If you were anywhere near a radio or a Coachella-adjacent playlist in 2009, you know the whistle. You know the "Alabama, Arkansas" bit. Most of all, you know the chemistry between the guy with the messianic hair and the girl with the vintage dress and the voice that sounded like raw sunshine. Jade Castrinos, the female heart of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, wasn't just a backup singer. She was the anchor.
Then, she was gone.
No farewell tour. No high-profile "creative differences" press release. Just a deleted Instagram post and a lot of confused fans wondering why "Home" suddenly felt so empty. Honestly, the breakup of Jade and the band was messier than most people realize. It wasn’t just a professional split; it was the end of a decade-long ecosystem built on love, rehab, and a very specific kind of California magic.
The Email That Ended an Era
The year was 2014. The band was gearing up for a North American tour. Out of nowhere, Jade drops a bomb on Instagram: "For seven years I sang and wrote music with Edward Sharpe. They voted me off of tour a week before they left, via email. lol."
The "lol" at the end was doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Imagine being in a band that feels more like a traveling circus or a commune than a business. You’ve spent seven years living on a bus. You’ve co-written the songs that defined a generation of indie-folk. And then—ping—an inbox notification tells you to stay home.
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Alex Ebert, the "Edward Sharpe" of the group, eventually pushed back. He claimed they didn't fire her. According to the band's official Facebook at the time, they asked her to take one tour off. They wanted her to take a break. Instead of sitting out, she allegedly quit. This is where the story gets murky. Was she "voted off" or did she refuse a mandatory sabbatical?
Why Jade Castrinos and the Band Actually Split
Relationships in bands are notoriously difficult. Relationships between former lovers who still have to sing "I'm home when I'm with you" to each other every night? That's a ticking time bomb.
The Personal Toll
Jade and Alex were a couple when the band started. By the time they were headlining major festivals, they weren't. They tried to do the Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham thing. They kept the show going. But you can only perform a "real-life love reveal" (as Alex once called the song "Home") so many times before the cracks start to show.
The "One Tour Off" Mystery
Alex hinted in later statements that the decision was about more than just music. He mentioned it "didn't feel right" to do the tour with her. Some fans have speculated about health and sobriety issues, citing the band's origin story in a 12-step program, but neither side has ever fully confirmed the gritty details.
What we do know is that by the 2016 release of the album PersonA, the "Zeros" were a different beast. The "Edward Sharpe" name was even crossed out on the cover. The band was trying to move away from the caricature, and without Jade’s whimsical energy, the sound turned darker and more experimental.
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Life After the Magnetic Zeros
So, what happened to Jade? She didn't just disappear into the Malibu sunset, though she did take her time.
If you haven't seen the documentary Echo in the Canyon, go watch it. It’s a 2019 love letter to the Laurel Canyon music scene, and Jade is the standout star. She teamed up with Jakob Dylan (Bob Dylan’s son) to cover "Go Where You Wanna Go" by The Mamas & the Papas.
Hearing her voice on that track is like a punch in the gut. It’s still there—that rasp, that power. She performed it on Jimmy Kimmel, looking happy and, frankly, like she was finally breathing on her own. She also worked on a solo record, spending time at a songwriters' colony on Nantucket to find her own sound away from the "Edward Sharpe" shadow.
The Reality of "Home" Without Jade
If you see the band live today—well, if they ever tour again—the performance of "Home" is a weird experience.
For years, Alex would invite a fan onto the stage to tell a story during the bridge where Jade used to talk about falling out of a window. It was a nice sentiment. It kept the "community" vibe alive. But let's be real: it’s never been the same. The song was a conversation between two specific people. When one half of the conversation leaves, the song becomes a monologue.
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The Legacy
- Up From Below: This remains the gold standard for 2000s folk-rock.
- The Chemistry: You can't manufacture the look Alex and Jade gave each other in those early 2009 videos.
- The Split: It proved that even the most "peace and love" bands have HR problems.
What You Should Do Next
If you're a fan who fell off after 2014, do yourself a favor and check out Jade's work on the Echo in the Canyon soundtrack. It’s the closest you’ll get to that old feeling.
Also, keep an eye on her rare social media updates. She’s famously private, but she occasionally surfaces for collaborations that remind everyone why she was the secret weapon of the Magnetic Zeros in the first place. You can also listen to the band's 2016 album PersonA to see how they evolved without her—it’s a fascinating, if somber, look at a band trying to find a new identity.
The "Home" era is over, but the music Jade Castrinos left behind is basically immortal at this point.
Next Steps:
- Listen to "Go Where You Wanna Go" by Jakob Dylan and Jade Castrinos to hear her post-band vocal evolution.
- Watch the "Home" music video from 2009 and compare it to live performances from 2015 to see the shift in the band's dynamic.
- Explore Alex Ebert's solo work, specifically the album Alexander, which was written during the peak of the band's fame.