Jaymay - Highline Ballroom, 10/20/08

This was a cool show. Stories in High Fidelity, they called it. A bunch of guys who have written about rock got up and read things they had written, including a reading about a GNR cover band by Mr. Chuck Klosterman, and one from Dan Kennedy, from his book Rock On: An Office Power Ballad (which I loved when I read it a few months ago).

And then Jaymay hit the stage solo, for what started as a fun (if not completely sober) take on some of my favorites ("Blue Skies" FTW), and ended in the kind of special-guest-on-stage-scene that the word "shitshow" was invented for. I personally thought it was a lot of fun, but judging from the way half the audience headed for the exits like they were fleeing a bad fart, not everybody agreed with me.

Honestly Bruno, where did all that come from?

More pics (from an iPhone) of one of the awesommest/weirdest things I've ever seen below.

Jaymay playing Conan: March 10, 2008

On the eve of her long-overdue official North American record release (Autumn Fallin' is out 3/11), personal favorite Jaymay will be performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I'll try to update this space with video when it's uploaded. Then I'll leave it up long after copyright claims have stripped the embedded code of its content, a hollow husk standing in silent testimony to the lawlessness of these times amen.

If'n you're in the NYC area, she's also playing the Mercury Lounge on 3/19. I understand there'll be a band behind her.

Previously: Jaymay interview.

UPDATE:


Or, you can go to nbc.com and watch it (watch Monday, 3/10). You can actually see it there.

Jaymay - Autumn Fallin'

It's tough to know where to start a review of a record that I already promised would be good before I heard it. But fact of the matter is that although I've already written copious amounts of praise about Jaymay, I still don't feel as though I've done justice to my fondness for what it is that she does.

Autumn Fallin' is, for longtime fans of the bi-continental songstress, exactly what we've been waiting for: something to wave about in the air* as proof for any hold-out nonbelievers that we were right along.

I'm with another boy; he's asleep, I'm wide awake
And he tried to win my heart, but it's takin'...time

Whenever I try to introduce someone new to Jaymay, it's that line, from "Gray Or Blue," that I fixate upon. There's a paragraph of text in that pause. I'm not sure I've come across another song in my life that says so much in a breath. It kills me every time.

...He tried to win my heart but it's taken. No! It's taking time. You're losing me, slowly. You could have me if you came for me now. Later, you won't be able to. You're the one I really want, but I won't hang around forever...

Shit, she's good.

And she doesn't disappoint at all on this record. "Sycamore Down," "Ill Willed Person," and the title track are fresh evidence that the depth of the Sea Green, See Blue EP (where the Autumn Fallin' versions of "Gray Or Blue" and its own title track first appeared) was no fluke. Long-prognosticated studio versions of live favorites "Blue Skies" and "You Are The Only One I Love" -- like new haircuts on old friends -- take some getting used to, but in the end are just as lovable as their minimalist counterparts. These five songs are must-haves. You must have them.

Even still, Jaymay's lyrics, and the playful, lilting cadence with which she delivers them, aren't all that make her worthy of your undivided attention. There are also, for example, her playful arrangements that have only gotten more boisterous as recording capabilities have increased (she really wears her Dylan influence on her sleeve in the 10 mins of just-because-I-can oom-pah that make up "You'd Rather Run**") . Then there's the quirky scat/human-trumpet break that follows directly after in "Hard To Say". What's not to love?

Hell, you'll probably find ten things on the record that resonate with you that I've passed over. If I've convinced you to give it a listen at all, then I've done my job. And I hope when you do, you'll let me know. I reserve this level of evangelism for a precious few artists (cough), to whose music I feel a very personal affinity. Telling me you agree would be like handing me the last ice cream sandwich.

BTW, Jaymay's playing the Mercury Lounge on 12/12, right after (swear to God) some guy from Vertical Horizon. She can't be found in New York too often these days...you'd be a fool to miss her.


* Figuratively, of course, since you can't exactly wave .mp3s around in the air and who buys CDs anymore?
** I'm a big fan of Amazon's download service, that's why I keep linking there. No DRM, high quality mp3, etc. If it's not on eMusic, Amazon's the way to go for sure. But seriously, guys, $1.94 for a song? Sure, it's 9:51 long, but honestly...this is why variable pricing is bullshit.

