Album Notes

Jacob learned to play trumpet one day in fourth grade when he impulsively followed a crush into band class. He went on to teach himself to play piano and later the guitar at the age of 18. Never content to simply replay songs out of books, he began writing and composing from a young age – sometimes playing the songs himself, and other times composing songs on his computer with an early MIDI sequencer.

When he started college at UC Berkeley, Jacob shifted his focus from music to dance and choreography. He took the relevant parts of his dance education – abstract story-telling, developing unique themes, and nuanced emotional performance – and built them back into his music when he started playing gigs. While cutting his teeth playing local bars and coffeehouses, he landed a job doing sound at an open mic in Berkeley in 2007. Through his open mic, he met the Grace Woods Trio, and mixed and produced their 2008 CD “Metaphoreality” and their 2009 EP “A Good Day in Red Paper.” Before even releasing a full-length CD of his own, a video of him performing at his open mic has attracted over 600,000 views on YouTube.

His production skills are most evident in his debut CD “Flux,” which was recorded and mixed entirely by Jacob in his own studio apartment. On the album, he plays acoustic, electric, baritone, and bass guitars, eBow, glockenspiel, melodica, and even the kitchen door. He’s joined by his good friend and open mic co-host Joe Hickey on two songs, as well. In addition to his open mic, Jacob keeps his music community-centered by releasing “Flux” on a Creative Commons license and actively encouraging people to share and distribute it.

All songs written, recorded, and mixed by Jacob Wolkenhauer
Mastered by Brent Lambert at The Kitchen
Artwork by Ben Johnston
Photography by Taylor Buttrey
Designed by Jacob Wolkenhauer

Jacob played acoustic, electric, baritone, and bass guitars, eBow, glockenspiel, melodica, and the kitchen door. Joe Hickey beatboxed on "Stasis" and played a mean bass guitar on "Splinter".