Bringin’ It Backwards: Interview with Roger Day

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Roger Day over Zoom video! 

Now more than ever, kids need to find the power to deal with life’s challenges. We may all be looking for a super hero to save the day, but Roger Day (www.rogerday.com) reminds us that our true power lies within. Day, the (normally) nationally touring and multiple award-winning Nashville-based singer-songwriter, recently released an album to help youngsters “solve the problem” and “save the day” using their own imagination and skills – no imaginary super heroes needed. Featuring 10 original songs, Invincible! is available from RogerDay.com, Spotify and your favorite music store.

From the rousing beat of the title track, we know we’ll be ready to fend off any evil foes. “No need to wait for super heroes anymore. I can save the day through the turning of the page.” As Roger says, “every puzzle is solve-able” through creative brainpower and by consulting “the pages of a book.” Any kid can discover that they are capable of working through a problem, like “No Ordinary Super Hero.” They may even find them-selves declaring to their parents: “I’ll Be Your Super Hero” as they soar confidently in their cape and boots. Day explains the unbridled optimism of these songs and how they fit the times. “Life is full of problems. The trick is to open your mind to discover the answers. Humans are clever, and little humans are all too often underestimated. We can help kids recognize that they can be active in finding solutions even in the most difficult situations.”

New York Times best-selling author Susan Verde co-wrote the rocker “Big Picture” with Day, in which a “citizen scientist” questions, investigates, solves for “x” and looks around to discover the universe, which starts in one’s own backyard. The rockin’ beat continues with the advice to super heroes to “Get a Robot First” and the shifting perspectives of “Little Ants,” and the rousing “Me and My Jet Pack,” which has been a hit with the kids at Roger’s concerts. Of course, not all heroes fly around in capes and fight bad guys. “The Everyday Super Hero Song” celebrates the ordinary people who keep us educated, safe and healthy. The album ends sweetly with the soft-rock, Beatles-inflected ballad “Love Is My Super Power,” in which the whole world can “shine like new.” 

Roger Day is based near Nashville. His appearances have included the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor NY, The Charlotte Chil-dren’s Theater and many schools, libraries and festivals. Roger Day’s songs have been featured on Radio Disney, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and public television. His five studio albums – Rock ‘n’ Roll Rodeo, Ready To Fly, Dream Big!,

Why Does Gray Matter? and the CD/DVD release, Marsh Mud Madness– along with two Greatest Hits albums – have all won Parents’ Choice Awards and critical acclaim nationwide. During spring 2020, he launched a virtual “Dream Big” and “Virtual Zoo” concert series, draw-ing thousands of fans. Roger and his wife Jodie are proud of their three adult kids who are super heroes to them: Thomas, a soon-to-be pediatrician at Vanderbilt University Medical School (who co-wrote the track “I’ll Be Your Super Hero”); Marjory, currently completing two masters in both Business and Engineering at the University of Tennessee; and Jacob, a rising college senior at W&L University who spent last summer in Argentina mastering his Spanish and playing lots of soccer while working with kids at a non-profit in Buenos Aires.

Now, as Roger releases a new album called Invincible! and reflects on his role as a children’s entertainer, educator and father, he is even more convinced of the power of music in young people’s lives. “My favorite line on the entire album is “Life is full of problems. But it’s full of answers too.” That’s a message I’d love for every kid to take to heart.”

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www.BringinitBackwards.com

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