You know that feeling when a song just hits differently? Not because of the production or some fancy guitar solo, but because the people singing it sound like they’re actually living it. That was "Home." When Jade Castrinos and Alex Ebert sang that track back in 2009, it didn't just feel like a hit; it felt like we were crashing a private, barefoot party in a canyon somewhere.
Then, she was just gone.
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok recently, you’ve probably seen the 2009 Tiny Desk concert resurfacing. Jade is there, glowing, a bit erratic in her movements, shouting "good morning" at 2:00 in the afternoon. She was the heart of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Her departure remains one of the most debated "did they or didn't they" breakups in indie folk history. Honestly, the story is way messier than the sunshine-and-rainbows vibe the band projected.
The Email That Ended an Era
Let’s get into the weeds. In 2014, right before a major summer tour, Jade Castrinos vanished from the lineup. Fans were confused. Then, she dropped a bomb on Instagram. She basically said she’d been "voted off" the tour via email.
"Lol," she added at the end. That "lol" did a lot of heavy lifting. It was the digital equivalent of a middle finger wrapped in a heartbreak.
👉 See also: Ted Nugent State of Shock: Why This 1979 Album Divides Fans Today
The band didn't take it lying down. Alex Ebert eventually fired back, claiming she wasn't "kicked out" but rather asked to take one tour off to handle some personal stuff. According to the band’s side of the story, Jade refused the break and decided to quit instead. It’s the classic "you can't fire me, I quit" vs. "we didn't fire her, we just told her she couldn't work for a while" stalemate.
Why the drama felt so personal
You have to remember that Jade and Alex weren't just bandmates. They were the couple. They met outside a Los Angeles cafe—specifically Little Pedro’s—during a "transitional summer." Alex was coming off a drug addiction and a stint in rehab; Jade was a singer-songwriter looking for a spark. They spent years, by their own admission, in a mushroom-induced haze of creativity.
They broke up as a romantic couple long before she left the band. Working with an ex is hard. Doing it while touring the world in a crowded bus with ten other "Magnetic Zeros" is a recipe for a disaster. By 2014, the "daring love" that founded the band had clearly hit a wall.
Life After the Magnetic Zeros
So, what has Jade been doing? For a long time, the answer was "not much," at least publicly. She went dark on social media. She deleted her Instagram. For a fan base obsessed with her "celestial presence," the silence was deafening.
✨ Don't miss: Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus Explained (Simply)
But she didn't stop singing.
If you want to hear Jade in her prime post-Edward Sharpe, you have to look at the Echo in the Canyon project. In 2019, she teamed up with Jakob Dylan (yeah, Bob’s son) for a documentary celebrating the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene. Her cover of "Go Where You Wanna Go" by The Mamas and the Papas is stunning. It’s raw. It’s that same gravelly, soaring voice that made "Home" a staple at every wedding for a decade.
Where is she in 2026?
Jade has always been a bit of an enigma. She doesn't chase the algorithm. While Alex Ebert has stayed very active with solo projects and film scoring (he won a Golden Globe for All Is Lost), Jade seems content to move at her own pace.
She has performed live sporadically, often surfacing for tribute shows or collaborations with artists like Joe Purdy. Rumors of a solo album have circulated for over ten years, but she’s a perfectionist—or maybe she just doesn't care about the "industry" side of things anymore.
🔗 Read more: Big Brother 27 Morgan: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
The Truth About the "Home" Royalties
One thing people often get wrong is who owns that song. "Home" was co-written by Alex and Jade. Even though she’s not in the band, those royalty checks for every commercial, movie trailer, and grocery store background play still head her way.
It’s a bit ironic. The song about finding a home in a person became the very thing that likely gave her the financial freedom to leave that person—and the band—behind for good.
Why We Still Care
Jade Castrinos represented the "soul" of that era of indie music. She wasn't polished. She didn't have a curated "aesthetic" that felt fake. When she screamed during a live set, it felt like she was genuinely losing her mind in the music.
Without her, the Magnetic Zeros changed. Their 2016 album PersonA even had the "Edward Sharpe and" part of the name crossed out on the cover. It was a darker, more experimental record. It was good, sure, but it lacked the communal joy Jade brought to the table.
What you should do next:
- Listen to the Echo in the Canyon soundtrack. Specifically, her duet with Jakob Dylan on "Go Where You Wanna Go." It’s the closest thing to her old sound you’ll find.
- Watch the 2009 Tiny Desk concert. Look past the "Home" finale and watch her during "40 Day Dream." It explains better than any article why she was the band's lightning rod.
- Check out Jakob Dylan’s live performances from 2024-2025. She has been known to make unannounced guest appearances when they are in the California area.
Jade Castrinos might not be on your TikTok feed every day, but her influence on the folk-pop revival of the 2010s is permanent. She chose peace over the spotlight, and honestly, after seven years in that beautiful, chaotic circus, who can blame her?