King Bob — Making Music That Is About Something

King Bob had been sitting in Jackson McDonald’s head for years before it became a band.

Around 2018 or 2019, while playing bass with The Plodes, he started talking with his bandmates about building a project of his own. He had songs, possible names and a rough idea of where it could go.

Then the pandemic happened.

With live music on pause, Jackson spent more time writing, revisiting old ideas and learning how to record at home. That process eventually became Rookie, King Bob’s 17-song debut album.

Some of the songs had been around since Jackson was 19. Others came together much later. The second half of the record turns shorter fragments into a connected suite, giving unfinished ideas somewhere to live.

One of the oldest songs on the album is “Figure It Out.” It was also the song that first pulled me into King Bob while I was going through one new release after another.

In this episode, Jackson talks about how that song changed over the years, how Rookie came together, and what learning to record taught him about songwriting.

We also get into King Bob’s Patreon, where listeners can follow demos, covers and other work between official releases. Jackson explains why that space gives him a more direct connection with people who care about the band.

Near the end of our conversation, he talks about what separates King Bob from his earlier projects, and why every song needs to be about something.