Meet Vincent Jacob | Singer/Songwriter in the band Yard Of Blondes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vincent Jacob and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vincent, what’s your definition for success?
Success is usually synonymous with recognition. That’s why it is important and goes beyond the idea of becoming financially rich. It’s first and foremost a matter of offering something from oneself to the world and seek for validation. Also, success doesn’t usually come overnight and is mostly built on many successful failures. The problem we face is we live in a society that only values the outcome, not the itinerary. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you achieve recognition as long as you have it. Thus the world of influencers in which we live since the rise of social platforms. Everything is good to achieve following and likability from the majority. Success can’t only mean validation then because something tremendously important is missing, something I call “purpose”. Success alone can’t be a goal, it needs to be supported by the will to grow on a personal level. Because, in the end, the only validation that will matter is yours. You need to feel you’re outgrowing yourself, that the experiences you’re living are leading you to shape a broader vision of the world. Success, in the end, is really a validation, but the validation of a journey. Actually, it took me a while to get to that conclusion. Debating about what is success has been necesserary because along the course of my career as an artist I’ve face many failures. If I hadn’t addressed this problematic, I think I had given up a long time ago. But mile after mile, I learned to value our journey, every encounter, every performance. That’s why, after 10 years of Yard Of Blondes in Los Angeles I can look back, be proud and cherish every souvenir and still, be eager to discover more.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Yard Of Blondes is my band and, of course, it’s just a little more than a group of musicians who are playing together. First, the people I met through this are some of my favorite people on earth. I even married one of them. It’s just to tell you how important it is in our lives. Together, we give meaning to many aspects of our lives that need to be processed through some kind of creative and reflexive outlet. I’ve personally suffered from agoraphobia, mental trouble that everyone knows but practically no one really understands. Creating music has allowed me to express it in many songs, address it and reflect on it. Of course, the band has been also a powerful engine to help me tackle the main difficulty, being able to go outside of my house. It has engaged me on a path that ultimately helped me travel around the world and move to another country (I’m originally from France). My journey as an artist literally saved me and it makes me appreciate life in a new way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s easy for me to imagine having to show my best friend the best things around LA because I’m French. Many of my friends are from France and when they visit, it’s always an adventure. First, because we haven’t likely seen each other in a long time and because they are eager to visit such an iconic town. Of course, they will face some delusions because they probably have an idealized vision of LA. I’ll try to show them my personal LA, the one that I shaped myself over the last 10 years but we won’t escape some tourist traps. Let’s start the day, by having a brunch in Venice, on the Boardwalk. Why? Because we have to. Every time I’m in Venice, there’s a particular atmosphere and people are, very often, pretty cool and open on the Boardwalk. I love spending a couple of hours taking pictures of the people who pass by. It’s still morning so we could go to the Culver City Stairs and once we’ve enjoyed the amazing LA view from the top of the hill, we’ll walk to the Stoneview Nature Center. A short hike takes you to a small botanical garden. You can even cross a footbridge over La Cienega and land in the Kenneth Ann park if you feel brave enough. We’ll have brunch at Sake House, downtown Culver since we’re in the area (I can’t get over the popcorn shrimps) and then we’ll move East on Venice boulevard and turn left on Fairfax. We might stop by the Grove if they need to do some shopping, but most likely we’ll grab coffee at Canter’s where we could bump into Rodney Bingenheimer, the legendary rock n’ roll DJ who shaped the career of the likes of Blondie and the Runaways by spinning their records on the air on KROQ (When it was still a rock radio). We might catch a movie at the Brain Dead Studios or go a little further and end up at Quentin Tarantino’s movie theater, The New Beverly. If we’re lucky, he might show up and present his personal 35mm copy of the film we’re about to watch. We might do some thrift store shopping on Melrose and then we’ll probably go to Hollywood, where we’ll start our evening watching an indie rock band at Harvard and Stone or a old-time favorite at the Hollywood Bowl. After the show, we’ll probably move West on Sunset Boulevard and end our night at The Sunset Marquis. We might share a drink with Damon Albarn or Kevin Parker if we’re lucky, who knows.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m grateful to every person who has been willing to share a bit of my artistic journey with them. Of course, the fans, our friends, and family. Every single one of them has been a key to what we achieved. Most prominently, some people have helped us shape our music and our artistic vision. I’m thinking about Billy Grazaidei, the legendary founder of New York Hardcore Band Biohazard. We didn’t come from the same background and didn’t play the same music but we shared so much more than that. He produced our debut album Feed The Moon and throughout the recording, we became best friends.

Website: www.yardofblondes.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yardofblondes

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yardofblondes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YOBmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/YardOfBlondes

Other: Personal Account: https://www.instagram.com/vincentwalterjacob My Blog/ POdcast: https://www.instagram.com/hangingonsunset My Photo website: www.vincentwalterjacob.com

Image Credits
Fanny Jacob, Victoria Smith