Connecting Coast To Coast: A Conversation with Run Carabao
Wilmington, Delaware transplant Isaac Jabola-Carolus was born in California but has been making the First State his new musical home with his new project Run Carabao. We sat down with him to discuss his new music, the big cities he left behind, and how the Delaware music scene is breathing new life into his creations.
(photo credit Paige Walter)
How did you get into creating music?
I started music on the saxophone, but I quit that in high school and needed a different outlet. So I started singing and playing guitar, and at a certain point you stumble on your own melodies and riffs and then you get this crazy idea that maybe you can write your own songs! That’s how it happened for me. Then my friends and I started a folk-rock band called Dick Nixon & the Scandals, and somehow we ended up recording an EP with producer Jim Scott, a multi-Grammy winner who had done Carlos Santana, Sting, and Red Hot Chili Peppers records. We had a really cool sound going for us. But then, poof! We all went off to college and life happened.
What inspired you to get back into music?
It was 2019. I had recently turned 30, so I was feeling that sense of “If I don’t do it now, I might never do it.” Then some things happened personally that made me rethink my priorities even more, so I just decided that music couldn’t wait any longer. It was time. What helped was that I had just moved to the Boston area after living in New York City for many years. And I discovered Club Passim, which is a historic folk music venue that also runs a community music school. After being away from music for so many years, I needed to be surrounded by music and musicians, and that place made it possible.
As a transplant to Delaware, how has the bite sized music community impacted you? What are some pros and cons to making music in a small community versus a big city like LA. or N.Y.C.?
For me, it’s mostly all positives. The music scenes in the big cities are so overwhelming. The sense of competition is so intense. And it’s hard for small, intimate venues to stay in business, which are the types of venues where I like to listen and perform. So I’ve loved being able to pick up here in Delaware and in and around Philly. My main collaborator and producer for Run Carabao is Sam Nobles, who also produces for Sug Daniels and is Delaware-born and raised. I met Sam literally like a week after I moved here. I just went up and talked to him after his show at Dew Point Brewery. He was the nicest person and was down to collaborate. And now we’re releasing music together. I love it.
What was your last release about?
The song is called “high on my low,” and it’s the first single off my debut album as Run Carabao. It’s mostly about feeling two poles of emotion at the same time. Melancholy comes easy for me, and it’s hard to escape that feeling, even when I’m on the up. I started writing the song one morning, and it was a beautiful, perfect spring day. But it was also a time when things were so dark personally and socially and politically. Something about the dissonance was so powerful to me. So “high on my low” has a brightness and groove to it, but there’s also a gloomy undercurrent. I tried to capture the feeling so I could come back to it, because I knew I’d probably feel it again in the future.
What do you want people to take away from your music or a live performance?
I try to write music that I personally enjoy, but what motivates me is that I think there are other people who will enjoy it, too. When I’m not writing music, I’m actually finishing my PhD in sociology. Sociology is all about recognizing that your experience as an individual is actually tied up in bigger social and cultural forces. Your struggles, your hardships, your desires and frustrations—they usually aren’t unique to you. You have them in common with lots of other people, maybe because of your class or ethnicity or gender identity, or the historical moment you’re living in. I bring that perspective to my music. I know that if I’ve had a certain experience that inspires me to write a song, then that experience or emotion probably isn’t unique to me. And by putting it to music, I can connect with other people who have felt the same. I want to feel that connection, and I hope my listeners will feel it, too.
(photo credit Paige Walter)
What are you looking forward to at the moment? (can be music or non music related. A good place to talk about an upcoming album or shows)
I’m counting down the days until the full album is out! This September. There actually isn’t a specific date yet, so my countdown is probably off by a few days! But this album has been in the works for so long, and I can’t wait for people to hear it. We’ll also be releasing a few more singles between now and then, and we’re putting shows on the calendar soon. So stay tuned!
For more information on Run Carabao visit www.runcarabao.com
Listen to his latest song here:
