Sunday, December 30, 2007

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Monday, December 17, 2007

Friday, December 14, 2007

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Monday, December 10, 2007

Playoffs. . .

This wednesday is the last night of my rec league. We won our 2nd game last week (*cough* 10 for 12 shooting *cough*), so we get a shot at 3rd place against the mighty Court Jesters; we only played them once during the season (and yet faced the best 2 teams 3 or 4 times - kssc isn't all about the even scheduling), and aside from some pretty intense rebounding positioning (i.e. elbowing), I don't remember much about that game.

The winner of the game, well, wins 3rd place; and because kssc is all about fun, to give the 5th place team a game this week, the loser will play them for 4th place. We beat them last week - though they were shorthanded - after our loss to the RMC team, and if we can't knock off the court jesters, I think we've got a good chance to lock up 2nd last place. . . That sentence was a bit messy.

Congrats to all the kids at the Dorian School of Music for putting together a great recital! Most of my kids sat out, for various reasons, but I'm looking to get them into some band formations for an epic spring show.

Sienna's writing her 4th last exam ever today! Actually, probably right now. . . Good luck dude!

Hope you are well,

Jay.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Friday, December 07, 2007

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Monday, December 03, 2007

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Friday, November 30, 2007


Anyone looking to catch up on the comic -- head back to November 2006 (the archives are just over there) for the start of the comic run.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Return of the Comic


I'm intending to post these on a fairly regular basis for a while.

Team Basketball = Anti-Jay

There are nights when I know that I'm hurting my team more than helping. And it's tough, because I just want to play hard, work hard, and make the right play -- but my instincts are so built on shooting shooting shooting; so even when I'm firing 20' fade-aways off the side of the backboard, it's hard for me to see the open man.

There was one shot I made (3 for 11 on the night), that felt right. I caught the ball on the baseline, about 15 feet out, and for once I had some time before the help defense came over, so I dribbled twice, got my feet set, and fired a turn-around fade-away. The difference -- I had time; 2 seconds probably, from when I caught the ball, to when I shot it, and I wasn't running between. My catch and shoot is a huge piece of crap; and my shot on the run is just as bad. But if I can get a moment to catch my breath, everything is easy. 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 is full of time, if you want it, there's almost never help defense, and so long as you're happy keeping your back to the basket, you can hang-out forever waiting for the right moment.

The goal in all this basketball nonsense is to someday get into coaching. So I'm trying to play the point, trying to see the floor, trying to find the best pass to make, trying not to dribble into the corner, 'cause that's a really great way to lose the ball.

Oh, hey, I turned 28 the other day -- thanks to everyone that wished me well over on facebook, or on the phone, or however. I used to really sweat that most of my favourite bands broke before they were whatever age I was -- and I guess I still notice it, but I am so thankful for all the wonderful luck I've had in my life, and the wonderful people around me; I wouldn't trade it for a 5 record deal.

More music stuff will being happening -- We'll do another show soon, maybe back at the Wilson Room again, because that place is so beautiful, or maybe somewhere else.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Who did you have?

My rec team, The High Fives, had probably our best game of the season last night. We lost, but we competed with the 3 time league champs, and aside from a certain idiot losing his dribble about 50 times (uh, that'd be me), we played a very solid game.

There's this horrible moment whenever I sub off, when my replacement asks me who I was covering. . . And I know who it was, most of the time, but damned if my dehydrated mind can describe them; "uh. . . the big guy, white. . . that one. . . you'll find out. . . " is all I manage before collapsing onto the bench. I've been applying the golden rule, and when I'm next up to go back in, I start watching everyone and who they're covering, so I have some idea what I'm doing.

4 on 4 continues to confuse the hell out of me. The help-defense always manages to corner me with the ball, and my veiled threats at swinging elbows doesn't stop a lot of ball-slapping once I pick it up.

We played a quick 2 on 2 game after the real game, and I shot like 10 for 11 or something, which must confuse the hell out of my team, having watched me go 2 for 7 or something in the game. But I took those 10 shots over maybe 5 minutes, as oppose to shooting every 5 minutes or so during the real game. I'm a shitty shitty cold shooter -- and running up and down doesn't seem to help. 2 on 2 involves a lot of football-like breaks where everyone resets and I can catch my breath. Fitness is probably the answer to my problems. . .

Thanks again to all my great teammates -- who are making me such a better player. And I'll try and stop dribbling into the corner. It's retarded. I know.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Wilson Show #2 Post-Script. . .

Set List. . .

Hmmmm. . .

City Lights
Sucker Punch
After the Fire
Society Dames?

And a bunch of other songs. We did 15' away for the first time in a while, and brought out "Our Top Scores are Safe" and "Third View", which haven't been played live before. "Safe and Warm" we tried as a straight-ahead rock tune, which was cool too.

The Barn Flyz Were:

Anthony Popis - Drums
Derek Pyne - Bass

Jay was Jay.

