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Workmans will display their craft during a Full Moon Concert

Last May, award-winning guitarist Jake Workman and his wife, violinist Rebekah Workman, performed a Full Moon Concert series show at Riffs Acoustic Music.

The show was a sellout and the couple enjoyed themselves, Jake Workman said.

"It was a lot of fun, so the night we performed that show, we booked another show for this Wednesday," Workman said. "We are looking forward to playing there again."

Jake and Rebekah Workman will perform at Riffs Acoustic Music, 1205 Iron Horse Dr., on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m.

Jake Workman said he was impressed with Riffs the moment he walked in the door five months ago.

"That was the first time we had ever played there and the first thing we noticed when we walked in was how clean the venue was," Workman said. "It’s well-kept and they have good-quality instruments that are all displayed in a nice way."

The guitarist also spent some time in the rooms where Riffs staff members conduct music lessons.

"As a guitar teacher myself, I could see how comfortable those rooms were," he said. "I also think it’s cool how they have a little coffee shop connected to the place. And to top it off, Larry and his staff are all professionals and really treated us nicely."

Workman also liked that the audience understood acoustic music.

"The crowd we had show up was great and was very responsive," he said. "It was a joy to play for them and we’re excited for this week for all those same reasons."

For Wednesday’s show, Workman promised to mix things up a bit.

"We do have a number of songs that are our go-to favorites to perform and we’re going to keep them in the set, but we’re also hoping to throw in some different songs," he explained. "I think we’ll have some different people than last time in the audience, but at the same time, I believe we’ll have some who saw us before. So I want to put some newer songs in there for them."

Joining the throng will be banjoist Blaine Nelson and bassist Tim Morrison.

"Blaine plays with me in another band called Cold Creek that I have been in for the past seven years," Workman said. "Tim will also do some singing with us and may play a little guitar as well."

The musicians will perform most of the set as a four-piece band.

"But we’ll break it down and do some duets, and trios to shake things up," Workman said. "We’ll change up the song order, because you can get into a rut doing the same songs in the same order all the time. This way it won’t be predictable to us."

One of the perks Workman mentioned was being able to perform with Rebekah, his wife of 3 ½ years.

"It’s a blast, because it’s a unique experience," he said. "I’m lucky because not everyone can find someone they can do this with and do it well.

"We share this special way of communicating with each other and I don’t have to tell her, ‘Hey, I need to go do this gig,’" Workman said. "Instead it’s like ‘Hey, let’s go do our gig.’ And then we’ll get to hang out together."

Playing as husband and wife also has its financial benefits.

"Music is our sole source of income between our teaching and our playing," Workman said. "So it’s nice to take home double the pay, in a sense."

Throughout his career, Workman has won various Utah competitions on guitar, banjo and mandolin.

He also went to compete in Texas and brought home the first-place trophies in both guitar and banjo.

One of the biggest competitions Workman has played in is the National Flatpick and Banjo Contest in Winfield, Kansas, where he made it into the Top 5 on guitar and took second place, twice, on banjo.

"When I first started playing, the goal was to play because it was fun. I didn’t have any expectations and I didn’t think about winning any competitions," Workman said. "I just like the music and I wanted to play all my favorite songs."

From that point, he met other people and formed some bands and that took off more quickly than he expected.

"But in reality, I still didn’t know where I wanted to take my music," he said. "Nowadays, I have this path that I semi-accidentally threw myself on and I have more goals."

The musician wants to continue to perform, teach and do some studio work.

"Having Rebekah there with me involved makes things a lot easier," Workman said. "It’s easier to say ‘Why not make it happen?’ or ‘Why not play music that I love and make a living doing it?

"I may not have the best day every day, but I do know it’s better for me than working as a cashier," he said. "What we focus on now is constant progress and improving as musicians. We’re trying to take our passions for music as high as we can go."

Jake and Rebekah Workman will perform at Riffs Acoustic Music on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 435-647-1940 or visit http://www.riffspc.com for more information.

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