Joel Lager, a Brooklyn-born singer and songwriter, defines the term “all musician” very well. He spent most of his early life playing guitar for various bands and artists on the NY Bar stage, and there was a constant demand for his skills. Basically self-taught, Lager first picked up the guitar when he was 12 years old. Listening to his mother’s vast collection of classic rock, folk and blues records helped him develop his unique, trademark style of play that people recognize today.
At the age of 16, he was already making waves when his “Poison Whiskey” band won the Battle of the Bands competition. A few years later, Joel Lager was invited to play with his band “JJ Red” on Ed McMahon’s famous TV show “Star Search”. During this time he also worked as a stage manager for various Broadway shows in the Drama District and had a daily job to tie in with everyday life.
In 2000, Lager moved to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time career in the music industry. He was educated at Audiograph International, which led him to become a Certified Pro-Tools Engineer, producing and mastering free music. He was also the editor and proofreader of the second edition of Hal Leonard’s publishing book, The Complete Pro Tools Shortcuts.
In 2009, Joel began to find the most difficult time of his life due to a serious illness. This will be a lengthy test of his character over the years. He was unable to play the guitar due to nerve damage in his fingers and hands. Most of the time he felt lifeless and barely active. This upset his musical passion and creativity.
However, after a fierce battle, Lager was able to recover strongly after several intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Once he was able to play the guitar again, Lager recreated it as a solo artist, prompting him to actually start singing.
When asked about the obstacles he faces, Lager does not like to talk about the past, but admits that they are a big part of who he is today. The experience has changed his outlook on life as reflected in his music.His own life experiences as well as social and political events provide great inspiration in his lyric writing.
As a performer and studio musician, Lager has worked with many high profile artists, including “Taylor Dayne”, “Jim Pons” (of “Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention”, and “The Turtles”,) as well as “John Macandoe” (“Jeff Golub”) and many more.
Herald Angels is a unique compilation of two classic Christmas songs ‘Away in a Manager’ and ‘Hark! . It is a beautiful song. He has a deep voice and also has a powerful vocal strength. And also the presentation is very simple. His performance is charming. If you want to listen to his many songs, stay with Joel Lager.
