We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacob Larson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jacob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

A project that I am most proud of is my band’s debut original album, Totally Legal. We are a Funk & Soul band, and our debut record definitely captures a “straight from the ’70s” feel. This album was started in 2019, and therefore became a COVID project. We released it in October of 2022 and I truly could not be more proud of the work that the band and I did on it. I have been performing cover songs for the majority of my career as a musician, so to be able to release and then play music that I wrote is a special feeling.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started singing on stage live with a band when I was around 12 years old. Performing has always been the thing that I wanted to dedicate my life to. I got started going to live karaoke nights, open mic nights, and different jams around town, most of the time in bars that I was far too young to be in. From there I connected with musicians in the scene, and eventually started playing out live under my name, The Jacob Larson Band. There have been a few different versions of my band regarding genre and personnel, but the people and music that I surround myself with now are truly so talented and special. When you come to one of our shows, our goal is really to get the dance floor full and get people moving. We do all sorts of Funk, Soul, and even some Disco music including covering and taking influence from artists such as Stevie Wonder, CHIC, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Chaka Khan. Each year, we play different venues, bars, clubs, concert series, and festivals. The band currently has an original EP (2017) and a full length original Album (2022) released.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best thing you can do for independent artists and creatives is show up! Go to their show, bring your friends, buy a couple drinks, and cheer loudly. Everyone gets their creative start by playing in front of people in a local club or bar. For artists and musicians, it means the world when we look out into the crowd and see people that are engaged and enjoying what we are putting out.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think something that is different in the journey and career path for artists and creatives, is that our path is always changing and nothing is spelled out for us. If you are a doctor for example, you go to school, for a rather long time, do your residencies, and then get a job in you field. The same thing applies for teachers, lawyers, etc., but for creatives, we do not have a path completely aligned for us. The biggest piece of advice I can provide for accepting this fact is always put yourself out there. Network like crazy, be kind to people, and don’t be afraid to take risks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jacoblarsonlive.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacoblarsonband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacobLarsonLive/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JacobLarsonBand
• Other: https://linktr.ee/jacoblarsonband

Image Credits
All photos taken by Anton Pinkerton and Justin Hardman