Sunnyvale, California consists of rugged ocean cliffs and a hidden music gem of a band — StrateJacket. Self-defined as “basement dwelling alternative”, this up-and-coming band might play your backyard or living room… or a festival in front of 200,000 people!
The sky’s the limit for StrateJacket — go check em out!
This unique three-piece rock outfit had a chat with Top Shelf Music about music, life, and their debut on the big stage at Welcome To Rockville in Daytona, Florida, one of the biggest music rock festivals in the world. Check out the full conversation below.
You guys started in the COVID era, right?
- SJ: It’s been quite a wild ride since starting out in 2020 with Nate [Mangold]. Although we have been getting amazing opportunities, we did have to work our butts off to get here. We would never turn down a gig, drive hours for a show, practice three days a week (every week). It’s safe to say our hard work has paid off [laughs].
Did you guys anticipate this to become your life 24/7?
- You know, I don’t think so… This was the end goal and we did want a lifestyle like this. But I think we were so focused on the music and perfecting our sound that when things started to pick up, it felt like, ‘oh shit, it’s actually happening.’ We’re super happy that things are starting to pick up.
Do you guys delegate band jobs, as in booking, etc.?
- We don’t really have ‘band jobs’, I think we all try to put in the amount of work that is needed in the band. Wherever attention is needed, one of us will pick up what needs to be completed.
Your band influences seem very diverse!
- Thank you! We’re very fortunate to have a very similar tastes in music; I hope our listeners can hear the influences in our music. Whether it being the 7th chords we pulled from Zeppelin or the punchy-ness from Green Day and Arctic Monkeys, we hope y’all can see that we pulled from the past and gave it our own modern twist.
And you’re signed to Edgeout Records? With a new EP out??
- We’re super stoked for our first EP [released on] May 10th. This EP is a great example of how much we have to offer from within the band. It’s honestly pretty diverse and I believe everyone will have a favorite song in there. A personal favorite of mine is called ‘Cut the Cord’.
I was listening to ‘Be My Drug’; it reminded me of old-school punk rock, like Ramones style…
- Thank you! Love the Ramones connection [laughs]. ‘Be My Drug’ is such a fun song to play live; I think it showcases all our instrumentation well. We messed around with so many different tones in that song; shoutout to Brian Howes and Karl Dicaire for helping us beef up the song in the studio.
What were you most looking forward to with your Welcome To Rockville set?
- It was our first festival show, so I think just playing the show itself was the coolest thing ever. HOWEVER, being able to possibly meet Sum 41 and The Chats was awesome. We love those two bands so much, so to see that we’ll be on the same stage, was so exciting.
Do you guys plan on touring this year or next?
- We would love to tour our asses off; it’s all a matter of finding shows [laughs]. We have a great team backing us up, so we’re hoping to play as many gigs as we possibly can. We are planning on releasing more music and currently trying to write up a funny music video that I hope comes into fruition. We have big plans for the future and we can’t wait for y’all to see it happen.
Thanks again for sitting down with us! Any closing words for your fans and the rest of the world?
- Thank you for keeping up with us and we hope to be able to play an amazing show for you all real soon.
StrateJacket – “Be My Drug”
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