Jacob Theriot, known professionally as Jaco Jaco, entered into his solo career with esoterica and funk. After his work as the bassist in the wizard-y pop band Sports, Theriot’s new individuality in his music has an atmosphere of fun tinged with thought-provoking motifs about relationships, growth, and the self. Theriot moved his life out of Oklahoma to Philadelphia to begin his solo career, this complete upheaval separating himself from his best friend and brother..
Although retaining some of the same funky beats, Jaco Jaco’s project has a slower, jovial, and softer undertone. His clay sculpting abilities as seen on his album covers perfectly display his creative vision and bizarreness, inspiring his ability to create competent visual art with his lyrical senses. This visual inclination and solo journey becomes embodied in what will now be his 3rd solo album, Gremlin. Inspired by funky artists like D’Angelo’s “Black Messiah,” Theriot’s release is personal, fun, and wacky.
Through conversation with Theriot, I realized his unique style and softer lyrics are nothing less than insights into his cheerful and open personality. In an attempt to learn more about Gremlin, we discussed Spongebob, artistic inspiration, and the journey of what we call life! Theriot keeps an open mind to all the possible modes of creativity in the world. Although it is clear that no musician is ever really certain of the epistemology of their journey, his openness about the difficulties of growth, the influences of family and the journey towards individual self-made his upbeat music and springy beats make all the more sense.
Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How is your morning so far?
It’s been pretty typical, nice.
What does a typical morning look like for you?
First, I wake up. I live with my girlfriend, and she typically wakes up before me and has coffee made. I go downstairs and drink water. Lately, I’ve been doing a YouTube stretch morning thing to get the blood flowing and then I’ll drink that coffee, read, do a little journal or something, if it’s nice out maybe I’ll go on a walk. But that’s something I wish I could do in the morning and act like I do.
Have you ever listened to “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles? Your morning routine kind of reminded me of that.
Drag a comb. I don’t use a comb!
No hairbrush?
Nope!
It works! So first, I want to talk about dinosaurs.
*Theriot laughs and reaches for a doll of the eccentric lead from Dinosaur and smiles*
How long have you had that for?
I had seen screenshots of the show a few times, but I had never watched it. I don’t know if you know what Buy Nothing is, but it’s this Facebook group you can join in your neighborhood, and people post free stuff, and one day somebody posted that. I was like, what is that? That looks like a vintage toy or something. I want it. I reached out, I only knew that the listing said it was from Dinosaurs so I looked it up. It’s actually kind of worth something, like $100.
How much did you get it for?
For free. So I got it, and I thought I should watch the show to do him justice, and I started watching it. It’s a masterpiece and very sad at the end. I still feel like I’m working through it.
Did you get some of those emotions out during the creative process?
I guess. I watched it around the time I was making the album. It’s a great show, they touch on a lot of culturally significant points. It’s a very deep show. It’s not just puppets. I love it. I’ve always been into stuff like that. Like Dark Crystal, it was a natural progression. But I wouldn’t say anything specifically influenced it. Maybe the sounds; I’d sometimes imagine the sounds being in the Pangea world that they live in.
Were there any other absurd cartoons that you were influenced by?
Maybe not at the time, but I do still watch Spongebob but I don’t think that’s influencing my music. I think that’s more like a lifestyle. Spongebob is the thread amongst my friends or new people, if we can meet on the Spongebob level we’ll be friends. I feel like it’s a common thread amongst peers in my generation; we all have this foundation of Spongebob. But, I don’t think that influenced my music.
You also say you read a lot of alternative comics. What comics are those?
I don’t think I explicitly said I read them, but I am inspired by the art. That started with Robert Crohn, he is the founding father of alt-comics back in the ’60s. I started with a documentary about him and loved it. I didn’t know about that world. I didn’t know about this other side of it. It’s not just superheroes, and I feel like I discovered this new world of art and culture that I didn’t understand. There’s this artist in Philly I really like who’s keeping it strong and true to that alt comic world. But, I haven’t delved deep into them.
So it’s more about the art and the general style?
Yeah, I just love art. I think maybe that was the first time I discovered that I did like comics, since I never read them growing up. Then I started referencing it for my own artwork like the single releases for the first record were roughly inspired by that. They’re kind of dark and real which is how I like to keep it. Dark and real with some humor.
You’re also a visual artist, right?
For specific things of my own. I did try freelance design for people, and sometimes people will come to me and ask for stuff. I didn’t love designing for people. It’s less about being creative and more about solving their problems. I don’t know what that makes me, but I’ll make stuff for my projects. This album art, for Gremlin, is the first time I didn’t do my cover. It feels kind of good because I don’t feel like I could have made the cover as it is, which is in my mind what the songs sound and look like. It’s just too perfect. I don’t know if I could have done that. I tried and it just didn’t feel right. On the single covers, I was doing clay.
I was wondering if you made that gremlin figure yourself?
I made all of those. It didn’t feel right for the whole album. I made this guy and it didn’t feel right. Now he’s in my basement, he’s kind of scary. Scary big clay man, and he’s just here.
Your music seems pretty fun and upbeat, where do you think your main funky inspiration came from? Did you always expect to create this kind of music?
