A Dirty Dozen with JAKE DAVIES from OF LIMBO – July 2025

Photo credit: Jerry Nicholl

According to a recent press release: “Long Beach, CA Rockers OF LIMBO are sharing an introspective side of their music with the release of the new Unplugged album.  Known for their raucous live shows and hard driving, heavy rock & roll, this new LP showcases a more thoughtful and deeper dive into their lyrical and musical abilities. The album showcases a reflective, acoustic sound with a mix of original songs and covers of 3 of their personal favorites.  The LP was self-produced and mixed at their home studio, and mastered by Brian Frederick of Long Beach Mastering. Brothers Jake and Luke Davies were raised in Melbourne, Australia – but relocated to Long Beach, CA to further their music career in the states. The band pride themselves on making every show a party with their unique take on Heavy Rock N’ Roll. OF LIMBO play 100+ shows per year, and have toured nationally with Wolfmother, Hinder, Candlebox, Buckcherry, Joyous Wolf, and Blue Oyster Cult, among others.  Their high-energy performances create an electric atmosphere that is infectious, making it impossible not to have fun.” We get singer / guitarist Jake to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your new LP release, Unplugged.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material that only diehard fans might find?

Our absolute die-hard fans will remember “Little Darlin’” from our very first demo. The song has definitely changed a lot since back then. In this live Unplugged version of the song you will hear me do my best Louis Armstrong voice. At some point I just tried it at a show one night and just adds so much of a darker, creepier vibe to what is already a pretty damn creepy song. If you have ever seen that old Bruce Willis movie Striking Distance, the killer always plays this song that goes “hey there little red riding hood, you sure are looking good, you’re everything a big bad wolf could want.” That song/ movie was definitely the primary inspiration for “Little Darlin’.”

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Luke took a little summer break from Berklee College of Music to come hang with me in Long Beach and we had no plan or intention of making a band or anything. But after a few drinks at the bar we would come home and the guitars would come out. We just had so much fun writing together. And we were so proud of what was coming out, we just knew this was what we wanted to do in life. So Luke did what any good Berklee student does and dropped out! Haha

3. Building on that, are there a specific songs, albums, performers, or live shows that guided your musical taste?

It’s different for me and Luke at some ends of the spectrum. We both grew up on the best 80’s and 90’s rock bands. Alice In Chains and Metallica were absolutely huge influences. But Luke has a jazz guitar background and has much more of an affinity for softer, beautiful music than I do. So while he would say John Mayer and a bunch of jazz musicians I can’t name, I definitely gravitate to heavier bands like Meshuggah and all of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal bands like God Forbid and Unearth. But good music is good music. So we both appreciate both ends of the spectrum. When you listen to the Unplugged album, you can probably pick which is a ‘Jake song’ and which is a ‘Luke song’ even though we both contribute to all of them in one way or another.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I would absolutely love to work with Bob Rock on an album. But as far as musicians, Jerry Cantrell, James Hetfield or the Duplantier brothers of Gojira would be my picks.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

We both love playing and watching basketball. We also love playing pool against each other at the bar. It gets so heated that we keep a physical ledger secretly stashed at our local bar to maintain an accurate tally of ‘who is the better brother’. 

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I’ve always said, imagine Alice In Chains with a dash of the party of Van Halen. But we pride ourselves on trying to always paint different colors with every song. I’ve heard my voice sounds like everything from Rob Thomas to Danzig to Chris Cornell to Corey Taylor.  I always just smile and say Thanks! We had one review recently that said our song “Something Real” remind them of Mr Big’s “Be With You.”  Love me some Paul Gilbert – but that was a wild one, LOL.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Luke is definitely the better cook. But I’d say I’m probably the first to fetch the booze for us most often when a jam starts.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

We were able to tour with Candlebox. Meeting and hanging with Kevin Martin was absolutely up there! Coolest, chillest dude ever. But I once met Vinnie Paul. I was absolutely choked up and struggling to get words out. We grew up watching the Pantera Vulgar videos. If there was one influence on us as kids seeing how much fun being a musician could be… It was watching the Abbot brothers do their thing.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part for me is the creation – making a song together, that spark. That excitement that comes when a new riff just hits so right. But I absolutely adore playing live music and making people have a great time when they come out to a show. People you might have never met or might not meet again –  but you shared this night together – and it was epic!  I would love to do something in movies. Act, write, maybe even voice over for cartoons. That would all be rad.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

“Whats the best rock album of all time?” I would struggle between Alice In Chains Dirt and Metallica’s Black Album. I’m not tired of telling the story of how our band came to be named OF LIMBO. But I imagine people that know us are tired of hearing it, LOL.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

It’s always a struggle to get stuff actually out in the world for us. Juggling life, wanting to get everything the best it can be. We still have music videos and songs we recorded years ago and haven’t finished and put out yet.  I’ve come to an understanding that it’s best in most cases to just keep videos simple.  I know they will all make their way into the world eventually. It feels a bit odd to put them out this much after their creation – but we will.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

The Black Album, 100%. Watching that documentary of them recording that album with Bob Rock was just magic. I heard some story about Sean Kinney visiting them when Lars was recording drums. He said they did some crazy thing where they mic’d up the drums in some massive hangar, then blasted what he was playing out of a huge PA and then mic’d the whole hangar up. Sean Kinney said “it was like artillery was going off!”

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Category: Interviews