You Are Going to Fall Off the Earth with Roger Jaeger

Up and comer, Roger Jaeger recently released his third album, “Fall Off the Earth,” produced by Ryan Poole, and other songwriters on this project include Mikei Gray, Heather Hershow, Mark and Heather Miller, Luke Preston, Lydia Laird, and Shaina Arb. Ryan also produced my START OVER record, and we co-wrote “Love’s Not Safe.” So, I guess you can say we have a history. The song “Fall Off the Earth” is all about risk. This is an album that I almost didn’t record because I’d felt so discouraged about music. To step forward and face the fear to say “you know what? I AM going to make this album” felt like stepping off the edge. It’s a declaration that I didn’t, and still don’t, know completely where it will take me, but I’m willing to find out.

The songs for this record were written between 2015 and 2018. My producer, Ryan Poole, and I compiled 13 or 14 tracks that we were most interested in; then we narrowed a few down based on what we felt like melded well together. The songs selected centered around risk and love which became the theme of the project. One tune, titled “Forgot,” was in the running for my last record, but didn’t make it. It’s since become one of my favorites. The last song we recorded was “Love’s Not Safe;" we recorded it in February of 2018. We added this tune because I felt that the sitar still needed some additional representation on the album.

Roger has spent some time in India, where he worked on his craft. He became a songwriting teacher over at The University of The Nations in Lonavala. While living in India, he learned to play sitar. I started lessons with a 65-year-old woman named Mrs. Seshan in Pune, India in 2005. We met twice a week, for a span of about four months, for an hour session at a time. Since then, I’ve had 12-plus years of practice, and have taken lessons for shorter spans from a couple of other accomplished sitarists. Roger has mastered the guitar (acoustic, electric, classical), sitar, piano, bass and ukulele. At one point in time, I played a little mandolin, but I haven’t touched one in nearly 10 years.

Since the release of the new album, do you have any tour plans in the near future? If so, which cities will you be making a stop at? I do indeed have plans to tour. I’m playing an album release show in Tulsa, Oklahoma (my hometown). In November/December this year, I’ll be in Harrisonburg, VA, Lexington, NC, Auburni, AL, Savannah, GA, Jacksonville, FL, Tampa, FL. For 2019, I've got shows booked in Daytona Beach, FL, Galloway, NJ, Griswold, CT with more are in the works! (Please do visit my website for more info and come by and say "hi!") For more info: https://www.rogerjaegermusic.com/