We recently connected with Jake Salazar and have shared our conversation below.

Jake, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

A lot of success stories focus on all the right moves—the bold decisions, the leaps of faith, the risks that pay off. But my story is just as much about the roads I didn’t take as the ones I did.

For years, I wrestled with the idea of following a more traditional, stable career path. I had the credentials, the opportunities, and a clear path laid out before me—one that promised financial security and predictability. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t the life I wanted. Music had always been my passion, and I felt an undeniable pull to create, perform, and build something of my own. The risk wasn’t just in pursuing music; it was in not taking the safer road, in walking away from the comfort of what was expected in favor of something far less certain.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hey, I’m Jake Anthony Salazar — I sing and write songs for RODERIK, and I also run Fall of the House Productions LLC, the company behind Fall of the House Fest, which happens twice a year across NJ and NY. At the heart of it all, I’m just someone who’s passionate about music and helping other artists find their way in a tough industry.

I started writing songs when I was 13, back in high school. It wasn’t some overnight success story — and honestly, it still isn’t. But that’s just how this world works. You keep showing up. Nineteen years later, I’m still here, still chasing the dream, still learning.

My first band didn’t really go anywhere, but I didn’t stop. Right after high school, I started a new project called Approaching Troy while studying the music business in college. I figured, if I was serious about making it, I should understand how the industry worked — not just from the stage, but behind the scenes too. That band lasted nine years. We played a ton of shows, hit the road hard, and in 2015, we finally completed a full North American tour. From Maine to California. It felt like things were starting to click.

In 2018, we got our first record deal offer — something I’d been working toward for years. But it quickly became clear the label didn’t really see us for who we were. They had their own plan, and it didn’t align with ours. When they released a song under our name without our knowledge in 2019, that was it. I knew I had to walk away.

By January 2020, I was at a crossroads. Do I keep fighting for something that no longer felt right, or start over? I chose to start fresh. It wasn’t easy, but I was ready to build something new, from the ground up. That’s how RODERIK was born.

The name comes from Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. At the time, I was going through a lot — creatively, personally — and his dark, eerie stories really resonated with me. It felt like the perfect metaphor for where I was, and where I wanted to go. I wanted to take everything I’d learned, all the hard lessons, and do things the right way this time. No shortcuts. Just honesty and intention.

But starting RODERIK wasn’t just about building a new band. I also wanted to be a resource for other artists — the kind of guide I wish I’d had when I was younger. Someone who could say, “Here’s what I learned the hard way. Let me help you skip a few of those landmines.”

Over the last few years, I’ve tried a bunch of different things — shooting music videos, printing merch, launching a podcast. Not everything stuck. The podcast fizzled out pretty quickly, and the merch business became too demanding to keep going. But in the process, I found what I do love: helping artists tell their stories through content, building real connections, and creating platforms like Fall of the House Fest where our community can thrive.

Now, Fall of the House Productions focuses on a few things I really believe in — running the festival, creating content that actually moves the needle for artists, and offering recording services that don’t feel cookie-cutter. I still design merch for RODERIK, produce all our content, and book our own shows — and everything I’ve learned along the way has shaped how I do it.

If there’s one thing my story says, it’s this: progress takes time. I’ve never been the guy who gets it right on the first try. But I’ve always been the guy who keeps going. I won’t quit unless it stops feeling true to me. And even then, I don’t see it as a dead end — just another door to find.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, there are so many rewarding parts of being an artist and a creative. First and foremost, like a lot of artists, music is my therapy. Writing and creating helps me process everything I’m going through, day in and day out. It is how I make sense of the world. But the other side of it, the part that really hits me, is seeing how those songs connect with other people. We get messages all the time from listeners telling us how a certain lyric or song helped them through something heavy, or made them feel understood when they really needed it. Knowing that something I wrote from a personal place can have that kind of impact on someone else is the most rewarding part of it all.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are so many ways people can support artists, and not all of them cost money. Of course, buying merch and showing up to shows goes a long way, especially for smaller, independent artists who are doing everything themselves. But I always try to remind people that even the smallest gestures matter. If you’re low on cash, just taking a second to like a post, leave a comment, or share a song or video with your friends can make a huge difference. That kind of engagement helps artists reach more people, grow their audience, and feel seen. It’s easy to underestimate how much those little moments of support can impact someone’s career, but they really do. I’ve experienced it firsthand, and that’s part of why I’m so passionate about helping other local artists. Whether it’s through creating opportunities like Fall of the House Fest, helping them level up their content, or just being someone in their corner, I want to give back to the scene that raised me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fothproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roderikmusic/

Image Credits

Photocredits go to
@Shameless_Alice
@ohiosteph
@Floodshot_