It all started with a pawn shop drum kit to jam along with his older brother and cousin at age 9 and Jake hasnt put the sticks down since. In high school and college he became a songwriter and multi instrumentalist, constantly writing and collaborating, but found his creative home in 2015 when he formed Illiterate Light with guitarist and long time friend Jeff Gorman. Jake and Jeff wanted to push the limits of the duo and keep everything live without sacrificing sound; after a year of experimenting Jake pushed his kit to the front of the stage, threw away his throne, and found the amazing freedom of drumming standing up. The sound, performance, and energy is infectious and Jake has spent the last 6 years refining his new playing style and coming to love the creative boundaries the standing kit has on his music. œIt changes how I play, the decisions I make and beats I choose, but it also gives me something to struggle against and allows me to sit back and groove in one measure and stage dive into the mosh pit in the next.
Jake Cochran
Illiterate Light
Jake
Cochran
IN 3
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Most memorable Next-Level Performance
2019 at the Newport Folk Fest we ripped into a cover of Neil Young's Vampire Blues that lit the place up. It was 11am on a Saturday, nobody knew who we were at the start of that set but the entire crowd was on their feet cheering when we ended. -
What Drives Your Creativity?
Collaboration, small drum kits, and weird local music scenes. -
Why do you choose Vic Firth?
The Classic 5A Extreme feels more like an extension of my body than a stick. I love experimenting, but I've never felt the need to play anything other than VF.
BEHIND THE KIT
