Every single morning, Jake Atlas boils a mix of garlic, menthol and delusions of grandeur. He takes a moment to meditate, sips slowly and predicts the future. Born in Arizona, raised in Pennsylvania, and cutting teeth in the Bay Area of California before a recent move to Oregon, Jake Atlas — better known by his underground and underpaid alias ‘Thriftworks’ — is a truly once in a lifetime musician. Painfully unique, he lives somewhere near the intersection of technical ability and unexplored samplecraft. 

A purveyor and recorder of naturally found sound and a constant seeker of fatherhood’s lessons, Jake himself defies a simple description. A self-proclaimed ornithologist and pteranodon enthusiast, he is an avid outdoorsman, a hot-blooded ginger and a blessed pink salamander person, whose sole refuge is to cool his skin in icy rivers. The founder of the Berkeley Bone Roasters and a lover of chess, he serves up minimalistic low-end psychosis and “I can’t dance but I can’t sit still” productions. His energetic live performances have ensured that he is a staple act within the festival circuit around the world. Thriftworks is always recognizable by his incomparable aesthetic, and humorous nod to the absurd. Listen to “Gutter Cookies” or “Cooter Shooter,” and send us a postcard from the new universe.