Jake the Third
A music venue. A community anchor.
An investment in something that lasts.
I believe music changes neighborhoods. Not as a metaphor — literally.
When a venue gets it right, people come from across the city. They discover streets they've never walked. They sit next to strangers who become regulars. Small businesses on the same block see more foot traffic. The character of a place deepens in ways that no development plan can engineer.
I've spent years in real estate — acquiring buildings, developing properties, thinking hard about what makes neighborhoods actually work over the long term. And the same answer keeps coming back: culture precedes capital. The places that thrive are the ones where something real is happening.
Pittsburgh's South Side has the bones. It has history, character, foot traffic, and a neighborhood identity that runs deep. What it's missing is a music venue that treats music as the entire point — not background noise, not an afterthought, but the reason you walk in the door.
That's what I'm building.
Jake the Third is a honky tonk bar rooted in country, Americana, and working-class music traditions — the sounds that belong to this part of the country and this kind of neighborhood. Artists here aren't hired hands. They're partners. Music plays every night we're open. And the room is built to earn a reputation that no marketing budget can manufacture.
I'm building this because I believe in what it can become — for the artists, the community, and everyone who walks in off the street and finds something real. I'm inviting you to be part of it from the beginning.
Jake the Third is built differently. The building is owned by a real estate investment fund. The bar and music venue are owned by a separate operating fund. Both sit within the same ecosystem — which means the people who own the real estate are the same people who want the bar to succeed.
Rent is structured for long-term sustainability, not short-term extraction. The goal is to keep the cultural anchor in place — not maximize yield at the expense of the business that creates the value.
The building also includes residential units above the venue — generating rental income that stabilizes the project from day one and reduces reliance on bar performance alone. Two income streams. One building. One aligned team.
The real estate fund is managed through Monval Capital. Participation is available separately for qualified investors who want exposure to the building itself — independent of bar performance. If that's of interest, note it when you fill out the form below.
The formula isn't complicated. Good music. A real room. People who feel like they belong. Music is the reason to walk in — everything else exists to support that experience, not compete with it.
When you get it right, guests return not because they like the bar, but because they know something real is happening there on any given night. Artists come back because they feel genuinely supported. The venue earns a reputation that no marketing budget can manufacture — and that reputation becomes the most durable asset in the business.
Jake the Third will feature live music every night it's open. Programming rooted in country, Americana, and the music traditions that belong to this region. Artists aren't bookings here — they're partners in building something. That model creates loyalty. And loyalty is what sustains a business for decades, not just a season.
Honky tonk isn't just a genre. It's a social environment — participatory, welcoming, built for strangers to become familiar. A venue rooted in that tradition, in this neighborhood, serves an audience that currently has nowhere to go. That's the opportunity.
This idea didn't start with a business plan. It started with a room.
At Kimbrough's Pickin' Parlor in Franklin, Tennessee, I walked in to catch the main act. Then I heard music coming from somewhere else in the building — not louder, just better. I followed the sound down a hallway into a smaller room. Couches, tight quarters, maybe a handful of people. Jensen was in there, playing by himself. No production, no setup. Just music.
Slowly, the crowd shifted. People drifted out of the main stage and into that back room. Before long it was packed — shoulder to shoulder, quiet, locked in. He didn't go looking for the audience. The music pulled them there.
Jensen is the founding artist and programming director at Jake the Third. He shapes the music, the culture, and the identity of the room — not as a hired act, but as a creative owner. That distinction is everything. It's what keeps a venue from drifting toward generic over time. It's what makes the music the reason to walk in, night after night, and not just on the nights you get lucky with the booking.
Be Part of It
Two ways in. Founding Members join the community. Investors join the business. Either way, you're here from the beginning.
- Founding member card
- 1 free drink per visit
- Priority access to shows
- Members-only updates & early announcements
- Everything in Friend of Jake
- 2 free drinks per visit
- No cover charge on shows
- Everything in Regular
- 3 free drinks per visit
- Guest list for all shows
- Reserved bar seating
- Everything in Barfly
- 3 free drinks per visit for you & a guest
- Access to all shows & members' events
- Direct line to the team
We'll be in touch.
Thank you for your interest in Jake the Third.
We'll reach out within 48 hours to schedule a conversation.