The Jason Riggs Story
Singer/songwriter Jason Riggs was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. Jason spent six years of his precious youth working a soul sucking day job at a semiconductor plant, whilst playing guitar at night in the almost thriving Duke City music scene. He bided his time, waiting for a big break.
That break came when he was laid off from said soul suckin’ day job. With severance check in hand, our hero started his own record label BINGO Recordings, recorded his debut album “These Wheels”, threw his guitar in the back of his pickup truck, and hit the road.
He played coffeehouses from Colorado to Connecticut, winning over new fans one ear at a time. And he had fun doing it.
Jason went into an Albuquerque studio to record the follow up to “These Wheels.” He laid down several tracks but was unhappy with the results. Nothing was coming close to capturing his live sound. Despite being over budget and behind schedule, he scrapped everything and moved to a small studio in Colorado.
Finally, his second album was complete. He called it “Pawn Shop Special.” That’s hipster musician-speak for a cheap guitar. The songs took on the subjects of love, heartache, death, redemption, and lost dreams.
If “These Wheels” was the optimistic start of a rock’n’roll road trip, “Pawn Shop Special” is the night time swing through the lonely mountain passes. It got some great reviews and Jason hit the road for a three state mini-tour.
For a moment, life was good and it seemed that any dream could come true.
Then, gas prices went up. Coffeehouses started closing. Credit cards got maxed. Things got a little rough for aspiring singer/songwriters.
The mini-tours weren’t enough to stave off the inevitable return to the day job life. Having lost his job at the semiconductor plant due to corporate outsourcing, Jason sought work in a call center in Salt Lake City, Utah where he thought he should be safe.
Again, he found his soul being sucked. But, at least he had health insurance!
He played where and when he could, and began recording a new batch of songs on a portable unit in his Avenues apartment. No band. No fancy studio. Just Jason and his guitar and a microphone.
But, lo, how he began to miss his desert home in New Mexico. This time of his own volition, Riggs walked away from a good paying job and returned to his ancestral grounds in Albuquerque. With his ‘Apartment Tapes’ stuffed in a back pack, he is currently plotting his next release. And for some reason, there are a lot more coffeehouses to play in Albuquerque than in Salt Lake City.
Who knows where the future will take our hero? Will a third album make a big enough splash to propel Jason to that elusive next level? Or, will he simply have to live with being the rock’n’roll working stiff that he always has been? It is hard to say. But, when Jason Riggs first set off on Route 66 in his camper shelled Ford, he was after fame, fortune, and romance. One out of three ain’t bad so far!