Although he hails from the rust belt, guitarist/composer Jesse Barnes has devoured an eclectic mixture of music. In the early 90’s he came up listening to hip-hop and shining shoes in his father’s barbershop on Cleveland’s east side. It was here that he was introduced to the guitar, and after cutting his teeth in the local blues clubs while in high school, he spent the next 10 years playing in New Orleans, Chicago and eventually Brazil. Now residing in Brooklyn, New York, his music has incorporated bossa nova and jazz and yet his songs still resonate with the simple stories he heard at the barbershop. Jesse currently plays guitar with Eli “Paperboy” Reed, and the High and Mighty Brass Band and will be releasing an album with his group Take Berlin in April 2012.