Jaymay - Sycamore Down

Jaymay's long awaited record Autumn Fallin' comes out in just under 2 weeks (at least in the UK), and I'm only now having my first listen to "Sycamore Down" (hear it at myspace.com/jaymay). It's times like this that I wish I wasn't so prone to hyperbole, because artists like Jaymay deserve praise unencumbered by all my past cries of "wolf." Please go listen to "Sycamore Down" for yourself.

In the age of In Rainbows and Niggy Tardust, I'm considering shelling out the $33 to import it, rather than wait any longer than I have to to own this record. That's how good I know it's going to be.

*UPDATE: I guess I can wait an extra week or so and just get it in the US. Autumn Fallin' comes out stateside on 11/27. Here's Amazon's mp3 download page. Or you know, just waltz into a record store on the 27th and buy it that way. No skin off my back.

Jaymay - MonkeyTown, 9/24/07

Monkey Town bills itself as an "audio-visual venue," which is a fair enough description. The front room is actually a small restaurant/bar (try the burger), and the back room, where the reservation-only shows take place, is basically a 50-seat cube, the 4 walls adorned with giant projection screens upon which slowed down scenes from obscure films and/or relatively inaccessible visual art pieces are shown not only between sets, but straight through performances. Low couches line every wall, behind low tables with full place settings for those in the audience wish to honor their commitment to the $10 minimum with food. In the particular cases of Jaymay and the ukulele-toting Michael Leviton (her supporting act), the stage (or lack thereof) consisted of only a modest chair, a lonely looking boom stand, a few tuning pedals, and a mostly-unused 8 channel mixer, awkwardly clustered together in the center of the room.

There are no spotlights. When the house lights go down and the performer begins to play, they are lit only by the light coming off the projection screens. If it's a dark scene on the screen then it's dark in the room; there's only the music.

Both performers commented on the almost-uncomfortable intimacy of the space. Sitting or standing in the middle of the room, one can clearly see every face in front of them, and is painfully aware of the other half of the audience staring intently at one's back. The intimacy wasn't only unnerving for the performers, however. I wouldn't have dreamed in a million years of pulling my camera out, and nobody else in the audience seemed anxious to do so either. All I could do, all any of us could do, was sit and be wowed by Jaymay's first performance in New York since the spring, and her first performance in weeks since an unfortunate but unsurprising battle with food poisoning.

I don't really feel like I can even say any more about the night. I just wish you could have been there.

And despite the fact that it takes a little getting used to, I must recommend you trek out to Monkey Town sometime soon and see a performance. It's a neat space.

You haven't yet completely missed your chance to catch Jaymay while she's in the States either...she'll be at Rockwood Music Hall on 10/4. She's of course also still opening for Jose Gonzales Friday 9/28 (details).

Previously - Jaymay interview.

Jaymay coming to NYC...for 2 shows.

The unimpeachably marvelous Jaymay is coming to New York in the near future and will play 2 shows stateside before jetting back to London. If you've seen her or if you haven't, I'd highly advise making a point to get to one of these:

hi! im gonna be in NY for a lil while playin a couple solo shows . . .

---

MONKEY TOWN
58 N 3RD ST - BROOKLYN, NY
MON SEP 24, 2007 - 7:30PM DRS - $10
Monkey Town is a reservations only venue.
Please make reservations here:
http://www.monkeytownhq.com/reservations.html

----

THE BLENDER THEATRE @ THE GRAMERCY
SUPPORTING JOSE GONZALEZ
127 E 23RD ST - NEW YORK, NY
FRI SEP 28, 2007 - 8:00PM DRS - $20
TIX (Ticketmaster)

Already planning to see Jose Gonzalez on the 28th? Great, show up early. Don't know who we're talking about here? Prepare to be amazed.

Find Jaymay on MySpace, visit her official site, and read the interview she so kindly granted us here at wealsoran.com.

Interview: Jaymay

About a month before the Internet radio station I was working at began to fall apart, I finally got around to inviting one of the most exciting singer songwriters I've ever come across to perform live on the air. Around that same time, a long-overdue record deal was coming to fruition behind the scenes. My station shut down, and Jaymay was whisked away from New York to London (where her new label is). As much as anything else in my post-radio life, I'm regretful that the timing never worked out to bring her into the studio. But she has graciously agreed to the next best thing, and so without further ado I present to you an interview with Jaymay.

Mike McClenathan: Can you give me some details about your deal? It seems like when it all went down, you had to pack up and leave pretty quickly. How long had it been in the works, and how did they manage to lure you so far away from home? How many other deals did you turn down?

