PRODUCER: Ross Adams

YOUR MANIFESTO, A GOAL YOU WANTED TO ACHIEVE, WITH THIS ALBUM

Schroder: "Originally, I was just looking to get out of the band environment and simply write and record some songs on my acoustic guitar. Over time, though, I began to build a solo career. In the end, I guess what I'm really trying to accomplish with this album is a sense of connection with an audience (through my songs and characters). At a basic level, I've always loved creating music and performing in front of audiences."

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ME

Schroder: "How hard I worked on my songs. I put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into them and they took me years to write and develop. Performing as well as songwriting is a difficult and challenging thing. At least for me anyway. Being a singer songwriter isn't easy, and you face a lot of rejection. Sometimes it's hard to keep going, but you keep doing it, because you love it."

MY PARENTS KNEW I'D END UP IN MUSIC WHEN ...

Schroder: "I still don't think my parents believe I'm a musician!"

PET PEEVES

Schroder: "My biggest musical pet peeve is when some musicians make fun of other musicians who play cover songs in cover bands. .... I've done my fair share of cover gigs myself, and I've found them to be a valuable way to learn about music and work on my craft. ... Some of the best bands in the world started out playing cover music. Didn't The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan start out this way?"

MY MUSICAL HERO

Schroder: "Bruce Springsteen. I love the way he tells stories through his songs. ' also fascinated at how he continues to put out quality album after quality album and has been doing so for over 30 years."

BEST GIG EVER

Schroder: "The Junction in South Boston on St. Patrick's Day, 2006. If you are familiar with South Boston, you know that it is a very Irish community. I remember walking in the club at 6:30, and the place was packed and everyone was already pretty liquored up (and wearing green)! I was a bit scared at first, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to do well performing under the circumstances. ... Luckily, I know my fair share of old Irish drinking songs, so the night was a blast. I had a few drinks myself."

WORST GIG EVER

Schroder: "My worst gig ever was the first gig I ever played. I was in a band with some kids from another town, and we played a talent show at their high school (thank god it wasn't my high school). To make a long story short, we basically hacked our way through two U2 songs, and we stunk! The other bands were all amazing, and we all had stage fright like you wouldn't believe. Our drummer even dropped his stick during one song, and he actually had to get up from behind his kit (during the song) to pick it up ... you really missed the drums for the 8 seconds it took him to get his stick and sit back down and start playing again. This was one of my most embarrassing moments in life. But I Iearned a lot that night even at such a young age, and I vowed never to be unprepared again."

FIRST RECORD I EVER BOUGHT

Schroder: "Bruce Springsteen's 'Nebraska.' This is the album that made me want to write songs. I was in high school, and I can remember sitting on my bed trying to learn all the words to 'Johnny 99.' I love the stripped-down story telling on this album, and I always wanted to create something like it with its dark characters and acoustic folk feel. My favorite songs are 'Johnny 99,' 'Atlantic City' and 'Highway Patrolman.' "

FIRST CONCERT I EVER WENT TO

Schroder: "The Alarm. Not much of a story to tell, but I was definitely hooked by the roar of the crowd and the volume and emotional power that a band can make. From that moment on, I've always known that I wanted to perform music in a live setting."

WORST JOB I'VE EVER HAD

Schroder: "The worst job I've ever had was when my old band used to play at a local supermarket for three hours on Sunday afternoons. ... It was great money; they paid us $400 for the three hours, and we each walked out with $100 in our pocket. .. But we all always felt a little bit of shame from doing this gig. I hated playing under those flourescent lights and having people look at us and wonder what the hell we were doing there in the snacks section. Thankfully, this gig didn't last too long as finally the supermarket realized that they we overpaying us and scrapped the whole idea."