Yucaipa’s Jacob Pflum brings together music and technology
Jacob Pflum’s parents were both into very different genres of music as he grew up. It was the progressive rock, he said, that his father listened to that really captured his attention.
“I remember being 9 years old and my dad putting on Rush’s ‘The Spirit of Radio,’ ” said Pflum, who was born and raised in Palm Springs before moving to Yucaipa eight years ago. “I was instantly hooked by Neil Peart’s approach to the drumset. As well, both of my older siblings were already playing instruments, so naturally I wanted to keep up.”
Pflum learned not only how to play drums but also the guitar and bass guitar.
“I also have a heavy obsession with synthesizers, which I got into in college,” he said. “Anything that makes a weird noise I am there. So I play a bit of piano as well.”
When Pflum was 15, he learned he had a type one version of Chiari malformation, in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, creating intense headaches, muscle problems and nerve issues.
“I started listening to a ton of music while just lying around in bed,” he said. “It was the only thing at the time that made sense in the world.”
Pflum explained that he began to become interested in how things were recorded and how sound changes with different equipment.
“It took me down a rabbit hole,” he said.
While still in high school, Pflum bought basic recording equipment. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in audio engineering from The Art Institute.
“I also studied drum set under Allen Goodman, who played timpani on the original ‘George of the Jungle’ cartoon theme song,” he said.
Pflum has gone on to enjoy success on multiple levels of the music industry. He was the monitor engineer and assistant tour manager for English pop/soul singer Nao on her 2017 United States tour, which included both weekends of that year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
It was a chance meeting in 2015 that would have long-term ramifications for Pflum’s career. While working as a sound engineer at downtown Riverside’s MTL in 2015, he first heard the group Eva and Vagabond Tales.
“It was so different,” he said. “I loved it. I never experienced or heard a genre that Eva created. So naturally, I reached out to connect with Eva. I didn’t begin playing with them until a few months later when Eva asked me if I could fill in during a gig. They kept me around in the end.”
In addition to playing drums for the band, Pflum provides sound equipment and engineering. For recent releases, he also has helped to record other members in the band in addition to his own drum parts.
“I also master the audio for most video releases,” he said. “I was also involved in filming the music video for ‘Sea Will Return You.’ While all the band’s music is written by Eva, I provided help for ideas for drum parts and producing whenever it is needed.”
“Rose Colored Dreams” is the band’s latest release. It was used as part of comedian Erica Rhodes’ newest special, which came out Tuesday, the same day both the song and music video were released.
“The video was mostly filmed in September of 2020,” Pflum said. “Most of the locations are from the Cherry Valley wildfire that happened two months prior, which I found using burn area maps. The video is the most unique one that Eva has done, and I hope the story makes the audience think about how different colors represent our emotions.”
Information: jacobpflum.com