Local band, ‘JaCob,’ has been burning up the stage at the OC Fairgrounds

MIDDLETOWN — JaCoB The Band, a Warwick area trio of young musicians, made their festival stage debut this summer at The New Orange County Fair Festival Stage, opening for acts like Manchester Orchestra and AJR.
The trio is set to play at Law Enforcement Appreciation Night at the speedway this Saturday, Aug. 11.
For band members Jake Constantino, Conor Larsen and Brooke Nilsson, it has been an opportunity to not only meet, but play with musicians who have influenced them.
Said bassist Conor: “Getting to talk to the bands and play on a stage with a sound system like that one really helped us learn a lot more about our sound and about our music.”
The band’s name is a linguistic blend of the musicians’ first names: “Ja” for drummer Jake, “Co” for bassist Conor and “B” for guitarist and lead singer Brooke.
Influenced by the alternative rock bands of their youth, JaCoB has a familiar but wholly original sound. In their live shows, they perform a number of eclectic covers sprinkled in with their own original music.
In their cover of “Valerie,” a song popularized by Amy Winehouse, the vocals of lead singer Brooke are somehow both comforting and haunting, a quality shared with the late Winehouse.