Today we’d like to introduce you to Jakob Berger.
Jakob, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had many interests, and I was constantly balancing acting with music. But the year after I got my theatre arts degree made me realize how much actors have to rely on others. I was auditioning and basically waiting for someone to give me permission to do my craft—that seemed backward to me. So I gave up acting and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Before that moment, I was straddling the lines of performer, designer, and technician. It’s funny, but any time that I worked, I identified as the thing I was not doing. When I was performing, I would think to myself, “yeah, but really I’m a designer,” but if I was designing, I’d have the opposite thought of “actually, I’m mainly a performer.”
I’ve had a similar relationship with music, and my interests are so varied that I’ve accumulated a wide knowledge base. I’ve played guitar and piano longer than any other instrument, but I don’t consider myself a guitarist or pianist. I started on those but quickly gravitated toward things like accordion, cello, and ukulele. The type of music I make—gypsy-indie-folk—thrives on having an arsenal of instruments, which lead me to becoming a multi-instrumentalist.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, it’s finding solutions to struggles have really made me who I am. Paying for studio time or other musicians, or even asking to play at venues were all obstacles. But they became opportunities to invest in my own skills–I taught myself several instruments, how to record, and started my own concert series.
It was the struggle to afford instruments that lead me to building my own: I took guitar building and repair classes and apprenticed at an African drum store. This evolved into crafting ukuleles out of tin lunch boxes.
These are all the things that people tend to associate me with: multi-instrumentalist, ukulele builder, concert host…all of these were born out of a place of struggle, and these are some of the things I’m most proud of.
I also think it’s important to be transparent about the struggles where we don’t necessarily triumph. I was struggling as an actor, so I stopped. I think of both acting and music careers like pushing a boulder up a hill. It seems to me that I’ll get much farther pushing one rock up one hill than if I were to try pushing two rocks up two hills. And I’m a naturally inquisitive person who likes to explore so many things, but by actively limiting myself, I’ve gained clarity and focus.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Currently, there are three main things happening within my music.
The first is my personal project. I write, record, and perform under the moniker “Jakob Berger & his Hat.” It’s eclectic indie-folk with gypsy influences—think of bands like Beirut or DeVotchKa.
I’ve recently finished my 2nd album, and am releasing a song a month this year. I was really blessed to work with Mike Stilkey, who is an amazing artist who’s known for painting on books. He not only did my album art but created images to accompany every song.
That ties into the second thing: the instruments I’m building. I like to work-trade, so in exchange for single artwork, I built Mike a cigar box guitar. My mixing engineer Grant Turley asked for a “mandocello”—I had never even heard of that, but I built one out of recycled components. It turned out really well, so I built one for myself with wood reclaimed from a broken piano.
I mainly build lunchbox ukuleles, which I love because they can really show off a players’ personality. And it gives me something to collect—anytime I travel, I try to find a lunchbox so I can make a new uke.
Thing number three is a monthly house concert series called “Chocolate Chip Sessions.” It’s been going on for a year and a half: every 2nd Tuesday of the month I get six performers to play a few original songs to an intimate audience in my living room. I make chocolate chip cookies for everyone, and we have tea, but I tell the audience to bring their own mug. At the end of the night, I give away a prize for the best mug.
Honestly, they’re my highlight of each month. We’ve had some amazing talent perform, and it’s become a community where artists of all kinds gather to meet and share ideas in a safe space.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Honestly, I’m looking forward to continuing what I’m doing. Chocolate Chip Sessions allows me to meet new musicians; some are becoming collaborators, so I’m excited to see what comes of these new friendships. At the moment, I’m starting to record and produce music for others and it looks like I’ll soon be putting together more performances in LA.
I’m also a member of a two-man band called Cans of Water. My bandmate Evan Freed is an amazingly talented lyricist, and we’ve got an album’s worth of material that we’re gearing up to record.
Pricing:
- Lunch box ukuleles usually in the $200-350 range
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jakobbergerandhishat.com/
- Email: jakob@jakobbergerandhishat.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakob.berger.and.his.hat/
- Instagram: @jakobbergerandhishat
Image Credit:
Rechard Francois: main image, live performance images with red curtains
Alex Roper: Cans of Water promo image – two people sitting on couch
Mike Stilkey: not photographer but painter of Fallen Sparrows album art
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
