Jake's Info
Jake Cassman’s artistic journey has taken him halfway around the world and back, allowing him to develop an incomparable combination of musical talent, quick wit, and humanistic conviction along the way. In 2010, he left an Ivy League education and transferred to Berklee College of Music in order to turn his greatest passion into a full-time career. That leap of faith led to extraordinary opportunities, like hosting radio programs; teaching songwriting classes and coaching ensembles; booking and managing venues and concert series; acting and writing for theater productions; and performing in countless shows, from weddings to dueling pianos to improv comedy. While in Boston, Jake founded the indie rock band Drunken Logic, which has toured multiple times and released three critically acclaimed albums. He also worked as a music director for Boston’s two most prestigious improv comedy theaters, and managed one of the most popular wedding bands in New England.Jake’s sense of artistic and personal purpose was forged out of California dreams, Boston grit, and an explorer’s curiosity. His desire to understand and improve the community and world around him drove him to study political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and later to pursue his affinity for activism and satire through his music and art. Jake co-wrote and produced award-winning music videos for the Drunken Logic songs “This Side or the Other,” which features real people sharing their trauma and finding empathy for each other, and “What A Beautiful Morning!,” which raised money for the Center for Popular Democracy as part of a compilation featuring artists like Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M. and more. Jake is also dedicated to arts education, and has taught students of all ages and backgrounds how to perform together, write songs, and improvise comedy. Along with his musical and political interests, Jake saves time for pickup basketball, hiking, and trying new beers based solely on how funny their names are.
Since moving to Los Angeles in March 2018, Jake has starred in a musical at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and co-written and -starred in a sketch show at the world famous Second City comedy theater, where he also works as a music director and a faculty union organizer. He has worked as an educator for a variety of schools non-profit organizations, and created a songwriting curriculum for charter middle- and high-school students through the LOUD program during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Jake graduated with honors and a degree in community music from the University of Southern California, and this academic work has led to published articles, podcast episodes, and presentations at conferences around the world. While doing all of this, Drunken Logic released The Loudness Wars, a rollicking concept record (and in-development musical theater production) about American polarization and decay, and continued to release singles and EPs as well. You can find Jake working as a musician, writer and educator around Los Angeles and beyond.
Currently Teaching at: Second City Hollywood
For more info: http://https://www.secondcity.com/people/hollywood/jake-cassman/