His songs come to him when he's mindlessly cleaning windows. Now, Jake Stigers talks to us about Barbie doll record labels, playing with Mick Jagger and rising above New Jersey cover bands.

Amazing musicians come from all over the world, as I'm learning. Take Jake Stigers, for example. Who would have guessed this rocker began his musical career in Idaho after his brother moved out and left him with a stack of classic records to sift through?

"It was everything from The Sex Pistols, Miles Davis, AC/DC, Supertramp, The Who, Steely Dan, Rolling Stones," recalls the New Jersey Resident. Stigers was 10-years-old when he learned to play the drums off the albums, and began to sing. His mother is a theatrical performer and his brother is a singer/songwriter who played a myriad of instruments.

Stigers didn't get acquainted with the guitar until he moved to New York City, though he always knew he wanted to be a musician. It's been in New York City that his musical career has taken off. Currently, he is a window cleaner. Stigers enjoys the job because it's the kind of "mindless" work that lets the music "flow in and out of my brain." In addition to music, he's an avid woodworker. But if you ask me, his biggest talent comes in the form of his energetic rock-n-roll songs.

With the release of his latest album, Comin Back Again, Stigers has proved his musical talents to be superb.

"I wanted to make a kind of album that they used to make in the 70's, where you would put the album on and listen to all 12 tracks from start to finish and it was a musical journey. A classic rock record, without killing myself with drugs and women in the process," Stigers said of the album. "I definitely feel like I met my expectations."

One of my favorite songs on the album is, "Do you Feel High". Stigers said the song is about someone he is close to.

"Things would get very sticky if they were to read the specifics," he added. "[The song] can mean a lot of things, to a lot of different people. But one thing it doens't refer to is drugs. Do you feel big? Do you feel mighty? Do you feel high? Get the idea?"

Lyrically, Stigers said that his songs come out as they are, and he doesn't really have much of a choice in the matter.

"The ones that come out and make the most sense, you wind up using those songs in the end," he said. "Lyrically, I'm all about the hook. If I don't have you singing along by the second verse, I haven't done my job."

Stigers said he lyrically likes to tell a story and hopes that the tunes on "Comin' Back Again" hopefully do that for his listeners.

And it's his listeners that agree his latest touring stint filled with vigor (mostly in the home state of DiscoveringArtists.com—New Jersey). In a state drowned by cover bands, Stigers is standing out for his ability to rock-n-roll with original material.

"For those who appreciate original music, they're usually pretty happy to see me," Stigers added.

Currently, he is working on plans for an East Coast tour, which he said is a huge priority to him. A national tour would be the logical next step, Stigers added. Don't be surprised if you catch Stigers at a festival either; he's working on showcasing his music in a few of those as well.

Although he won't be playing with Mick Jagger anytime soon (though he'd love to), Stigers joked about creating his dream band.

"Chris Robinson, Keith Richards and me," he started. "Sheryl Crow would be a great producer and bass player...Billy Preston on keys. Any ideas about a drums?"

Hmm.

"Hey, don't tell my band now about my big plan!"

Ultimately, Stigers said that his musical career goal is to "take over the world" much like Madonna did. (Of course, I thought he wouldn't mind kissing Britney and Christina, too.)

But success hasn't been easy for Stigers, and he said that major record labels make it hard for quality indies to emerge.

"It's not about the music anymore, it's about how many barbie dolls you can sell. The deals that are being offered to musicians are totally one sided to the favor of the labels," he said. "It's great to see people like Ari Hest making things happen on his own terms. Touring, selling music, making the music that he wants to make. He's going full steam ahead."

"Don't get me wrong, if a label really dug what I was doing and could enhance the touring, distribution end of things in a way that was profitable for both sides, I'm in. It's just doesn't seem like that exists anymore. There are several indies that I would love to work with, we'll see what happens," he added.

For more information visit: www.jakestigers.com