Jake Stigers is quick to answer when you ask about his relationship to his music. For this singer/songwriter, music is less something he does and more about what he is. “I hear it in my sleep, I hear it in my head all the time,” he admits. “It haunts me, it won’t let me be—it’s like that “Dream Police” song from Cheap Trick.
Stigers has built an impressive following on both sides of the Atlantic with a reputation for powerful vocals, accomplished songwriting and exceptional live performances with his band The Velvet Roots. Unusual for an independent artist, media support has also been strong, with extensive AAA radio in the US and live performances on a multitude of BBC and independent radio channels in the UK. In May 2007, Jake was invited to headline the Colchester Garrison Road Show sponsored by Dream 100fm as well as the BBC Blast on Tour 2007 in conjunction with BBC Radio Norwich.
Now, after appearing on a US nationally-broadcast reality show, “Star Tomorrow,” an invitation to showcase at the prestigious NXNE Music and Film Festival in Toronto, extensive touring in the US and UK, and his latest release, Do You Feel High, available throughout the UK at HMV music stores, Stigers is poised to be set apart in the indie rock universe. The first 1,000 copies sold will also include a bonus CD, “Live and Loud in The UK” which includes live tracks from the band’s October 2006 UK tour.
He launched his latest release armed with plenty of critical support. The Daily Vault said, “And then there are those rare indie artists who seem to emerge fully formed from the ether with just about every little detail—hooks, vocals, arrangements, production—in place and ready to blow up your radio. Indie stars like Jake Stigers.”
The level at which he performs is no accident. Stigers has been honing his craft for a long time, and he’s not afraid to work hard. As a kid he listened to every kind of music he could and sang in a church choir with his musically gifted mother, then embarked on a two-year mission after high school and was deeply influenced by people and music that surrounded him. The deep soul rock n’ roll of the South would have a profound effect on his performance.
He took those experiences and connected with musicians who shared his view of performing and recording. Lead guitarist Nunzio Signore, who has toured and recorded with such acts as Bo Diddley, Brian McKnight, Kelly Price, Destiny’s Child, Will Smith, Tina turner and many others, was recommended by another musician in NY, and has also produced the CD. “He’s my Joe Perry and I’m his Steven Tyler,” Stigers says. “Roberto Ruiz (bass) and drummer Rob Draghi have been with me for a long time too. I can’t even remember not being with them”
Jake’s older brother, Curtis Stigers, who is one of the most distinctive voices in jazz, co-wrote the disc’s fifth track, “Only Wanna Be with You.” The two had already proven that they work well together when Jake provided background vocals on Curtis’s album Time Was (Arista).
The buzz is growing, fueled by his performance at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, five successful tours to the UK with shows at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool; and supporting blues-man Albert Lee in London (with extensive support from BBC and local radio, press and audiences country-wide); a mailing list with more than 20,000 subscribers; glittering reviews from music webzines and magazines; being a three-time ASCAP Plus Award Winner, and being selected to appear on the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame New Writers Showcase compilation. Add an extensive tour in support of the album that will include a sixth return to the UK in October with a packed promotional schedule including, festivals, the release of a documentary film from Jake’s first trip to the UK through the May 2007 tour, and there’s a very good chance that what Jake Stigers hears in his head from now on will be arenas filled with thousands of screaming fans.