With the release of a pair of infectiously melodic, lyrically dynamic and highly memorable songs – Your Existence and The Motions – Denver, Colorado’s The BRKN are setting the foundation for what could be a meteoric rise not only up the charts, but into the consciousness of music lovers throughout the USA and beyond.
Formed by former solo artist Jacob Cade, who had a modicum of success with a hard-rockin’ three piece that produced an album with industry heavyweight Michael Wagener, and who has written songs with the likes of Lzzy Hale [Halestorm], alongside guitarist Kick Stevens, drummer Mike Bokenkamp and touring bassist Tristan Verghese just last year, The BRKN will be releasing their debut EP entitled No. 3, early next year. At present, they are in the early stages of a 17-city jaunt alongside The Dangerous Summer, Arm Akimbo and Locket, which started Nov. 2 in their hometown and ends Nov. 24 in Baltimore.
Although the music and production on The BRKN’s song is highly accessible and, dare we say it, radio friendly, what separates it from many other acts operating under the pop-punk umbrella is the meaning that Cade, Stevens and Verghese infuse into every lyric, song title and especially the title of the forthcoming EP which has hugely significance for Cade, the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter for the group.
“It came from my abuelo, my grandpa, who played professional soccer in Mexico and he wore number 3. He and my abuela [grandmother] moved to the United States and didn’t know what they were getting into, they just knew that they wanted to be here and fought through all the challenges and made it happen. They taught themselves to speak English and they worked hard, raised a family and got through it all. It’s such an awesome story where they were just determined to come here and make a life for themselves,” said Cade.
“They have had a huge family since then and everybody played sports and anyone who played sports or did anything involving a number took number 3, including me. When it came to soccer, I wore number 3 and it just carried on even after I stopped playing sports, I used number 3 to symbolize and identify anything that was mine. That’s what family is about and my heritage, so that number represents kind of who I am and what I am about. I have a tattoo behind my ear with number 3; it’s the first one I got, it’s very special to me.”
Cade’s first group was more of a mix of Guns ‘n Roses and Motley Crue, but upon seeing the incredible energy and verve of a pop/punk show by the band Neck Deep, he had his conversion on the musical road to Damascus, embracing this new genre like a fervent proselyte.
“I was trying to get my solo project off the ground, but it hit a plateau and I came to the point where I realized I was wanting to do something different. I felt like I needed to go in a different direction. I had spent a lot of time at home thinking about it and then decided to go to this show with a band called Neck Deep. I enjoyed listening to their music but had never seen them live. I went and bought a ticket on a whim and from the moment I walked in the experience just blew my mind. What is this? All the kids were super involved and knew every word. It was the most fun show I had ever been to and I started digging into what the pop/punk scene was all about,” he said.
“It was such a vibrant scene of music. I had been listening to pop/punk forever, but I didn’t really know how cool it was and how much fun it could be, especially in a live situation. So, I fell in love with it, but wondered if I could write tunes like that, and started writing music with that kind of pop/punk style in mind. It turned out that it came naturally for me and I decided that, as far as lyrics go, instead of talking about cliched things like girls and cars or whatnot, I am going to put some depth into this thing and see what I can do.
“I started treating my songs like journals and putting a lot of stuff into them that was personal and on my heart, and not really caring who was going to hear it. I was saying, ‘this is how I am feeling so I am just going to put it out there.’ And it all came together, and the stars aligned and now I am here in The BRKN, which is epic, and I love it.”
The BRKN came together when Cade decided to call in some of his friends from the Denver music scene, some who were still around {Bokenkamp was already in his solo band] and others like Stevens, who was in Los Angeles, rounding out the lineup with the versatile solidity of Verghese holding down the bottom end.
“From day one, it was not hard to be in the same room with these guys, and it was not hard to put songs together quickly. It was all just great chemistry from the get-go. It all came together perfectly and from there it’s evolved and is still evolving into what The BRKN is going to be,” said Cade.
“My vision for this band is to play shows and travel everywhere and live that kind of dream, but above all, we just want to write music that will connect to people and help them through whatever they are going through. We can even use it as a platform to share stuff that’s hard that I have been through and that other people have been through, so that people who are going through it right now can listen to the music and realize they are not alone, that there is someone else out there who feels the same way, and the kind of encouragement that can come from that. The way I see it, we’re all just human, so let’s get through this. It’s never the end of the world.”
