Judah and The Lion combine the spirit of rock, the essence of pop, and the heart of folk into a melting pot of imaginative creation. The band has taken over the folk scene from Nashville to Los Angeles, from Switzerland to Slovakia, and to every other part of the world that has allowed their music to flow over the sound waves. Judah Akers, lead singer and guitarist of Judah and The Lion, told me the story of how the band went from being another Belmont band to playing all over the world.
Judah Akers grew up in Cookeville, Tennessee, playing sport after sport. What few people know is that Judah was a renowned baseball player above all. During Judah's freshman year in high school, he was put into a back brace due to a stress fracture. Judah's uncle had been pushing him to pick up guitar for years, but it wasn't until Judah was immobile did he pick up a guitar.
(Judah Akers during his baseball career at Belmont University)
Judah decided to go to Belmont University to not only continue to play his newly found passion in playing music and songwriting, but he went on to play baseball. After being at Belmont for two years, Judah decided to start recording his music, but this required a band. Judah knew Nate Zuercher (banjo player/ backing vocals) and Brian MacDonald (mandolin/ back vocals) at Belmont's prominent bell tower, where they played inside. The band later added their current drummer Spencer Cross.
With the newly formed band, they recorded their first EP that was given out for free to attract a large following. They loved the reaction that they received from all around the world. Judah and The Lion decided to work on a second EP, which would be marketed during their set at Belmont University's Best of the Best Showcase.
Not only was this successful, but this inspired the band to go on "...the dumbest tour..." that they had ever attempted. They fit themselves, friends, and band equipment into a 12-passenger band.Thankfully, the band gotten a break from traveling in their tightly packed 12-passenger van when they were invited to tour with Andrew Ripp. "This was the first tour that felt real" said Judah Akers. They continued tour after tour including: Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, a random Scandinavian tour, Matt Carney, and their biggest combined tour to date with Ben Rector. To top everything off, the band appeared on the David Letterman show playing "Kickin Da Leaves."
Judah and The Lion has lead itself down a road full of stories, adventure, and fun. The story still continues for the band with not only their recent album Folk Hop N' Roll featuring "Take It All Back" and "All I Want Is You", but they hope to inspire people in their vision to "love people well" in the midst of the rising fame. Judah and the Lion will play their new, phenomenal album at Nashville's Live On The Green on September 3rd at 8:00 P.M. Be there first to see them up close!
