Introducing StrateJacket, the Band Keeping Pop-Punk Alive

Ashutosh Gupta/838 Media Group

Hailing from California’s Bay Area, StrateJacket takes inspiration from California’s pop-punk scene and infuses their own twist of 21st century borderline nihilism. The trio — comprised of singer/guitarist Jackson Roemers, drummer Nate Mangold and bassist Fabian Angel — although early in their musical careers they are already making strides by playing festivals, South by Southwest and opening for inspirations like the Offspring. 

“Growing up in the Bay Area scene or starting off in the Bay Area scene there's a lot of talented musicians that are a little bit more, I guess, harder than us, more thrash punk and metal even too,” Angel said. “I feel like being surrounded by them, we have to push harder with our own music, because it's not necessarily anything heavy, you know? And I think anyone who listens to our music can hear that.”

He added that he thinks their music is a “good level” of calm but still having the aggressiveness that comes with punk and punk adjacent music. Surrounding themselves with other Bay Area musicians pushed the band to be a little more aggressive with the sound they were making for themselves. 

The band's self-titled debut EP came out on May 10. During this time, StrateJacket played at the Welcome to Rockville festival, which was a different experience than most indoor venues. Namely, it allowed the boys to watch the bands they opened for like Sum 41 from the side stage, getting a glimpse into their technique and musicianship. 

“We did see [Sum 41] backstage, getting ready and stuff, kind of jumping up and down, getting ready to run out on stage and play. They played this killer set, we got to watch it from their perspective because we were backstage which was something I couldn't even put into words. Just a sea of people, you know? Pretty magical,” Roemers said. 

After seeing Sum 41 play at Rockville, hearing they were going to open for the Offspring at their show in Omaha was “surreal.”

“If I could tell my child self that that was going to happen, he'd be freaking out,” said Mangold. 

Roemers added it’s a “magical feeling” to be able to see bands perform his favorite songs to thousands of people. 

Larger gigs like the Offspring show, require the group to spend more time on setup and making sure the show runs smoothly and sounds like something fit for a large venue, adding instrumental intros and interacting more with the audience. 

Before the Omaha show, StrateJacket will head back into the studio. They’ll be recording in Los Angeles, a first for them. 

“I'm looking forward to all the new experiences and new ideas and knowledge that we can take in,” Angel said. 

Current Music Rotation

Looking for insight into StrateJacket’s musical taste? Here’s who the trio is listening to at the moment. 

• The Chats

• Bad Nerves

• Djo

• Arctic Monkeys

• The Ramones

• Blink 182

• Green Day

• Sum 41

• Squeeze

• Dramarama

• The Cranberries

• Jeff Buckley 

• Def Tones

• Elliot Smith