The focus, energy and level of commitment the El Paso, Texas-born Cade has put into his musical career was born out of a near-tragedy in his family. Witnessing the pain, suffering and resilience of his older sister’s battle with cancer as a teenager, he realized that there was no reason not to put every effort and every ounce of blood sweat and tears into his dream of making music his career since life can be so precious and fleeting.
“It changes your whole perspective on life and how you see things. I will say that yes it changed me from the day we found out. I definitely say that it made me want to help people too. It allowed me to be even more compassionate towards other people who are going through that sort of thing. I feel that hurt and pain and just how weird it feels. I never thought that would happen to me and my family, but it happened and so it’s changed our whole family,” Cade said.
“We have become people who just want to do anything to help people now. And we don’t sweat the small stuff anymore. It puts perspective in the sense that, okay I have got a flat tire, or a recording session didn’t go as planed – those aren’t a big deal anymore.”
Your Existence garnered the band well over 103,000 streams on Spotify and the buzz created helped land the band slots on the High School Nation Tour in October, and their current tour. It was a teaser as to the high-energy, well crafted and well executed music that will be coming on No. 3 early next year.
“I was at the studio working on the EP and I had just left the studio. It was late at night and I was driving home and as I was in the car, I was just acting dumb and funny and singing random stuff to myself to try and keep awake, and then I stumbled on the chorus melody and I thought it was pretty cool. So, I just kept digging in and working on it in my head and by the time I got home I had a verse done and a chorus and half of a second verse. When I got home, I hopped out of the car, ran inside, picked up a guitar and wrote the rest of the lyrics and the chord progressions and stuff like that,” Cade explained.
“So, when I was back in the studio with the guys the next day, I was like, ‘I’ve got this song, check it out!’ I played it for the other guys, and they were, ‘wow, that’s so cool, let’s get it down.’ And that’s how it formed and the lyrics and the meaning behind it too. It’s a true story and is about something I was going through at the time when I wrote it. It has a super sad tone, but angry at the same time, to the point where in the song I am pissed but I am sad about this thing right now and I want to be happy. I am sick of letting it drag me down, so I am going to get mad about it and make it a little bit of a ‘screw you’ song. ‘Screw this, I am over this, this is whack!’ Because that was the main feeling that was brought into it at the beginning. It’s really saying that in those situations we need to listen to the little voice that’s inside your head – sometimes your heart can be misled. It’s about listening to that voice that’s saying that something has been wrong for a while.”
The Motions is Cade’s take on a malaise that strikes people of all walks of ages and stages of life – and coming to the realization that we need to shake ourselves out of what ever rut we’re in order to move forward into a place of peace, fulfillment and happiness.
“It’s actually the first song I wrote for the EP, and it’s about being in a situation where you’re doing the same thing day after day in life and getting into this repetitive cycle to the point where you become almost a robot. You get up at the same time every day, pick out your clothes, shower, take the same route to work, do your repetitive job, get off work, drive that same way home – do the same routine every day. It’s a cycle of life where you’re just on autopilot, going through the motions, and you’re not excited about anything,” he explained.
“I have found that a lot of people fall into that sort of thing. I fell into it at one point and life became so mundane and I was like, ‘ugh, what am I doing with my life right now? There’s no excitement in my life, there’s nothing on the horizon,’ there was nothing I was passionate about. I have talked to lots of people who are just looking for something to put their emotions into – an outlet. I think when you’re stuck in this routine all those emotions can get bottled up and I think that’s whack! I think that’s not cool; it’s hurtful and destructive and you don’t really know what to do after a while. So, basically this song is an acknowledgement that this happens to all of us, so watch out for it.”
Cade said once the EP comes out that The BRKN will be hitting the road hard in 2020 and hopes to make it up to Canada for some shows.
“In my solo project I was working alongside one of your own, drummer Brent Fitz [Slash, Econoline Crush etc.] and he always talked up what a great place it was. So, I really want to go and check it out because I have never been. I think it sounds like an amazing place and sounds like the mood is really great. You can tell it’s beautiful, and everybody is nice, and they love music. It’s one of those things where we haven’t had the chance yet, but as soon as we do, we’re taking it, for sure,” he said.
For more information on The BRKN, upcoming shows and the No. 3 EP, visit The BRKN on social media, or at www.thebrkn.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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