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Grunge-rock fusion outfit headed by Jaben John Groome which embraces indie rock in all its forms. A bass guitar player who started singing just last year, Groome's new project is about to release its second album, astonishingly, in that year's time. Run, the follow-up to JBNG's first album Meh is expected Nov 1, 2024, with the first single, "Barely Know You" already out.
JBNG are based in British Columbia, comprising of Groome on vocals, Alejandro Yoshizawa on lead guitar, Jonathon Goldie on Rhythm, Tim Charman on bass and Matt Koopman on drums. It was the brainchild of Groome, who's a lifelong musician and skilled bass player. Playing in bands and working on collaborations until recently, Groome found his own voice initially as a coping skill when he found that singing helped him manage the more manic symptoms of his bipolar diagnosis.
I learned it helps, switching the nervous system out of fight or flight mode.
It also helped fit something into place in terms of a defining style for Broome and his bandmates, and it seems the music just poured forth from there. A raspy mix of Tom Waits and John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, Groome's vocals give a distinctive edge to the many and sundry styles he and the band created for their debut in Meh, experimenting with everything metal-tinged grunge a'la Soundgarden and The Replacements to more poppy, funky bubblegum punk.
Mehquickly garnered JBNG a strong following, with nearly 30,000 followers on Spotify, but it's the anticipation ofRunthat's really got fans on the edge of their seats. "Barely Know You" already has nearly 100,000 streams on Spotify, so interest can only grow from here. Groome has become even more confident in wielding that unique voice as well, and as the band refines its style, it's become even sharper and more interesting. Far from becoming samey, said style has become even more diverse, folding even more styles into the mix. "Barely Know You" is a crunchy shoegaze ballad, for example, whilst "Brutus" is a post punk call to action, politically tinged and more spoken word set to music than song.
The creativity and range JBNG have may have initially made their sound hard to define, but grounding it with Groome's unique voice and creative lyrics means they can really go in any direction and still have something distinctive for the fans. The grunge-heavy "So Nice" dropped on October 1. More videos are on the way as well.
Musician Names/Instruments:
Jaben Groome Vocals
Alejandro Yoshizawa Lead Guitar
Jonathon Goldie Rhythm
Tim Charman Bass
Matt Coopman Drums
JBNG are a grunge-rock fusion band based in British Columbia, Canada whose style is a mix of influences and who have a very modern and healing origin story. The brainchild of vocalist and frontman Jaben John Groome, JBNG have already released one full album, entitled Meh, since their formation in 2023. It gained them a strong fanbase quite quickly. Now poised to release their second album, Run, it’s clear something has clicked into place for these lifelong musicians, starting with Groome’s vocals.
Groome grew up playing bass in bands and collaborated on a number of singles before forming JBNG, but never thought to take up the mic as a vocalist. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder earlier in life, however, Groome was always looking for ways to calm his anxiety when it hit. In 2023, he found there was something soothing in singing. “I learned it helps, switching the nervous system out of fight or flight mode,” he admitted in a recent interview.
It turned out that doing his own vocals was the key to the cohesive sound Groome was looking for in a project. Once he found his musical cohorts in Alejandro Yoshizawa on lead guitar, Jonathon Goldie on Rhythm, Tim Charman on bass and Matt Koopman on drums, it seems that sound has now just flowed forth from JBNG.
Said sound is a true mix of many indie genres with a grunge edge. While Groome names his influences as diverse as Buddy Holly, Zepplin, Hendrix, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and The Pixies, JBNG’s actual sound swings the pendulum even wider, with indie pop tones that will invoke the Goo Goo Dolls or Urge Overkill all the way to conceptual post punk a’la Tom Waits or Nick Cave, and everything in between. Far from being limiting, Groome’s distinctive heavy, raspy vocal timbre has opened up a world of possibilities for the band, as it pairs with any style they can come up with and give it an edge that will draw all sorts of music lovers from all sorts of genres.
JBNG have taken this creative license on their first two albums, churning out an already rich discography that’s both personal to the band and relatable to their fans. It’s no wonder they’ve become popular so quickly, as rock fans have been clamoring for music like this as grunge and hard rock make a resurgence. With their creativity now flowing in earnest and Run set to release as singles over the next year with videos in the works as well, fans will get to watch this unique band reveal itself as it goes in even more directions, anchored by a unique voice that was originally used as a healing technique for its vocalist.
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