Campustown was sparsely populated, even for the summer season, last week. With a only one week of true freedom, many take the chance to get out of town.

This left local band Jade Lea stripped down to just frontman Keith Rollins, junior in art and design, playing to a crowd of eight at the Bali Satay House, 2424 Lincoln Way.

“I actually like these individual, solo shows,” said Rollins, addressing his fans after his first song, “Breathe the Earth.”

Rollins had been expecting to play without his bassist, Francis “Dale” Noh, who left for Korea earlier in the week. Then, shortly before the show, Rollins learned drummer Jon Saxton would be unavailable, leaving him to play the show alone.

However, Rollins certainly looked comfortable on stage by himself. Playing with his eyes closed to avoid staring at the same few people over and over, he looked as if he could have been playing for 600, remaining perfectly composed as he meandered through his airy, lengthy songs.

Between songs, Rollins discussed such topics as song inspirations and histories, explaining how songs came to be and how they would sound with the full three-piece band.

This led to a good-natured banter between Rollins and the audience. This was another aspect of the solo show that Rollins said he enjoyed.

“A good band in a place like this makes everyone feel like they could come up on stage,” he said.

Two audience members took this to heart, traveling across the stage several times as they went downstairs to listen to the traditional Mexican band Solitario Musical, which was practicing in the basement. The sounds of their horns resonating through the floor added another layer of strangeness and humor to the show.

The audience was mostly made up of devoted supporters and friends of Rollins, however.

“I think I’ve been listening to Keith since before he was doing this [playing shows],” said Logan Schleier, senior in marketing.

Derek Martin, who played with Rollins in his former band, the Troubadors, offered good-natured heckling and suggested songs, being familiar with Rollins’ repertoire. Bali Satay House sound technician Pat Blair added his own humorous quips over the talk-back mic, along with making the occasional musical suggestion.

Jade Lea’s songs are airy and light, meandering through their subjects unconstrained by conventional song structures. With the lack of supporting instruments, Rollins’ acoustic guitar was a little repetitive, but that’s not really the point of Jade Lea’s music.

“I love music that creates deep, expansive images,” said Rollins, who described himself as a lyricist first and a musician second.

As Rollins explained, his sound is not easily compared to other artists, but most comparable are artists such as John Mayer and Dashboard Confessional.

His lyrical imagery was at its best in “Two Shots,” in which he employed double meanings and split phrases across lines, creating something both accessible and unique.

“Chasing the Sun” was Rollins’ most heartfelt effort of the night. The song stems from Rollins’ own hampered dreams of leaving Ames and moving on to bigger and better things, a hope shared by many.

Toward the end of the set, Rollins played three covers, after being suggested by audience members. Although he was unfamiliar with the songs, he didn’t let that stop him. He was even helped through the second verse of “Save Tonight” by an audience member. He also had to pause several times to hit the right chords, a lapse that didn’t hurt the performance.

Despite all that could have gone wrong with the show, Rollins made it a positive experience. Even the presence of two semi-serious hecklers did nothing to diminish his enthusiasm.

“I don’t take myself too seriously,” Rollins said. “And, for the most part, I don’t take the opinions of others too seriously.”

The setlist

“Breathe the Earth”

“Little Sunshine”

“We Were Dancing”

“Two Shots”

“Chasing the Sun”

“Don’t Rush”

“Rock the Night”

“Wildflowers”

“Kiss of the Sky”

“Just Hold It Inside”

“Get Away”

“So Cold”

“Everything You Want” (Vertical Horizon cover)

“Save Tonight” (Eagle Eye Cherry cover)

“Grey Street” (Dave Matthews Band cover)

“Winter Lullaby”