Hi. My name is Travis Roig. You definitely don’t know me. I rarely perform on stage. Nor have I garnered much local press. But I was born and raised in Miami Shores. I grew up in a modest house with a stand up piano. 44 years later, the piano’s still there, but I’m not. Where I am, two guitars hang on the wall, and a couple lean against the clothes inside my closet.
Between the years 1999 and 2024, basically, I haven’t stopped recording. My unofficial first album was for Billy Corben’s first documentary, Raw Deal: A Question of Consent. This was primarily an instrumental affair, though. My first album under a silly band name was released in 2004. Hubcap Upkat’s Somewhere Back Down The Coast. Recorded at the historic Artificial Memory in Hialeah Gardens. You can find it on YouTube.
Recently, I was asked to write a review of an album I just released. T’was Good Good Love (The Retelling) It’s a reissue. Something I’ve never done. But I came across the raw files of the record and decided these songs needed some love and affection. Well, a year later, I finished. Looks like love and affection meant recording over 80% of the vocals over. And in some cases, straight up finishing songs I left incomplete from that era.
That said, I didn’t think writing about a 10 year old album that’s been Frankenstein-ed to death was the right move. The ego on me to turn that down. But if I was gonna have only one shot publicly pushing an album. I couldn’t land on one album. It was then, the Mrs. threw out a thought jab and gave my mind a black eye. She says, “Put together a “best of” album. Better yet let me, (and by me I mean her, narratively speaking), do the putting together.
I understood her logic. Collect your best. Talk about those. Officially I have a dozen albums out. All in varying states of my various states over the years. I call this Travis Roig’s Best Of (According To Her). Now, I certainly don’t want this article to be hella long so I’ll make a deal with you. You say the song, I say a sentence about it. Deal? Dale.
“Here With Me” – The first song I wrote that made me feel like I could write a song.
“Oh Blah Dee Blah Do” – I set out to (and I think succeeded) to write that post-funeral bar song you sing after a friend passes.
“The Sad Song (The Retelling)” – This song had no vocals first time out, now they’re some of my favorite.
“And All These Years” – The first of many “I’m getting older” tunes.
“Hold Still My Lover” – The stadium anthem song that never was.
“All That Cha Do” – This was the apology I wrote and played to my then girlfriend/now curating wife.
“Gambler Girl” – An ode to my wife.
“Zombies” – I’m obsessed with Halloween and nobody ever wrote a zombie love song… until me.
“90’s Mix Tape” – I thought this song could’ve gone viral but I was wrong.
“Palm Trees in December” – I never wrote an overall feeling before until this.
“Always And So On” – This is the best I can do.
I know I have friends who’ll see this list and go, “You forgot such and such?!” And to them I say, it’s my wife’s fault. Maybe I’ll do a Volume II, Best Of (According To Friends). No, I’m totally doing this. But for now, this is an awesome “in” into my music. It’s weird to say “my” music. So many people are responsible for this music. Even if they don’t legit play on it. You know, I was told once I shouldn’t play the guitar. I think my wife done did good to prove them wrong.
Oh!
By the way…
My next new album Until The Ink Dries comes out, Thursday. June 13, 2024.
