Rising Stars: Meet Jake Cassman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Cassman.

Hi Jake, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in the Bay Area in 1990. Before I could walk, my parents said that I would crawl over to the stereo speakers, pull myself up, and press my ear to them to listen. I started piano lessons at age five, and in elementary school, I discovered that I could pick songs out on the piano. In middle school, I started dissecting everything I heard on the crappy little Casio keyboard in my room — this soon evolved into writing my first songs.

When I got to the University of Pennsylvania, I thought that I could be a political science major and pursue a career as a musician. I quickly realized that I didn’t have the bandwidth to do both and that the Penn music department didn’t support musical interests outside of the classical realm. So in 2010, I transferred to Berklee College of Music. I spent the next seven years in Boston, finishing school, busking at Faneuil Hall, playing dueling piano shows, and running a wedding band, among various other gigs. I also was hired as a music director by a comedy club called ImprovBoston and founded an indie rock band called Drunken Logic, which released two albums and played all over the country while I still lived back East. I moved to Los Angeles in 2018. The same year, Drunken Logic released its third album, a political rock opera of sorts called The Loudness Wars. I was also hired as a music director at the Second City Hollywood, where I also teach and perform. And I work as a music educator as well, mainly working with non-profits in public schools.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oof. I’ve been told that my music is too “niche” or political for widespread marketing. The lineup of Drunken Logic has changed pretty constantly through the years, with plenty of fights and arguments around the way. I’ve struggled with underemployment and a lack of income regularly. And the pandemic threw me into something of a tailspin — I was developing a musical based on the Loudness Wars when the stay-at-home orders went into effect and had been living almost entirely off of live performance and in-person instruction up until that point. But I love what I do and the people with whom I do it far too much to give it up, and at every point, I’ve figured out how to pivot and adjust to keep the dream alive.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Drunken Logic is an indie rock band with eclectic influences, a penchant for earnestness and wit, and a love for subverting expectations. We play energetic live shows and produce award-winning, thought-provoking music videos. We are constantly evolving — our new EP, It’s Only Temporary, is heavily electronic and was made entirely remotely during the pandemic. It drops 3/12. As for me, I’d like to think I’m known for my enthusiasm for creativity, a strong sense of both humor and drama, and an empathy for the human experience. I’ve collaborated with artists on everything from musical theater to country music, and I love working in comedy in multiple capacities. And I love sharing that passion with students of all ages as well.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
You can’t be an artist without taking risks. To create art, you need to be willing to risk spending some money and bearing your soul. I’ve transferred between colleges, switched jobs countless times, and made all sorts of decisions that others wouldn’t have considered to have been wise. They haven’t all been successful by my standards or theirs — but I’ve always learned something, and I’ve almost always gained something that is still valuable to me today as an artist and a human.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected], [email protected]
• Website: https://www.jakecassman.com/, https://www.drunkenlogicmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakecassman/, https://www.instagram.com/drunkenlogics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrunkenLogic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrunkenLogics
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DrunkenLogicMusic
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/drunken-logic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0lYxpGZFM1qtlLg6fgilA6?si=OFmcP-JMS0C0gZxWKUad-w

Image Credits:
Michelle Winters, Jacob McCaslin, Scott Van Orden, Billy Metcalf