culture including history, street art, food, nightlife, and counterculture, all with the aim of creating an experience that is as entertaining as it is informative. And, he is co-host/co-creator of “Hack & Slash: A D&D 2e Podcast,” a monthly Dungeons and Dragons themed podcast that also focuses on 90s nostalgia and rock music, modelled after 80s & 90s-style “buddy stoner comedy duos” like Wayne’s World, Beavis & Butthead, and Bill & Ted.
Voice Acting
Jake provides a wide range of character voices and also has unique style for commercial and narration roles. Since being trained at Voice One in San Francisco, Jake has used his voice talent on various projects.
Music
Stage Film Acting
Voice Acting
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