Showcase #40: Songwriter from New Braunfels, Texas

Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature one member from our community and the gear they rely on everyday. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.



This week, we talk to Jordan (@jordaneminor) from New Braunfels, Texas. Jordan is a songwriter and plays regular acoustic shows around the Texas Hill Country. In addition to writing and playing his own music, Jordan also works in pool service. Read on to find out how he puts his Sebenza through its paces during his day job!

Featured Tools:

• Knife #1: Large Sebenza 21 with Box Elder Burl inlay
  I've owned and used several Chris Reeves Knives but I love the look of the Box Elder Burl, so this is the clear winner for me. My day job is in pool service and I'm constantly using a knife. My buddies wonder how I can use such an expensive knife for a job like that. However, to me, it simply doesn't make sense to spend $500 on a knife and not make full use of it.
  
  The Sebenza is put to work busting up chunks of chlorine, opening bottles of muriatic acid and bags of salt, cutting up rubber hoses and trimming plastic. It's a great work knife because I'm able to break it down and clean it regularly. 
  
  
• Knife #2: Great Eastern Cutlery #83 Yellow Rose
  I always pair the Large Sebenza 21 with a smaller slip joint knife. The slip joint is mostly used for "clean" work like food prep, while the Sebenza does the "dirty" work such as cutting open bottles of acid. I rotate my slip joints but I love the entire Yellow Rose series. If GEC was pandering to Texans with those, it definitely worked! I'm also trying to collect the entire Yellow Rose series, and right now I've got 9 or 10 of them.
  

• Light: Maratac AAA Copper
  I only started carrying a light last year, and it has proven to be very handy. I use it at work daily, especially when I'm under a deck or peering inside a pool pump. On stage, I use it for adjusting my amp, PA, or just figuring out where to set my beer! I love the tiny AAA size, and the copper patina is just cool.

• Coin: Copper "Don't Tread on Me" coin
  A good friend sent me the copper coin, along with an awesome knife. It was an incredible gift and I carry the coin as reminder that I'm blessed to have good friends all over the world. The slip joint community is amazing and it's made up of some of the best folks out there.

Background:

I inherited my love of pocket knives from my great-grandad and grandad. Growing up in a working-class family, every man I knew carried a pocket knife. 

I play acoustic shows around the Texas Hill Country with my band and other songwriters. I got my start at Cheatham Street Warehouse. The owner, Kent Finlay, was a great mentor and was a tremendous help to my musical career. Kent was a Texas legend, and he passed in 2015 on Texas Independence Day (March 2).

It was only in college that I finally worked up the courage to play my songs in public at the Songwriter's Night at Cheatham Street Warehouse. I love Texas songwriters like Billy Joe Shaver, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark. I also grew up on 90's rock, hip-hop, and Texan rappers like UGK and Fat Pat. My musical influences are all over the place. If I had to label my sound, I'd probably call it Alt-Country or Americana. However, labels are for envelopes so I just try to do my thing without putting too much thought into it.

Favorite EDC Tool:

I collect slip joints because they're beautiful and functional. However, if I could only choose one knife for the rest of my life, the Large Sebenza 21 will be the winner. It's an absolute workhorse of a knife.