Koda performing at Midway, a campus bar located at 1728 N. High St., Oct. 19, 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Koda
After four years of developing its sound and building a fanbase, Columbus-based country-rock band Koda is preparing to play its biggest stage yet: The Newport Music Hall.
Koda, a band made up of four Ohio State students — lead guitarist Jake Klausner, drummer Brian Foster, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jackson Buss and bassist Jake Brewer — together with St. Louis natives and vocalists Jake Juenger and Nolan Barbe, will perform alongside artists Kikko Mai and Adam Paddock at the third annual Columbus Against the World concert at The Newport Music Hall Saturday. Doors for the event are set to open at 6 p.m.
Buss, a fifth-year in marketing, said Paddock — the event’s headliner and organizer — discovered Koda after reading an October 2024 Lantern article following the release of its debut single, “Smoke Show.”
“[Paddock] was like, ‘We’re still looking at other acts, but I saw you guys in the paper, and I’ve seen videos of you guys online, and you seem like a really talented group of guys,’” Buss said. “That’s what this whole festival is about — bringing together folks from the local scene.”
Klausner, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, said Koda has performed at several bars in the University District, including The Library Bar, Eupouria Bar & Patio, Midway On High and Ruby’s on Summit, over the past few months. Now, he said the band is fully focused on preparing for its performance at The Newport Music Hall, aiming to deliver its best show yet for fans.
“We’re really excited for the opportunity to showcase some stuff that we haven’t shown anybody yet,” Klausner said. “It’s a big opportunity to connect with the community, and we’re just really excited for the opportunity that [Paddock] and the rest of the Columbus Against The World team has given us.”
Juenger said the band is using this upcoming show as an opportunity to transition away from performing classic rock covers and country songs to instead showcase more of its original music, including a recently recorded single titled “Hot Blooded.”
“At The Newport, we should have at least five songs that haven’t been debuted yet that will be brand-new for that show,” Juenger said. “So, we’re super excited, really excited, to get the opportunity to play at a venue that’s as historic as Newport is for the city of Columbus.”
Juenger said because the band is still relatively new, its members have been enjoying the opportunity to experiment with and develop their sound.
“I think we’re having a fun time right now, just kind of exploring a bunch of different avenues of rock and roll,” Juenger said. “I don’t think we’ve tried to pin ourselves into a genre that is too specific. Why name it when you still don’t fully know what it is yet?”
According to Juenger, Barbe — the band’s newest member, who joined in October 2024 — has been a great addition. Before Barbe officially joined Koda, Juenger said that he would invite him onstage at previous shows to sing duets with him.
“We were in high school choir [together], and we’ve been best friends since we were probably 8 years old,” Juenger said. “I used to bring him up on stage whenever we would play shows. I think we were kind of just like, ‘Why don’t we make this a full-time thing?’”
Koda currently has three singles available on multiple streaming platforms: “Smokeshow,” “Mama Told Me” and its latest release, “MAD HATTER,” which debuted Jan. 18. Klausner said the band also plans to release its first EP this spring.
“It started out as something just fun to do, but now, we love what we do,” Klausner said. “That’s why we put so much time, effort and money into it, because we know that this is what we’d rather do for the rest of our lives.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance through PromoWest for $20 or for $25 at the door. For more information about Koda, visit its Linktr.ee.
