Creating Music & Content From Pop Culture That Shaped You with Jake Shore | Elevated Frequencies #29

olivia (00:00.928) Jake, it's so nice to talk to you. Finally. I feel like the last time I talked to you was when you were still a teacher and I'm dying to find out if you still are.

Jake Shore (00:12.362) I am not a teacher anymore. I've been blessed in the past year and a half. But it was about almost, I guess, two school years ago that I taught. I was a third grade teacher. So I actually resigned about two years ago. And it's for good reasons. I was able to finally just go all in on my music career. And I think it definitely was the right choice, I could say, looking back now.

But yeah, so no longer a teacher, but definitely miss the kiddos. That's for sure.

olivia (00:46.456) Yeah. Well, it sounds like we have a lot of catching up to do because I've just, you know, just from following you on social media, I've seen your career explode over the past couple of years. And I know that that's due to a ton of hard work you've put in. I mean, when it comes to content, first of all, you are just killing the game. Like you are giving people a masterclass in what they should do with social media if they want to have this explosive career.

Jake Shore (01:13.726) Well, thank you. Those are some pretty big statements to make. I appreciate that so much. And yeah, it's definitely a lot of hard work. Definitely. I'm trying to manifest it through just being myself, I guess. But yeah, I appreciate those words. Thank you.

olivia (01:33.088) So it started, I remember back a couple of years ago, you were doing these videos with the kids, kind of like showing them different house music tracks. Is that right? That's awesome. How did you get the idea for that? Because they were a huge hit. Like you were showing up on my TikTok FYP, like just like crazy all the time.

Jake Shore (01:41.671) Yeah.

Jake Shore (01:53.17) Yeah, I mean, I think it started from originally, I think I saw TikTok as like this landscape that was kind of new. We're talking two years ago now, so I think everybody's well aware of the power of it now, but then it was still fairly new, especially in the music game. And I knew that, you know, it was something that had the potential to skyrocket somebody.

as far as getting their music out to the world and whatnot. So I knew that it was something that I needed to get accustomed to. I also knew that it was very different from what we were used to, like on Instagram and the other social media outlets that we had grown up with, in the sense that I felt like it really rewarded like your authentic.

everyday life and wasn't so focused on overproduction. So for somebody like me, that was perfect. There was music to my ears, no pun intended. But I remember myself when I first kind of started messing around with TikTok, you know, I was doing the typical, you know, stream my new song and here's the link in the bio and, you know, kind of falling in line with how everybody else was using it at that point. But I stopped and I asked myself like, okay,

what's something that I'm doing every single day that might be able to provide some value to the person on the other side of the screen while also subtly getting my music out to the world, not making it seem so promo-y or sell-y, I like to say. And that came down to literally just, what I mean by value for the other person on the end of the screen is like, does it entertain the person that's watching it? Does it inform the person that's watching it or educate them?

Or does it inspire them? And if it could be all three of those things, even better. And I landed on the fact that every day I drove to school, to my job, and I was blasting house music to kind of just get my day started, right? And so that led to me kind of pulling up to my school about 30, 40 minutes earlier than I had to. I started filming myself kind of dancing, lip syncing to that inside the car, which I'm sure millions of people do.

Jake Shore (03:59.13) to whatever music they're listening to. So the connectability piece was there. But on top of it, I kind of streamlined it all back to that value piece. So in my eyes, I was educating people, here's a song that you should be listening to, especially if you're into house music. And I guess the entertaining part was me lip syncing and dancing to it. And then, yeah, that kind of.

Segwayed into starting my students days with that because I was starting to see like people respond to it in a very positive way and Me just being a teacher at the time again going back to that like what's something? I'm authentically doing every day Well, I'm teaching students every day. So mixing both of those showing the kids a house music when they started their day Just yeah, but just kind of took off. I mean you could hear their reactions and

olivia (04:47.325) Yeah.

olivia (04:50.588) Adorable.

Jake Shore (04:51.018) I think, yeah, it just kind of like took off. I think it was something that people don't really equate when they think of a teacher, right? Especially us growing up. I think we all have that one teacher that maybe, you know, did something for us as far as like, just impacted our lives. And it's because they did something outside the norm. And I think that was for me showing house music to a bunch of third graders.

olivia (04:57.683) Right.

Jake Shore (05:15.962) it kind of like hit, right? And I think it was something that people latched onto. It's just like something positive.

olivia (05:20.861) Yeah.

And you said, and you said the three keywords, inform, entertain, inspire. I mean, that's classic marketing advice. And I love what you did when you said you incorporate, you were trying to figure out how you could make content just out of your everyday life. Because I think so many people get into this mindset, oh, I have to come up with something so new, so innovative, so out of pocket. And then they burn themselves out so quickly that they just give up on it.

Jake Shore (05:30.102) Yeah.

Jake Shore (05:38.743) Yes.

olivia (05:51.7) And here you were saying, I'm just going to like make, you know, make a movie out of what I'm already doing. And it's a lot easier to manage, you know, your everyday life plus like the content game when you're doing that. Um, and, and I'm sure that really contributed to you being able to kind of.

Jake Shore (05:59.744) Yeah.

Jake Shore (06:03.982) 100%.

olivia (06:12.704) transition out of, you know, one chapter of your career and your business into this next one. So what was like the moment for you when you realized, hey, I can go full time with my music. I can do this.

Jake Shore (06:26.454) This is where the story gets kind of, I guess it's almost the universe was working in mysterious ways because I had actually put in my years leave of absence February of 2021, I think. Yeah, 2021, 2022. I can't remember now. What is it? Yeah, I think 2021.

I had contractually needed to put my year's leave of absence in. I'd been at this school for eight years, so I was tenured. And that kind of just allowed me to take a leave of absence with still being able to come back if all else failed. So February of 2021, I put that leave of absence in. So I kind of, this had been a whole year of brewing, right? The year before, I was like, this is it. After this year, I'm just going to bet on myself.

And then, so that was February, then March, 2021 is when I started doing the TikToks. And it's like the parents got behind it, the school got behind it, people just all over TikTok got behind it and it kind of just was like the best way I could ever imagine leaving my career on such a high note. It almost, like I said, felt like the universe was working saying like, not only did you pick the right time to do this, but...

olivia (07:36.894) Mm-hmm.

Jake Shore (07:45.438) we're going to usher you out with it as well. So I guess to answer your question, there was no like one thing, I guess, but all those things happening with the TikTok and like getting that notoriety on my way out, almost definitely confirmed my decision. I think the decision was a long, you know, it took me eight years to kind of come to that realization that if I don't go do this now,

I may never be able to do it. And I guess looking back at it too, I've realized that the whole thing was a big lesson for my students in itself. The lesson of being like, go after your dreams. I always told my kids, go out on a limb. That's where all the fruit is, right? Sometimes you have to take that chance and bet on yourself. So it was brought to my attention from a colleague that I used to work with that.

you actually ended up teaching a major lesson in that whole thing by what you were doing. So it was pretty cool all around. It's definitely a feel good story and I can't deny that all that kind of just like, yeah, it's set me up for success and where I'm at now. And I'm super thankful for it.

olivia (08:56.804) I love that the parents and the administration was supportive. That had to make you like, yeah, right. Because that's kind of a gamble, right? When you're leaving any sort of job, especially if you've been there for a long time. So that's a really beautiful thing that they just all believed in you and wanted to see you successful because that just makes it a little bit easier, you know, to transition to the next step. And I love what you said about teaching kids a lesson. You know, I think.

Jake Shore (09:00.694) Me too.

Jake Shore (09:04.586) Yes.

Jake Shore (09:20.002) for sure.

olivia (09:25.488) A lot of people, and I have a similar story to yours of leaving, uh, quitting a full-time job, like without actually anything lined up, knowing that I wanted to start my own business. And I was listening to like my intuition, like the, it was gnawing at me, right? Like you have to do this now. You have to do this now. And you did the same thing. And I think a lot of people are too afraid.

and they ignore those signs. So if you could give any sort of like actionable advice, if someone feels like whether it's an artist trying to take the leap of faith into their career or anything, what like, maybe you can't pinpoint it, but what is something like a sign that you can recognize like, hey, you should be following this. Like don't ignore this thing in your life.

Jake Shore (09:48.342) Yes.

Jake Shore (10:08.798) Yeah, I think I'm gonna.

I think you kind of hit it on the head. I think that internal feeling that you have as a human being, just really going with your instinct, right? We're blessed as human beings to have those instincts, right? All animals, all mammals, all humans are. They have that instincts, those natural instincts in them. And I think that gut instinct that you know that you're not happy with what you're doing. And not to say I wasn't happy teaching, but I just knew that I felt like there was more I needed to do. And I think.

having that gut instinct is the first thing. I don't know if there is any concrete sign. Like I said, there was no moment where it was like, okay, I have to go do this. But I just knew that, I don't know, it kind of sounds generic, but you only have one life to live, right? So to me, it was like, I gotta go do this now or else I may regret it for the rest of my life. And you start having those internal conversations with yourself, I think it's definitely time to.

olivia (10:56.416) Mm-hmm.

Jake Shore (11:09.674) take the leap and bet on yourself. Now, I guess on the other end of that, I wanna also like preface by saying, it took me eight long years to make that decision. Within those eight years, I also got like my masters to be a principal one day. And so I built a really big safety net before making that decision. And like I said, I was guarded by a contract with my teaching career that allowed me to, if all else failed,

olivia (11:26.993) Yeah.

Jake Shore (11:37.874) I can go back and be a teacher. So it was a risk, but I think it was a calculated risk. So I think if you're in the position to make a calculated risk and bet on yourself, take it. Because I felt, like I said, the worst case scenario, I can just go back to teaching. And I still can do that to this day, which is a blessing. So.

On one hand, I want to encourage people if they have that feeling to go do it, but on the other hand, I also want them to understand that, you know, I didn't just throw all caution to the wind. There was definitely, you know, a safety net there just in case.

olivia (12:07.872) Right.

olivia (12:11.645) Yeah.

Yeah, I think it's balancing mind and body. I think society kind of teaches us so much to only listen to our brains, that we ignore our hearts. And there needs to be more of like a balance there to inform decision-making. So I wanna pivot a little bit because you are kind of like the OG DJ that I know, that I've met personally kind of following like a sobriety journey.

Jake Shore (12:28.959) Yeah.

olivia (12:42.318) And I'm interested, whatever you're comfortable sharing, what kind of started that journey for you, what influenced that and how's it been going because I too, I'm low alcohol. I know you saw the clip I posted the other day with Sherm where we talked about that and it's just been transformative in my life. So I want to hear about yours.

Jake Shore (13:04.574) Yeah, I'll first start by saying I love your approach to explaining where you're at. I think it's very similar to my approach in that this is about your personal journey and how you describe it and define it. I think we've been pushed into this mindset so many people that, you know, if somebody says they're sober, it's like...

they're sober till the end of time, meaning they're completely dry and whatever that looks like. I think it's always a little tricky because when somebody asks that question, I don't know where their stance is on that. And hearing that and seeing that clip, it made me so much more confident and comfortable to talk about this. Because I too, I started this journey, I call it, three years ago. And I always try and hit a few points when I talk about the first one is.

olivia (13:28.613) Right.

Jake Shore (13:49.042) It hasn't been black and white. I struggle with, I've struggled with it over the past three years still. And there's been moments where I've fell back into drinking. And even though they've been short blips over the past three years, and it seems to always be around that summertime, around my birthday, when it comes back around a little bit. But within each time I've learned so much about myself and been even more confirmed

why this isn't really the life for me. So I don't really look at it as like a.

a black and white thing, are you sober, are you not? I look at it as like, in the grand scheme of things, I'm beating it and I'm winning. So, you know, right now and for the past four months, five months now, I've been completely clean from alcohol. And it all started just because I knew that there needed to be some type of change. I noticed that so many of the things that were going wrong in my life, mistakes I've made, problems that I've had,

just not being the person I know that I truly am, the common denominator was always alcohol, always. I think it just came a point in my life where as any person with common sense, if there's one thing that continues to mess up your life, you gotta eliminate it. And the tricky part is, if alcohol is that thing, it's so hard because it is literally woven into so many different aspects.

of everybody's life in every single day and in so many situations. So it's a big task, but yeah, that was like the initial thing for me. I just, I wasn't myself. I think the other thing was the driving factor that I knew I wanted to do more with my music career. And I wanted to get out of the Chicago cycle of club shows and just the industry is what we call it. And I knew that

Jake Shore (15:46.75) in order to do that, I was gonna have to learn how to make my own music. And that in itself is like a whole language acquisition. And so going out every weekend and wasting so much time, honestly.

in the cycle of drinking then being hungover and you know the hangovers are terrible. It just wasn't, it just didn't make sense to me anymore. So I think it was a little bit of both, right. It was a reflection of myself and who I was drinking and who I was not drinking. And then it was also the driving force of I knew I wanted to, I knew I wanted to obtain more with my artist career. And within those two things, it just, you know, led me to where I am now.

olivia (16:24.67) Yeah.

olivia (16:28.928) I love this conversation because I'm in 100% agreement. It's not a black and white thing. And it's different if somebody has a problem with alcohol that it's like an addiction sort of thing. But there are people, I was one of those people that my problem with alcohol is that I was an asshole when I was drinking, but I wasn't like craving booze all the time. It's not like I like wanted to,

Jake Shore (16:56.162) Yeah.

olivia (16:58.402) have an addiction to it. It's just like, I didn't like myself when I was drunk. I didn't do things that were, you know, conducive to a healthy, you know, productive lifestyle. And so I decided, I decided to cut back and then similar reasons to you, you know, starting my own business, I was like, I cannot risk losing a day to a hangover. And so that's same reasons. That's what prompted it. And, and yeah, it doesn't have to be black and white, like

complete abstinence doesn't work for everybody. And it shouldn't be the only recommended solution. But I think that now people are starting to wisen up to the fact that this is a real movement. I mean, they just launched a mocktail menu in Spy Bar. Like, that's cool, right? Like, it's like, finally, people are getting with the program. Because I think just more and more people are starting to go down this path to just reducing.

Jake Shore (17:44.822) That's cool. Yeah.

olivia (17:55.316) their consumption and not to mention like the health benefits, the weight that I lost. I lost so much weight from just going down to like two drinks a month. That was crazy. I didn't have to do anything else.

Jake Shore (18:00.078) Peace.

Jake Shore (18:07.442) Yeah, I think the benefits, I mean, far outweigh the cons. And there really aren't any cons. I mean, people may say, well, you're not gonna have a good of time, or you're not gonna, you know, but it's like.

I mean, me personally, I'm so comfortable in who I am. I realize I never needed it to have a good time. I do understand for some people, it does act as a social lubricant and that's fine. And again, like if you're a person who needs that and can also function and control, you know, who you are within it, great. Again, that's another point I like to make. I don't judge anybody who drinks at all. I mean, again, this is a me thing. It's not about you. I'm not out here trying to tell people to stop drinking alcohol.

I do appreciate having conversations like this for anybody who is curious or wants to listen or just wants to hear my experience with it. And you're right, I mean, I can't say it enough, me sober and away from alcohol, I am a machine. Everything you see, the output, the content, the music, I'm able to do it because I'm on such a momentum ride. There's really no, unless I'm like sick,

Other than that, I'm just, I'm always up and up, but when I'm drinking, the brain fog, the hangovers, just the nonsense that starts to fill in around my life, the guilt, the anxiety, it just, again, I think the more and more I talk about it, it should seem like common sense. Oh my God, if all those things are causing you, are being caused by one thing, eliminate the one thing, but it's very tricky because that one thing is just, like I said, it's so, we've been programmed since

our generation has been programmed to drink to have fun, or when you're out, you need to drink. And I do see this next generation changing that. And I don't know if this is, I can't tell the future, but I think similarly to how cigarettes were once very much a thing, and they are pretty much gone now, like the actual cigarettes, I know vaping's so much, very much a thing, but I can see alcohol starting to fade away in the next 20, 30.

olivia (19:59.773) Yeah.

Jake Shore (20:17.826) 50 years and some people might call me crazy but i think you know the same people that said cigarettes going away is crazy is well i don't know i haven't seen a pack of cigarettes in so long so i don't know if it's going to go that way but i think for sure people in this new in this next generation of kids are realizing like you know why would i do that

olivia (20:25.234) Yeah.

olivia (20:36.488) Yeah, I totally agree with you. And it's so funny. I saw somebody smoking a cigarette the other day. I was like, that's so retro. Like what the hell? Like I hadn't seen a cigarette in so long. I was like, ew, that's gross.

Jake Shore (20:44.683) Yeah.

Yeah, it's strange, right? I really haven't seen a pack of cigarettes in so long. And so I'm a big believer that if it can happen to one thing, it can totally happen to another thing. And yeah, I think going back to just the common sense of it all, right? If something is causing you that much stress, issues, anxiety, problems in your life, why are you choosing to do it every weekend?

You know, and I think you brought up the word addiction. And again, that's another word that's just like grouped into what, like there's a picture that people paint when they hear the word addict or somebody that's addicted. And yeah, well, I, same way, I didn't have a physical addiction. I don't have a physical and like craving for alcohol, but I've learned that it's very much a mental thing for me. I think my brain is always running. It's running hot all the time. I'm always like thinking, envisioning, working, creating. And.

In a sense, alcohol is like that short-term release, and it slows my brain down. And I think that's what I crave. But I've just found so many other outlets to get that same feeling that's not alcohol.

olivia (21:48.788) Yeah. Right.

olivia (21:55.988) Right. And

olivia (22:00.236) I 100% and, and the cool thing is, is when you take long enough of a break and you were mentioning like how you're just on this upward trajectory of is like constant momentum. You get so addicted to feeling good that you don't want anything to slow you down. Like every day is exciting. Like, I feel like you and I probably wake up with similar feelings because you know, we were in the midst, you're in the midst of growing something big.

Jake Shore (22:14.676) Yeah.

olivia (22:26.284) and you have all these opportunities and you get excited when you see your email light up with all these different like messages of like opportunities and it's like you don't want anything to like get in the way of just impacting your ability to respond to those messages or like plan your day or your month or your whatever it's you just get so addicted to feeling good that you're like why would i go back to this

Jake Shore (22:30.923) Yes.

Jake Shore (22:41.409) Right.

Jake Shore (22:45.95) Yeah, I think it's the control too. Like knowing what I, I'm in control of everything I'm doing. I know what I'm saying to people in a social situation. I know how I'm behaving. I know how I'm reacting to other people. I can walk away from a night, I know when to go home. I think that's the best part, right? We know when to go home now. It's so funny, like I think that's one big eye opener when you don't drink is like, you really have that clock that says like, oh my God.

olivia (22:54.409) Yeah.

olivia (23:03.877) Yeah.

Jake Shore (23:14.754) Everybody's gonna, we're all gonna be here for six more hours doing this. Like, why am I here? I'm out. See you later. I'm gonna go get a good night's sleep. And I think that's, that's been always so funny to me now is like, you have that ability to just be in control of yourself. And yeah, it's, it's a beautiful thing and I am addicted to it for sure.

olivia (23:19.178) Yeah.

olivia (23:29.036) great.

So, so how are you, because as a fan, as somebody who goes to shows, I really struggle now being sober, being able to stay awake late. Like I really have to plan my day where it's like, I need to nap until the last second if I'm going to make it. So how, as a performer, have you incorporated like any tricks to just try to like

Jake Shore (23:45.175) Yeah.

olivia (23:54.752) get through the set, you know, and stay out late because you always want to support too and stay later. There's afters or whatever. So how do you manage that?

Jake Shore (23:59.755) Yeah.

Jake Shore (24:04.242) Yeah, so timing is everything I've learned, even when I'm out DJing or when I'm supposed to just be out for a social gathering and whatnot. Timing is everything because if I show up too early, I will be like, and I'm not DJing and I'm just there, once I say my hellos and do the small talk, it's like, okay, I got to get out of here. You know? But, and I think...

olivia (24:27.989) Yeah.

Jake Shore (24:29.49) Luckily when I am performing that is my that's what takes the place of all my you know my attention That's what feeds my ego feeds my energy. It keeps me mad busy. So actually having that performance part Is such a huge key Because I don't need alcohol I am

curating the vibe and the party. And so that helps a lot. But I will say, I'm definitely, I drink a lot of caffeine. I'm drinking a lot of Red Bulls or whatever is there to try and stay up and awake and vibrant. There are so many different things now. Like you said, the non-alcoholic mocktails, like those do go a long way. I'm a big fan of athletic brewing. They have like a really solid non-alcoholic option that.

olivia (24:59.252) Yeah.

olivia (25:12.022) Mm-hmm.

Jake Shore (25:16.01) honestly tastes like beer and people might be like, well, why don't you just drink if it tastes like, well, it's not necessarily like the drink, but it's like just having something in your hand, right? It's kind of like keeping me busy. But I have learned too that being at a place over my time, that starts to creep in the triggers of like.

olivia (25:24.725) Right.

Jake Shore (25:35.622) There's nothing else to do but drink. Let's, you know, and like, so the timing aspect is huge. I try and anytime I go out, I'm really hoping that there's like a dinner or like some food involved because that also keeps me busy. But yeah, it definitely, you know, I've gotten accustomed to it now, but it does take some planning, especially being on the road. That's been new for me is this past three months I've been on the road more than ever, my first tour, and I have to fill in my time and do routine stuff.

olivia (25:38.805) Yeah.

Jake Shore (26:05.182) working out, sleeping, eating, working on music because yeah, it's really easy to fall into drinking on the road because you're in a new place, you get that adrenaline that everybody gets when they're traveling and it's tricky.

olivia (26:05.292) Mm-hmm.

olivia (26:17.116) Yeah. Well, I think that's a really good point you just made, like kind of, um, doing a little bit of planning, preparing, figuring out your schedule and what's going to be there. So you're not like sitting idle. Cause like the idleness is what can lead to the drinking. So like for, for people who are new to touring, like you just said, like maybe like looking up like cool stuff to do in the area, like touristy stuff, you know, um, obviously prioritizing rest, but like,

Jake Shore (26:29.591) Yes.

100%.

olivia (26:44.852) doing it like low effort activities that just don't involve booze can be really helpful.

Jake Shore (26:50.654) Yeah, it's a must. And that's why I say it's a journey, because it's new. There's new things and there's new kind of like environments you get put in or new schedules you get put on. And that's for anybody, not just a touring artist. Things always will change. And you kind of kind of, I think planning ahead is the best way. And like planning out your time is the best way to kind of just keep you dialed in into what you're trying to accomplish.

olivia (27:19.6) Yeah, that's great advice. I'm always looking for new tips for people and it's having these conversations that kind of like shake out and it gives me another idea to, you know, to, to be able to incorporate it in my life. So I appreciate that.

Jake Shore (27:33.134) That's so important. I've learned that too. Really just what we're doing right now, you really don't know who's going to watch this and how it's going to help people. It's always so funny when you talk to somebody or you bring up the fact that you don't drink. Have you noticed people kind of start to use you as a mirror and they start asking you questions and they start wondering how this is and really what they want to know for themselves. I think the most important thing is what we're doing right now is talking about it.

in an open way and just about our own experiences, not necessarily like we're not promoting, not drinking, we're just talking about our experiences because that's what's been missing, I think, for so long in so many different areas of mental health, addiction, et cetera, is the dialogue. And this is important and it always comes up on every podcast and I don't try and make it the forefront of my brand by any means, but I think.

It's important to talk about because again it goes back to that authenticity. It is part of my life, so can't deny it

olivia (28:33.288) Yeah, I love that. And one thing that's very evident about you, I mean, you have your master's degree, you are a teacher, like you're obviously a very intelligent guy and you have this presence about you. Yes, you have this presence about you that comes off, and everything that you post, you've just always been incredibly professional. And I think that comes just naturally given your background, but I know one thing that a lot of artists struggle

Jake Shore (28:46.71) Thank you. I try.

olivia (29:02.672) with and look for advice on is kind of how to present themselves professionally, confidently and create a brand. Instead of just being, you know, well, I just make music. Like they need guidance on how to have a presence. So what would you say to somebody getting started? Like, what are some easy things they can do to really start making themselves like a well-rounded artist?

Jake Shore (29:32.139) Um, I think.

You know, I'm gonna start by admitting that I struggled with like, what my brand is and what like, like really putting the pieces all together until really just this like past year. A big help was I have I'm on part of a management team now and they have a very, very wide lens because they also book a lot of artists on the East Coast as well. So they have just seen every type of writer, every type of press kit, you know.

I think that has helped a ton and for those first so for those people who don't have that team yet I think it even started before that and one thing I've learned is that the quickest way to find your sound and find your brand Is start with the things that you love start with the things that you grew up loving the music the sound the artists that you grew up loving and You know, that's basically what I had

And I didn't turn into it. It's what I've always been. Like I'm rocking a ice cube shirt. I have a DX hat. I mean, I've been a wrestling fan since day one. I've always listened to 90s hip hop since I can remember.

olivia (30:35.741) Yeah.

Jake Shore (30:46.206) And that's kind of what formed my music taste too. I can make almost any style of dance music, and I tried a lot. Even most recently, some of my releases were old songs that I made and I hadn't found my sound yet, but I wanted to get them out either way. But Hectic was probably the one that, not only when I realized the reaction to it, but I just felt good about it. Sometimes people like your music and it's not your favorite song.

I've had that happen to me before too, but it all goes back to thinking about what has made me tick throughout my whole life, you know, and trying to stem from that. And like for wrestling, people might say, well, how do I get my sound from wrestling? Well, it's not necessarily just the sound. It's like if you like wrestling is, it's the t-shirts, it's the gimmicks, the marketing, like yes. Yes, yes.

olivia (31:24.275) Mm.

olivia (31:39.632) It's larger than life. And that's like kind of the, that's the vibe you give off is like larger than life. Yeah.

Jake Shore (31:44.966) Exactly. And so I've pieced because nobody's re I think that's the other thing. Like you mentioned earlier about like content, like artists don't know where to start or what to post and nobody is reinventing the wheel realistically. Like everything is kind of piecemealed from other things. It's always been that way. Some of it is very explicit. Some of it's a little bit more subtle, but

olivia (31:58.998) Mm-hmm.

Jake Shore (32:07.102) And that's the essence of house music as well. It's always been sample based, derived from other styles of music. And I look at it the same way too, when it comes to like my brand. And I know I feel so good about my brand right now, kind of this ode to the 90s, got a little bit of edgy, hypeness to it, a little bit of Fresh Prince, you know. But I watched Fresh Prince of Bel Air my whole life. You know what I mean? I went to summers and summers of watching it on Nick at night and like.

olivia (32:31.968) Yeah.

Jake Shore (32:36.306) it just all goes back to things that I've done my whole entire life and I think to anybody out there artist wise that's like trying to figure that out like really take a second and think about what makes you and like what experiences and what uh... pop culture things throughout your life has you know built you to this point because you can't be something that you're not you know uh...

olivia (32:59.84) Mm-hmm.

Jake Shore (33:01.054) So again, another long-winded answer. I'm good at those. But yeah, I guess that's kind of like what my thing was. I never really had a book to tell me how to find your brand. But it feels right knowing that it's all stuff that I grew up with.

olivia (33:05.727) No.

olivia (33:16.624) I think that is such great advice and it's a really cool feeling. I'm sure this has happened to you or someone will send you something like could be art could be a piece of clothing and they're like, Oh, this reminded me of you because that's when you know, you're like, my branding's on point because people are thinking of things and sending them to me.

Jake Shore (33:28.799) Yes.

Yes.

Yeah, and there's even things that I didn't even, I haven't even realized that I've kind of created for myself. I've been messaged now in the past three or four weeks of people trying on, going out and trying on a vest. I've been wearing these Carhartt vests lately a lot and dyed my hair blonde and whatnot. And it's so funny to see people be like, yo, I tried out the vest look because of you. And I'm like.

I didn't even realize that was my thing, I guess. So yeah, it's always really cool to see that because it means, A, it's working and people are vibing with it. So who knows, maybe I'll have one of those Halloween costume things next year that people always do. I forget what the, what is the Halloween, what is that store? You know what I'm talking about? Yeah, there you go, the Spirit Halloween costume.

olivia (34:05.989) Yeah.

olivia (34:13.896) Yeah.

olivia (34:17.496) Yeah, right.

olivia (34:22.408) It's the spirit Halloween. Yeah. The spirit Halloween. And then there's like the blank and you feel it. Yeah. That that's a great, all right. You have to write that down, put it in your calendar for next year. You can make it have somebody leak the meme to get it started. Yeah.

Jake Shore (34:27.774) Yeah. So. Yeah.

100%. I think it also goes with what your field is, too. Like, to a point, I think it's just like whatever your profession is, there's a certain like, there's like guidelines still, too. You know what I mean? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. So I'm like thinking of like a podcast journalist, like.

olivia (34:50.037) Mm-hmm.

Jake Shore (34:55.53) I was going to say you may have to like kind of stay in a certain lane, but you really don't. Like you can, you can wear whatever you want to wear. You know what I mean? I think that's the beauty of it right now in our culture is like, there really isn't like that suit and tie mentality to certain professions anymore, which is kind of a beautiful thing.

olivia (35:12.692) Yeah, it really is. I mean, like I was shooting before we had our episode or shoot today, I was shooting a video for a client and I was like, just so you know, I have like tattoos all over my arms. You want long sleeves or short sleeves? They're like, Oh, that's fine. Short sleeves. And it was like a professional company. I'm like, all right, dope. Like, I feel like self-expression is being more widely accepted now. So that kind of breaks down the barriers of, you know,

you can truly step into your authentic self. And when it comes to DJing and creative entrepreneurship, like the more you, you look, the better. Like nobody wants, you know, carbon copies.

Jake Shore (35:47.754) Yes, 100%. Yeah, I was invited to like a black and white cocktail, like a tire event last week in Chicago. And I showed up in black, all black, but it definitely wasn't like, I just couldn't do it. Like I couldn't walk in there not like wearing, I ended up going, coming in like an all F1 formula, like racing jacket vibe. And I told the dude that invited me, I was like, is this okay? And he's like, dude, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Like, you know, I just, I can't be anything but myself. So.

olivia (36:13.284) Yeah. That's, that's the best way to be. So tell me, uh, before we wrap up, what do you have going on the rest of December and anything exciting for the new year?

Jake Shore (36:26.026) Yeah, December's really exciting. I'm kicking off, I think I have like three or four more shows before the end of the year. Tomorrow I'm in Madison, so I'm coming back out to the Midwest, playing with Valentino Khan, which is also a big WWE fan. So I'm excited to see and meet him playing at Liquid in Madison. And then the following day, so this Saturday, December 2nd, I'll be flying all the way out to the West Coast and San Francisco.

uh... doing a little west coast run i'll be in l a all next week and really excited about that have a bunch of set sessions and meetings with uh... some pretty cool groups and outfits that labels agencies etcetera so it's going to be a really fun week out there and i kinda wrap up that week in san diego playing at bloom and then i come back to boston december twenty eighth to play with cluny

olivia (37:13.652) awesome.

Jake Shore (37:18.61) at the Grand. So those are my last few shows of the year. I'm super excited about them and there's just so much in store for 2024. I'm starting to get a couple dates now already locked in. I'm going to do a couple shows with Nico and Sway on their tour. So I'm super excited for what's to come. I feel like...

The bubble is getting bigger and bigger, and I'm just enjoying the build right now. I'm not worried about when, I'm not worried about how, I just am enjoying this ride, and everybody that's along with it, you know?

olivia (37:51.004) I love it. Gratitude is like the most simple but effective ingredient to success. So that's fantastic. Well, this has been, you are, you're doing a great job at it. It comes through in your content too. Like I can see that you're very grateful for everything that's, that's happened and I'm excited to see where you go next.

Jake Shore (37:56.714) Yeah, I'm learning that.

Jake Shore (38:09.266) I appreciate that so much and thank you so much for having me on and I think this is such an important piece of our industry is just like breaking away from, you know, the musics necessarily and just talking, you know, and just being open and honest about what we go through as humans and as people in this industry. I think it's really important. So kudos to you and yeah, thanks for having me on.