JACOB CHAMPLIN AND THE BLUE JAYS

Jacob Champlin & The Blue Jays are a 7-piece folk/rock collective fronted by Minneapolis songwriter, Jacob Champlin. For this project, Champlin has enlisted the help of 6 of his favorite Minnesota-based artists to help him craft what he calls “existential folk hymns”.

Their sound is a hybrid of Bright Eyes & The Decemberists combined with the more sonically abrasive sound of groups like Modest Mouse or Mewithoutyou. Champlin’s lyrics ring sincere with themes of seeking one’s self & waking up to a proposed higher consciousness. Their songs range from pleasantly predictable to more compositionally complex. They color their arrangements with lush 4-part vocal harmonies, sparkling glockenspiel, buzzing kazoos, churning accordion, driving bass, and an occasional trumpet fanfare, all backed by a cocktail drum kit.