By: Dean Johnson, Follow South Jersey Editor-in-Chief
South Jersey Singer-Songwriter Series features profiles on active singer-songwriters living, working, and performing in the South Jersey area.
While we all do stupid things from time to time that we don’t like to admit, but for local perennial singer-songwriter Jason Ager, it’s just another reason to write a song.
“Stupid Things I Do,” a recent witty, tongue-in-cheek video and audio release from Ager, is less about a particular “stupid” thing he did and more about patterns of behavior many can relate to.
“I’ve been known to say things that on second examination would have been better as inside thoughts,” Ager said. “I learned very early as a teenager this skill for making faux pas when talking to would-be friends or girlfriends. I guess I’ve always tended to cram my foot in my mouth regularly.
Ager said that the song comes out of a place of dissatisfaction with where he finds himself.
“Recently, I’ve had to think a lot about the choices I made to get myself where I’m currently situated, professionally and artistically,” he said. “Nevertheless, a friend of mine once told me about a saying his father uses, ‘the tough times do not last, but the toughest people do,’ and I thought that it really summed up what I am trying to say here. Once I had that line, the rest of the song started falling into place.”
While the song revolves about stupid things he did, Ager said that one good decision he has made in recent years is to collaborate with other musicians to help steer his songs in different directions.
“For this track I worked with singer-songwriter/producer Lia Menaker,” Ager said. “I really liked the vocal work I heard on her original tracks, and knew from the Philly Songwriter Circle that she also produced other artists. We tracked the lead vocals and guitar in her home studio, and once it was in Lia’s hands, she really made the song come alive with keyboards and the background vocals stacks which are my favorite part of the track to be honest.”
Menaker programmed the percussion on the song, and the bassist of Ager’s band, the Golden Eagles, Tom Tusler, played bass.
Aside from the funky, acoustic sound of the music and clever lyrics, the animated video punctuates the whimsy of the song.
“Lia Menaker released a killer tune called “Bubble” a few years ago, and had an animator make a video,” Ager said. “I used her contact and hired Robert Bahn. I’ve never actually met him in person, but he’s very creative. The photo I supplied him was taken at John & Peter’s in New Hope, and he just took it upon himself to scout the venue out and set the whole video in a space modeled on that iconic venue. I’ve never worked on an animated video before, but we are actually already working on a second one together.”
Ager, who holds a PhD in German Literature, said despite the challenges of getting his music heard in a crowded field, he hasn’t given up.
“I am averse to quitting things, and despite the questionable choices I make, I keep plugging away,” he said.
You can find Ager’s music on Spotify and other streaming services. To watch the video, click below. For more information about the music of Jason Ager, visit his website: www.jasonager.com.
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