We didn't get the draw we were hoping for, but perhaps doing a rock show on a Sunday Afternoon is as weird an idea as it sounds. Alas. These things take experimenting, right?

A million thanks to Tim Tran and his wife and son for helping so much with set-up and sound and video recording (I'll post stuff a.s.a.p.). Thanks to Sienna for picking up a shift at Trailhead so Derek could play. Thanks to Janie for watching Peja for the show, and still insisting on paying. Thanks to everyone who came and supported the band -- you people are super rad!

See you next time,

Jay.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Artel. . .

Friday night I played at the Artel as part of Kyra and Tully. The venue is the downstairs of an Artist co-op living/working space. Greg Tilson, of Little Joe Management, is running their shows, and he continues to be a very nice guy and easy to work with. The Darling Demais and Mike Evin were very nice people, who had wonderful sounding soundchecks (I rudely took-off after our set).

Lots of people have reported seeing the posters for the Nov. 4th show, so I'm cautiously optimistic that we can pull a few people into the beautiful Wilson Room. Peja and I went out today and repostered some parts of downtown, and we'll probably go out again mid-week.

Hope everything is going well for you and yours.

Jay.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Line Up. . .

If you live downtown, you might have seen some of the 50 or so posters that Peja and I put up on the weekend; so it appears the gig is a go.

Derek Pyne will be on the bass.

Anthony Popis will be on the drums.

Tim Tran will be on the sound board.

Thanks to former Flyz member Ian Montgomery for volunteering his services when it looked like Anthony was going to be stuck in Ottawa. He's a good man and a good drummer. Check out his band Infotourist -- they play all over the place all the time.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

November 4th. . .

Hey everyone, the show got moved -- it'll be on the Sunday now. That's Sunday, November 4th!

Musicians continue to be in flux, but I'm sure it'll all settle soon. More news on who's playing what a.s.a.p.

Take care,

Jay.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Mixing. . .

Peja headed out this morning with my in-laws, and I took the time to mix the three Grady Kelneck tunes. I'm just waiting for them to burn to CD so I can transfer them to my computer and master them.

I'll get Grady to post them, or I'll post them, or whatever, so you can hear them a.s.a.p.

Had a great rehearsal with Kyra and Tully last night -- we hadn't played together since the August 26th show in Sydenham -- I'm playing bass/drums with them at the Artel on Saturday, October 26th (we only play shows on the 26th apparently), along with some great Montreal and Toronto groups who's names have escaped me (I'll post them soon). It was nice to be playing bass again.

I gave in and turned on the heat. 54 is too f'n cold. We're enjoying 63 right now. Mmmmm. . . I got out my fleece long-johns, while Sienna and Peja are happy in short-sleeves. My girls are warm. Peja laughs every time she touches my hands -- "you have cold hands daddy!" Indeed.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The High Fives. . .

Is there a band called that? I think there might be. . . But, anyway, it's the new name for my rec basketball team (1-2), after last night's double-header, we cracked the win column, and I continued to suck suck suck at full-court team basketball.

November 3rd is a date that's getting thrown around as a show date -- I think I have enough commitment from enough people to declare that it's going to happen. The venue needs to be confirmed, but that should happen soon. Tim at Dorian will be helping me put it on, and I'm trying to get Grady to come down and be on the bill too.

So, it's like there's a band!

Oh, I shot 4 for maybe 16 on the night. . . Better percentage, mostly because I was trying to crash the boards as much as I could. I got a couple of assists and some steals, but I'm still hopelessly outclassed by my team, the opposition, the time keepers, and the leather basketball. More hustle, more hustle. . .

So, uh, if you happen to be a Barn Fly, maybe bust out your cd's and relearn the songs, okay? I'll do the same. . .

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Game 1 -- the stench of defeat. . .

46-26? Something like that. I barely had the heart to ask the scorer. We got run off the court by the Queen's/RMC squad, which I think is actually a cover for NBDL and WNBDL players.

Thanks to Roland, Bonnie, Harold, Alissa, Chris, and Mike for an awesome effort -- it was our first time playing as a team, and the result aside, I think we're going to be a great team. I continue to be in way over my head, but everyone is very supportive, and there was no mention of me jacking up about 20 shots (I made, uh, 3 or 4? something like that). I came up court with the ball, ahead of my teammates, and the sideline chant was "wait for numbers!", which I took to mean, "Throw up a shot, because there's no chance we could rebound it!". My only moment of glory was a soft fade that bounced around the rim for a while -- from my point of view, I could tell it was going to drop, so I turned and ran back while everyone else waiting the 2 or 3 more seconds it took to fall; I think it was the only time all night that my check didn't beat me back downcourt.

All the shooting practice in the world was no help against a team that didn't walk up the ball once -- they ran and ran and ran. . . and ran again. At the end of the game, when I was lying on the ground gasping for air and trying to restart my heart, they were running dunking drills at the other end.