Jaymay: the deal took a long time to happen. it took over a year to happen actually. basically heavenly got hold of my ep n came to see me sing at SXSW march 2006. we kept in touch and eventually, after much negotiatin n me flyin over to londone to meet with other labels, i decided to sign. there are so many details of the deal, so many ways in which heavenly outshone other labels. nothin im gonna talk about tho.

MM: You had some pretty measurable success on your own with Sea Green, See Blue. What impact has this deal had on your day-to-day? Are there things you miss about doing it yourself?

J: still doin exactly what i was doin in nyc. only difference is how much im missin new york n really good cofeee. still sleepin on couches n in hotels n takin trains n movin my stuff aroun all the time. still sittin in windows writin n recordin in my bedroom n performin on different stages. these things dont change.

MM: What city has better clubs to play in, London or New York? (room-wise? audience-wise?)

J: i recommend both cities n other ones as well. the luminaire is my favorite venue in london. audience always depends on so much more than which city yre in. ive been openin for bands recently n the crowds have been so varied, i cant make sense of it. nyc <--- how can i talk about it without usin superlatives-- it's my fav place on earth... rockwood music hall, the livin room . . . havent played bowery yet, but always been such a fan.

MM: When will our next chance be to see you on this side of the pond?

J: dunno.

MM: I'm not sure of how to say this, but on stage you have the musician's equivalent of a great comic's timing. The best example I can think of is in the live version of "You Are The Only One I Love" that's streaming on myspace. That night at The Living Room was the first time I saw you (pure luck, I showed up early to see Josh Pyke play next) so I know that the "ahh" towards the end came after a long sip from a Poland Spring bottle, during which a packed house seemed to hold its breath. You command a room's attention. I guess this isn't really a question. [Note: it's not actually streaming there right now...these things rotate. -ed.]

J: funny. thank u.

MM: How similar is Jaymay on stage to Jaymay in her living room?

J: my livin room was my very first stage. it has a piano in it is why.

MM: I bet I know the answer to this, but do you just sit down with the intention to write a song, or do lines and melodies pop into your head at random times and send you scrambling for a pen and an instrument?

J: when i first started to write, like many years ago, i would usually write lyrics n then put em to a melody later. but ever since i started performin, the melody n words happen simultaneously . usually i sit down with a guitar (or xylophone) or at the piano and sorta improv n a song starts to take shape n i figure out what the lyrics are about n take it from there. i mean i dont sit down with the intention of writin a song about anythin particular. and often i make up a song when im walkin down the street or somethin. 'color confused' n 'corduroy' from my ep and 'hard to say' from my new record were all written without music. n i write a lot in general (but dont keep a journal or blog or anythin) n am always wrtin on napkins or textin myself ideas, but rarely do these things find their way into my songs. it's just a habit. n i carry around a tape recorder or call myself n leave a message with a song.

MM: For every song that you're happy with and that makes it onto a record, how many hit the cutting room floor?

J: i was thinkin about this yesterday. how my songs are a timeline-- stories from experience. im gonna definitely end up singin whatever songs i finish. i dont scrap songs, but i have lots of unfinished songs. so many. i record when im in the mood to record n i keep the better recordins. no fancy formulas. my ep is songs about colors, but a couple of color songs didnt make the ep cause i couldnt quite figure out how to record em. theyre such specific things-- my songs. basically just a way of copin with whatevers goin on.

MM: I can think of at least one song that you've said in concert is about a real person from your life. Are real-life songs the exception, or the rule?

J: the rule. i dont think i can write somethin that isnt true. the whole point is gettin at the truth. it's like if u could take yr dreams apart n look at them and study n arrange them on paper they might make sense. n then u could make em into a song.

MM: "Sea Green, See Blue" was in the season finale of How I Met Your Mother a few weeks ago. How did that come about?

J: somehow josh radnor (an actor in the show) heard my music n liked it n played it for the supervisors of the show n they liked it too. he came to see me sing in LA and he was tellin me how he was on a tv show n tryin to get my music on the show n i didnt know what he was talkin about. then i got an email from him sometime later about how they wanted to use 'sea green, see blue' in the final episode. in other words, josh is so very awesome.

MM: Did you get to watch it?

J: no.

MM: I see on your myspace page that you've had some festival slots lined up, including Glastonbury(!). What kind of adjustments do you have to make to your performance to pull that off? It's gotta be a lot different than a small club.

J: i played my same ol' nylon string guitar on a stage solo. it was funny cause they were sound checkin the bigger stages durin my show n u know, i couldnt hear all that well obviously. n there were all sorts of technical difficulties n the sound cut out right in the middle of some band's set. but people were singin along n someone walked away with my nike headband. glastonbury is huuuuuge. it looks beautiful at night n like a city of rollin hills n lights. there were tents everywhere n mud of course! n i didnt bring a tent or anythin n i just walked around all night with my manager in the rain n at one point watched pulp fiction in some giant tent theatre n the audience was really into bruce willis n so am i, but then they kicked everybody out n eventually it was mornin n i left.

MM: If Pepsi called you tomorrow and wanted to pay you a ton of money to use your song in a new ad campaign, what would you say?

J: im more of a coke girl as u can tell from my pic.

MM: When can we expect new stuff from you?

J: u can expect another ep in the states this fall. n my record Autumn Fallin' (which doesnt come out in the states at first) comes out in the fall as well (october or november).

MM: What do the tracklists look like?

J: for the ep, i have no idea-- im still workin on it... the record
looks like this (n repeats some tunes off my first ep): gray or blue. sycamore down. blue skies. sea green, see blue. autumn fallin'. you'd rather run. hard to say. big ben. ill-willed person. you are the only one i love.

MM: Can we hear a song?

J: nope, but u can hear some music here:
http://jaymaymusic.com/
http://myspace.com/jaymay

Going through this now to format it for posting, I realize I got a little carried away with so many questions. Thanks Jaymay, for taking the time.

A few more links that might be useful:

[Buy Sea Green, See Blue on iTunes, Insound.]

Jaymay - The Living Room, 11/4/06

Every time I see Jaymay, it's different. She plays with a different band. She performs her songs a different way. She keeps it fresh.

The thing about her is that she's contagiously comfortable on stage. The first time I ever saw her was by accident. I was at The Living Room to see Josh Pyke perform, and she played beforehand. She was in the middle of a residency there, and I had to crane my neck to see behind the crowd that had packed in. That was the night she recorded the version of "You Are The Only One I Love" (mp3, right click to download) that's readily available on myspace. I mention it because at the end of the song she took a long sip of water from a bottle of Poland Spring as the bass and drums wound the song down, punctuated by a satisfied "ahh" that you can hear on the recording, and that you could hear even at the very back of the packed Living Room. You could have heard a pin drop. Not a tense, "now what?" silence. A comfortable, "wow" silence. Contagious comfort. She's good.

This time it wasn't a water sip. This time it was an improvised song (roughly to the tune of "Gray or Blue") calling Ferraby Lionheart*'s bass player (who was outside smoking a cigarrette) to the stage at the beginning of the set. Like she was the only one in the room. And then she played songs that I've listened to probably a hundred times and made them new. Changed some melodies, some rhythms, some instrumentations. Added some Dylan-esque talk-singing at the end of some lines (and it worked).

Honestly, I can't say this strongly enough: Jaymay is mesmerizing when she performs. And I don't know how better to describe it than by using silly anecdotes like the ones above.

A note about the photo: I'm just not cut out for concert photography. I refuse to be "that guy" taking flash photos. I considered just not using one or using a press photo of Jaymay or something. But then I used this one anyway. I like how it says "The Living Room" in it.

*Ferraby Lionheart played before Jaymay. He was good.

Jaymay is doing well for herself

Here I was thinking Jaymay had a nice following in New York City and hoping that I could do my little part to spread the word beyond. And then I hear that she's got a banner in the Folk section of the iTunes Music Store, and that her record is in the top 10 there. So I guess she's bigger than I thought, though I'm not really surprised.

It's really gratifying to see people embracing good music. So much of the best stuff remains below the radar. And I have to assume that good old fashioned word of mouth (amplified by the newfangled internets) is responsible for her success thusfar, and to a guy like me, that's deeply encouraging.

If you haven't heard Jaymay on PulverRadio yet, you're probably not listening all that much. WTF, guy. So listen a lot more. And go right now to her myspace page and check out her stuff. She's quite good.

(Note: you can download "You Are The Only One I Love" there, which was recorded the first night I saw Jaymay, which was by accident, at The Living Room. She was on before Josh Pyke. New York rules like that. After Jaymay and Josh Pyke a little jazz trio got up and then Norah Jones got up on stage and sang a few songs with them in a hoodie in front of about 20 people.)
www.jaymaymusic.com