Skip to main content

Jake Bugg looking for new fans at Bonnaroo

By WTOP Staff

CHRIS TALBOTT
AP Music Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jake Bugg is taking the next step in his personal British Invasion plan this week, flying in to play at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

Bugg has been working the crowds in America since the release of his second album, the Rick Rubin-produced “Shangri La,” late last year. He wrapped up a headlining tour of sizable theaters with a rousing sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville earlier this year, hit “Ellen” and “American Idol,” did a flyby of the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, last March on his way to the West Coast to play for Jimmy Fallon.

Bonnaroo starts a small run of festivals and theaters, and later this year, he’ll open a run of dates for The Black Keys.

“I just love touring the States and seeing everything,” said the 20-year-old roots rock-influenced singer with the raspy voice. “But you can’t tour it if you have nobody to play to and the thing with festivals and the like is not everybody’s there to see you, so it’s an opportunity to make some new fans and build your fan base.”

Bugg has been using his journeys to gather ideas for a third album, and the trip to Manchester, Tennessee, for this weekend’s festival won’t be his only trip to the area. He plans to return later this year and visit Memphis, home to many of his influences, like Stax Records.

“You go into places like that, you don’t know how it’s going to sound really with the thing that you do,” Bugg said. “You know, I might go in there and it might not be happening or I might go in there and really love it and just get inspired and just want to spend some time there. It’s just about enjoying myself sometimes. I just want to enjoy myself and go trace back some of my musical roots and my heroes and stuff like that, and just see what happens.”

This musical tourism paid off for Bugg on “Shangri La” as he collaborated with new friends in new locations. He traveled to Robert Johnson’s crossroads near Clarksdale, Mississippi, while recording at Memphis’ Sun Studios, and he came to Nashville to plug into the mainstream country music songwriting machine on Music Row where the magic number is three songwriters in a room with a recorder.

“Some of them write two songs a day,” Bugg said. “I went to see some of those songwriters and I felt like for them it was another day in the office. You get in there and you press play and, ‘Try to sing something into this,’ and I’m like, ‘No, pal, that song has no relevance to me.’ I’m not going to sing something I don’t feel like I own because I won’t be able to sing it live and express it how I want.”

He fled the Row and found safe harbor in The Raconteurs singer-guitarist Brendan Benson’s studio. He added frequent collaborator Iain Archer to the mix to bring the magic number to three, but had a very different experience.

The sessions produced album standout “Kingpin” and two other strong songs.

“Jake’s kind of a rare bird,” Benson said. “He’s so young, but he’s got this kind of old man wisdom about him in his lyrics. He just sort of seems to be channeling sometimes an old spirit, like an old sailor from long ago or sometimes like an old blues man or something. It’s a pretty strange thing to witness coming out of such a young kid’s mouth.”

___

Online:

http://jakebugg.com

http://www.bonnaroo.com/

___

Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote