War Jacket
is a southern gothic quartet from Birmingham, Alabama.
Founded by baritone ukulelist Caleb Chancey in 2010, the band has evolved through its early music, from a stripped-down, solo EP to soulful incantations with cellist Lori Cheng, electric guitar player Joel Madison Blount, and percussionist Alex Hinson.
The quartet's communal sound taps into the sense of place you get in such a city as Birmingham – a haunted past, fatigued and tattering, a steely movement from day to day – but War Jacket’s songs don’t buckle under the black-blue themes. They are warm, tender, and resonant, nostalgic battle cries that balance out the somber.
And if there’s a collective longing in War Jacket’s textured music, it’s undoubtedly for home. “When I was a kid, I’d crawl into bed at night, and I’d always wait for my dad to start playing his piano,” says Chancey. “For me music has always been a kind of a soundtrack for dreaming.”
In February, 2016, War Jacket released their self-titled sophomore LP, produced by Brian T. Murphy (Sandra McCracken, The Lone Bellow, Greg Holden, Thad Cockerel).
Caleb Chancey - Vocalist / Baritone Uke
Lori Cheng - Cello
Joel Madison Blount - Guitar
Alex Hinson - Percussion / Drums
