Patrick Jacobson

by Tom Patrick August 5, 2015

It’s a sleepy Sunday evening at the Gold Pan Saloon. Singer-songwriter Patrick Jacobson is filling in on stage. Half the seats in the pub are empty, but Jacobson pours out the tunes with ardour. Patrons listen quietly, ears draped over every note he sings and chord he strums on his Fender acoustic ... for the most part, at least.

When an audience member yells unreasonable requests between songs, he kids back like a seasoned veteran of the stage should. He’s comfortable plucking away in the spotlight. He’s done too many shows to count, big and small.

There’s a box of records by his feet. The records - his self-titled solo album - are printed on white vinyl. That should be enough to indicate he’s no run-of-the-mill strummer.

“The white vinyl is something I wanted right off the start,” said Jacobson. “I kind of like the combination of the blue and white on the cover - those are the colours I always had in mind.”

The release of his solo EP, which is available on vinyl and digital download, has strange timing. It went on sale last week in Whitehorse, the city he has called home for just a few months.

Jacobson is from Vancouver and the album was recorded on B.C.‘s Bowen Island, but the indie rocker has wanted to move to Whitehorse for years. When he was offered a job in the capital, he pounced on it.

“Coming up here playing with bands over the years, I just fell in love with the place,” said Jacobson. “It just seems more comfortable and every time I came up here it was harder and harder to leave. So I started looking for a reason to move up here ... This year I finally made it happen.”

The album has Jacobson’s name on the front and a few big names on the back.

It was recorded with veteran producer Winston Hauschild, who recently had an album go triple platinum in China and Hong Kong.

Steven Drake, formerly of the Canadian rock band The Odds, does some of the lead guitar work and backing vocals. (The Odds broke into the mainstream with songs like “Eat My Brain” and “Truth Untold.”)

The album also features the talents of Robert Watt, who has worked with Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen and the Canadian rock band The Grapes of Wrath, and former Whitehorse musician Adam Fink from Pepper Sands and Gang Signs.

“After playing in multiple bands over the years you watch how bandmates get involved in other projects or other areas of their life and bands kind of fall apart,” said Jacobson. “So this time around I decided to do a solo record. Though it is very much a band effort, the idea is basically I can perform under my own name and have whoever is available to perform as my band.”

The music is melody- and guitar- driven. It can be poppy in spots and gritty in others, with a backbone of solid songwriting from the first to the last track.

It gives off a vibe that transcends decades of rock, sometimes with catchiness reminiscent of the Beatles - a major influence on Jacobson - and sometimes with a stern veneer remindful of the ‘90s.

“So I grew up with a lot of that melodic sensibility,” said Jacobson, who is in his 30s. “All the songs I listened to growing up had these great lush harmonies and they’re easy to sing along to. They have these great melodies that get stuck in your head ... I try to write these melodies that people can sing along to or hum along to.”

“My last band was the Capitals - I was the main singer-songwriter - and the lead guitar player from that band is on this album as well,” he added. “These songs evolved out of the end of that band along with a few new tunes.”

Currently Jacobson is going it alone, promoting his album with solo acoustic shows. He co-hosts open mic with artist Lianne Cranfield at the Watershed Coffee Shop and Bar on Tuesdays. But he is working on putting together a band with Whitehorse musicians. He simply loves the music community up here, he said.

“I’ve played most of the venues in town already as well. Fans have been receptive, been buying the record and buying the shirts. It’s been really cool to see the support up here,” said Jacobson.

“Unlike the big city, the other bands and other musicians really support you as well. In the city you have little clusters of bands that support you and show up to each other’s shows. Up here everybody supports everybody - it doesn’t matter what genre, what skill level you’re at ... And I think that’s fantastic.”

The album, Patrick Jacobson, is available at Triple J’s, The Watershed, Hamilton &

Son Guitar Works, Unitech Sound and Lighting Inc.

Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com - Yukon News

by Barry "Jack" Jenkins
July 16, 2015

A recent arrival in Whitehorse, Patrick Jacobson is already making waves. Having moved from Vancouver just a couple of months ago, Jacobson has released his self-titled debut solo EP of melodic indie guitar rock. Fans of the genre can see him in Whitehorse on July 26 and August 15.

You may already be familiar with Jacobson, either from his gigs, his open mics appearances, or Shed Fest. You may have heard his songs on the TV show, The L Word, or the movie, Fear Island. You may even have seen him at the Capital or the 202 between 2004 and 2007, when he was on tour with his band, the Capitals. “I just fell in love with the place,” he remembers. “And I basically looked for excuses to move up here. I’ve been casually applying for jobs here through the years and then when an Air North position opened up in Vancouver, I took it with the idea that I would eventually end up here.”

Jacobson starting playing guitar at 16 as a catalyst for his songwriting ambitions. “I took some formal lessons but I just wanted to play well enough that I could start writing my own songs. So that was always my intent. I just wanted the ability to strum and sing basically,” he says.

More than just strumming, the constant touring and performing have turned him into a skilled guitarist. Inspired by the melody and harmonies of the British Invasion bands of the ‘60s and the newer Britpop of Supergrass and Oasis, Jacobson adds edgy guitar lines that drive the songs without losing their infectious singalong qualities.

Having released albums with his bands, the Capitals and the Top Drawers, Jacobson is releasing his new EP as a solo effort. His reasoning is more practical than artistic. “It’s difficult to keep a band together because everyone has outside commitments, and sometimes you have to switch out members of the band because someone can’t do it anymore. So I figured this time I’d use my own name for this project, since if I had to swap out members of the band, it wouldn’t feel like I had to rename the band. I could still play as myself and have other guys backing me up, which is going to be especially handy now, since I have to put together a new band up here.”

Joining Jacobson on the new tracks are the Capitals guitarist Robert Watt, guitarist Steven Drake from the Odds, bassist/producer Winston Hauschild, and drummer/former Yukoner Adam Fink. Together they add sweet power-pop harmonies that bring Jacobson’s choruses to life.

While the songs are available through his website, www.patrickjacobson.com, as well as Bandcamp and CD Baby, he is looking forward to releasing the songs on vinyl, which he’ll celebrate with a release party and a full band. “Up until now I’ve been doing mostly acoustic sets,” Jacobson says. “While I’ve been doing that I’ve been talking to other musicians, trying to piece together a band so I can start doing electric shows up here. That’s really what suits the songs the best, a full band.”

Still a newcomer to Whitehorse, Jacobson is quickly establishing himself and his music as vital fixtures in the local music scene. He performs July 26 at the Gold Pan Saloon and August 15 at the Watershed.

Outstanding Tracks: “The Tales You Tell” and “You Don’t Live Here Anymore”.

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