“StrateJacket, the nimble and punky alt-rock trio from California’s Bay Area have had to learn the hard way that good things come to those who wait. Formed in 2019, they quickly found themselves stuck in the middle of a pandemic, stunting the band’s career before it even started. Singer-guitarist, Jackson Roemers, bassist, Fabian Angel, and drummer Nate Mangold were not ones to give up easily. This youthful band of early twenty-somethings honed their craft and found their catchy, fast, and energetic sound in merging their individual influences. Acts ranging from The Beatles and Arctic Monkeys to Led Zeppelin and Blink-182 were among their favorites. The band eventually played some of their first shows with a guerilla approach to gigging, driving all over San Francisco to play under bridges, on beaches, and in warehouses. This earned a devoted fanbase in the process, and caught the attention of EDGEOUT Records, which signed them in 2021. Stratejacket recorded their debut record at Vancouver’s Armoury Studios in November of 2022 with the Juno/BMI-winning Canadian producer/songwriter Brian Howes (Hinder, Skillet, Boys Like Girls). They also secured the Grammy Award-winning Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Muse, Prince) to mix the record. The band released their debut single under EDGEOUT, titled ‘Bad Start’ on September 22, 2023. “Bad Start,” was one of the earliest songs they wrote- which they penned in 2020 when it really felt like they’d gotten a raw deal compared to their friends’ bands, who had been gigging for months and years before them. “I wonder if I’ll be OK,” Roemers sings, “Will I ever escape this place?” before segueing into a pile-driving chorus listing all the things he hopes to overcome: A small brain, a big heart, a shut mouth, a bad start. You’d almost feel sorry for him if the song weren’t so catchy. “It’s kind of an homage to the Bay Area, snotty, kind of angry song,” he says, referring to bands like Green Day, Rancid, and AFI who were writing punk songs with big choruses around Stratejacket’s hometown years before they formed. “It was mostly just about a really bad day.” The track almost didn’t make the cut until they saw the reaction it got when they