I started with bass, and bass is the most fun when it’s funky. I honestly think that’s it. I don’t remember when I first started getting into it. I used to be in this band called Sports, and we were funky at times and I don’t know where that came from except me making the bass lines. I liked a good bass beat, and disco was fun. I can’t point to a specific artist except maybe Sly and the Family Stone? It’s kind of strange actually, it got to this point where I was only listening to Muzak. I am interested in other music. If I think about my earlier influences there’s the Beach Boys, Tod Rundgren, and some classic guys. Sometimes specific songs or albums will jump out at me and grab me. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to when I was younger, I usually just want to make something. If I hear something I usually don’t think “Oh that’s cool, I’m gonna go make a song.” I feel like that’s common. I still love music a lot, but I hear it more analytically.
Yeah I’m sure you’re thinking of what you could do with those things.
Sometimes that doesn’t happen, and I feel like the most recent was over a year ago now, I started listening to D’Angelo. I feel it’s music that I could never do and I love that. It’s so amazing, it has this feel. The songwriting is great, and the lyrics and everything about it are just good. So, sometimes something will jump out at me and I’m like, damn I can’t do that! That’s inspiring you know.
What is that funky beat in your song “Favorite Kind of People?” In other words, what instruments do you use to make your music because I can’t decipher it!
I play all of them but drums, I can’t play them that well but I have one song on my last record that I play drums on. But typically I always like to delegate that out. But it’s just guitar, synths: the normal stuff. Maybe it’s percussion like a sample or bongo or something that you’re hearing.
I really like the way you incorporate a lot of different tones and sounds. How long have you been using a synth? How long have you been playing instruments?
I got my first bass when I was 12. My brother was playing a lot of guitar at the time. I think he got a guitar and then a drum set. I was never that interested in either but I would always pick it up and noodle around whenever he wasn’t looking and then it got to the point where I actually wanted to. Our grandpa gave us a guitar, an acoustic, and I was trying to learn it and my brother started trying to teach me and we kept butting heads. It’s hard for your sibling to tell you anything. So I was like you know what, I don’t want to play guitar. I want to play bass. So for my birthday, I think my 12th or 13th birthday, I asked my parents if I could have a bass. They got me a cheap Fender Squier-like combo setup. Eventually, that led to me playing with my brother and my friend Cale, and that eventually became Sports. I first started recording with my brother when I was 14 with pirated software. He was always doing that stuff. I have to give him a lot of credit because I’m not savvy in that way. I wasn’t installing Mac OS on the Windows PC like he was. I eventually got a MIDI controller. The rest is kind of a blur.
Do you think the way you make music now would have been different if you didn’t have a musically inclined brother?
I don’t know if I even would have done music. He was really into it. I did have an interest, but it’s hard to know because I was so young if it was my interest or just me trying to be cool. I mean, it’s possible I would have picked it up. Our school required you to be in band in the 6th grade. Everyone had to be a part of it, it was mandatory. So, maybe I would have found something there. Who knows?
Do you draw on anyone who inspires your softer vocals? I don’t know if you know any specifics, but if you do have any awareness?
I don’t. That’s interesting. I feel like the production makes it so. I guess I do sing softly. It kind of feels right? Because I used to sing in a band – just a couple of songs – I don’t feel I had enough reps to understand what it is to be a live vocalist for a whole set, you know. I have a band now and we’re putting together a set to play some shows soon. It’s the first time I’ve sung through an entire set, and it’s cool hearing my voice. In that way, I feel like I’m projecting more. Because I record alone all of the time, I have my mic really close, and I’m just in a bedroom at night, so I’m gonna sing a bit softer. I don’t think it’s a specific style I’m going for.
I listened to the album you mentioned, Black Messiah, it was really good and also I saw a lot of the funkiness transfer out!
I’m glad it comes through a little bit. And also, the production of Black Messiah is just insane. I think I got way more into production and got things to sound rich and good. I used to just write stuff and let my mixer deal with it. Now I’m way more into it. I feel like that record also production-wise is a marvel. It’s so good.
Do you think you’re enjoying the process of production now that you’re solo?
Yeah! When I started getting more into production I started getting too analytical. I have to switch from right to left brain when I’m listening to music. Yeah, and I think that’s also just headphones listening. It’s so in your ear that you can’t help it. I’m trying to get more into listening to music while driving through speakers. I don’t drive as much anymore but I feel like that’s where I used to get all my music. I used to listen to many albums because living in Oklahoma you’re driving everywhere, so now I just put headphones on and it’s so analytical. But hopping on the train and walking around the city while listening to music is so fun. I do like producing, I forgot that was the question.
How do you think being solo has changed the way you produced music?
It forced me to get better at it. Before, we would record all separately and produce our demos, but there was always a mentality that a lot of this would potentially be changed once we all get into the studio together. On my own, I had to figure out how to get better quickly and get the song to the finish line myself, instead of getting halfway through and then finishing with the other guys. I had to learn what it was to be myself with my music, and it took time. I still feel like I’m figuring it out. This latest project started feeling like it was me. I felt that in the last one but it was a little more elusive; I felt that I didn’t know how I was doing this. This time I got what I was going for. I also had a little more confidence in my gut. I wasn’t just thinking about what anyone else is going to like, or what’s good for the band.
Do you think the pressure of being solo inhibits you in any way?
No, I think it’s the opposite. It did in the beginning before I released anything because you don’t know how people are gonna react and also deep down you don’t want to care, but you do. But I think now that I’m a little more confident in my abilities and gear and things I like to do, I feel more like I can let it happen and I’m not thinking too much about it.