OA: What inspired you to start playing and making music?

Jacob: It’s hard to say because I started when I was real young, like 16 or 17 so my motivations back then were probably more vapid and attention based rather than from an urge to push boundaries creatively. That comes with practice and finding your voice as a musician and songwriter which is something I had to work towards. I guess I also felt like I had something to say from early on from my perspective that I needed an outlet for. At that age, things are really intense emotionally and I had a lot I felt I needed to get off my chest. That and I just thought playing guitar looked cool.

OA: How would you describe your music style?

Jacob: If we’re defining things by genre of course there’s a few base level definitions; singer-songwriter, folk, alternative rock. I’ve gladly leaned into a lot of those styles with my production because of how inspired I am by classic albums in a similar vein. That being said, I’ve always considered myself pretty experimental with the way I write and craft my recordings. I’m always searching out new and obscure sounds and tones that I find interesting to decorate my songs with. I drew from a lot of new wells of inspiration on my forthcoming album. Black metal, shoe gaze, punk and post rock all find their corners to live in on this one. I also tried to go a little more atmospheric here and there. I’m really excited to see how people react to it. I try not to stay just doing one thing.

OA: Who are some of your biggest music inspirations/influences?

Jacob: My primary influences have always been singer/songwriters that had career peaks in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Artists like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Lennon, and Leonard Cohen to name a few. But I also have a huge affinity for more cult country and folk figures like John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and Merle Haggard. That being said, I listen to all kinds of music and I listen to music all day most days. I started getting back into hip hop heavily within the past few years. Now some of my favorite artists are rappers. Danny Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, MF DOOM are all really inspiring to me. I’m so intrigued with rap music because these artists do something I can’t, and don’t even want to do. It’s incredible, I find great escapism in it too.

OA: What’s your creative process like when you write and produce new music? And how do you overcome creative blocks or challenges during the process?

Jacob: Strike while the iron’s hot is a good expression to live by when making music. I keep a little notebook and of course my phone on me at pretty much all times to get ideas down. My voice memo app and the notes app are indispensable tools. So many good ideas have the potential to fall through if you don’t get them down quick. Even a mustard seed of an idea can grow into something special. I like to drink beer when I write lyrics. It really loosens my creativity. I never write when I don’t feel like it, it has to come naturally. I think you can tell when something’s been forced or made to sound like some preexisting work. I haven’t written a song in a few months and that’s probably a good thing because I have something like 40 songs I still have to get around to recording. I’m in the experience stage of things, I think you have to live your actual life to rejuvenate your creativity to have things significant enough to write about. As far as recording goes, I usually start with the acoustic guitar, my main instrument, and build from there. I play all of the instruments on my records with a few exceptions so it usually takes me a really long time to produce an album. Also I’m a really harsh critic of my work so it’s pretty detrimental when I start doubting myself. That’s probably the biggest hurdle.

OA: What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

Jacob: That’s a tough question to answer because I do tend to lean into topics that aren’t necessarily uplifting or inspiring by design. I write a lot about my struggles with mental health so I guess I just hope that it connects with people dealing with similar issues and that they can see that they’re not the only ones going through it. Life’s hard no matter who you are, I just want people to enjoy what I make and can revisit it when they need the company.

OA: Do you have a particular memorable moment in your music career so far?

Jacob: Honestly right now I’m getting asked to play more gigs than ever before and some artists that I really look up to have given me some recognition as of late so I feel like I’m on the right track and that this is a bit of a high point for me. As far as specific moments, the release of my last album, Intemperance, in 2022 felt like a landmark. I seemed to get a lot more traction after that one came out. I’m looking forward to releasing the follow up this summer so hopefully I can relive that moment to an extent and keep building a following. Being a working musician can really have its ups and downs, I’ve had some great shows and some not so great ones but I think the most important thing to do is stay the course and stand behind your work.