After the game, Mike asked me if I'm in a band, and I'm really starting to feel like I'm not, which is shitty, what with this being a blog about the band attached to the website about the band. I think after I post this, I'm going to throw a dart at a calendar and do a show on that date. No joke.

Take care,

Jay.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Happy Baby Recording Studios. . .

Our good friend Grady Kelneck came down on Monday for a few days and was kind enough to grace the studio with his songs and guitar and accordion. I have to add some drums and lap steel, but when the songs are mixed (and with his permission), I'll post them somewhere nearby for you to enjoy.

My rec basketball team, indie team five (we need a name), was supposed to have our first two games on wednesday, but they were cancelled -- but my team's so rad that 6 of us stuck around and rocked some 3 on 3 half-court for long enough to destroy my legs and my ego. These guys and gals can play ball -- no joke. I was working my tail off to not totally embarrass myself -- I managed to make a couple of fade-aways here and there, but overall, I was quite outclassed. Good times.

Take care,

Jay.

Friday, September 21, 2007

fade-away

I have a band. It doesn't always seem like that. But I really do.

I'm starting shooting some hoops in a rec league -- which is actually my first organized basketball situation since grade 8. I've played hundreds and hundreds of street ball games, and I've shot about a million practice fade-aways -- and just for the record, it's the best shot, the only shot. If you watch and old bulls games, when Jordan ran into 4 or 5 defenders, 14-22 feet from the net, he would just jump backwards, wait for the arms to rise and fall, and then use his arms to muscle the ball up on a perfect arc and into the basket. And you know what? 10 years later with the Wizards, when he was 40, that move still worked -- he didn't jump as far back, but it didn't matter, you can't block a well timed fade-away.

Uh. . . But maybe you don't care as much about basketball as I do. . .

Too bad. . .

We watched the documentary The Heart of the Game, which follows a high school varsity basketball coach for 7 years, and it was the first time I saw basketball footage and could picture myself somewhere other than on the team (might've helped that it was a girls team), and I started thinking about being involved with coaching. Now, I know my way around a streetball game, but I don't know a lot about being a good team player ("duh" says anyone who's ever played with me), so I'm going to start by trying to be a team player in a rec league, and I've started reading up on the x's and o's, and then maybe I'll try and volunteer for a local team.

Yes, the band, I'll get it going. No, really.

Take care,

Jay.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

School

I sent out an Email to all current/prospective barn flyz, hopefully we'll get back a response that breathes life into the band.

I'm sitting at work -- the drums have been moved to the big studio with the window, so it's a much nicer place to come and hang-out for a few hours. My kids are all coming back from summer vacation, and I think almost all of them are continueing from last year, which is pretty nice -- either they enjoy it, or they couldn't talk their parents out of it. Drums are hard, because it's such a huge investment in time and space and money, and it puts a lot of pressure on the kids to get really good fast. I quit guitar lessons when I was 9, I remember pleading with my parents to let me quit, becuse it was sucking all the fun out of music. It's a fine line between pushing and turning-off.

I was talking with Grady Kelneck (ex-parkas) last night, about coming to K-town to do some recording, and I really want to try and put together some kind of show so he can play accordion with the band -- it probably won't come together, but it's a good mindframe.

Good luck to everyone back at school, and the University kids starting next week, and Tara, who I think is in her 24th year of education. . . Wow. . . Nice job keeping up the family average kid!

Sometimes I think about going back, and finishing either of my 2 almost-done post-secondary projects, or doing Humber College's post-grad writing workshop. . . Maybe some day.

Take care,

Jay

Friday, August 31, 2007

Where is Sydenham?

Played a fun show in Sydenham, a very pretty little town. Kyra and Tully kindly lent me 20 minutes at the start of the show to play some of my stuff, and I played a couple new tunes, one really old one (from the side-view e.p.) , and filled the balance with stuff from the cd. The Mill Street Cafe (right beside Desert Lake Gardens, owned by the same cool people) was a great venue, though the crowd seem to be a bit on the, shall we say "mature" side, they were quite attentive, and showed their appreciation.

Barn Flyz things are quiet right now, but I'm hoping to set up some shows a.s.a.p. Maybe a late September thing at the Library.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Sydenham. . .

Kyra and Tully have kindly asked me to play some songs after their set this Sunday in Sydenham. I've got to take some time today and remind myself of the bass lines to their songs. Paul Clifford has departed for Japan, so I'm back on the bass for their set.

After that? I'm not sure.

Good luck to Anthony and Derek as they start their post-secondary education. I'm hoping they can still be in the band, because along with being awesome players, they're very nice people; a rare two punch combo in music.

I want to do another show at the library, but I want to do some work to see if I can somehow get the room for less or for free -- maybe I can convince them to put on a teen-music-night or kid's music afternoon or something. The kid's librarians all know Peja, so maybe I can get her to introduce me.

Down at Dorian, I got moved to the BIG room, which has a window, and a view, and a phone, and a lot more space for me and my students -- huge thanks to Tim for the move!

Jay.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Home

Two weeks of clean air, fresh water, and more family than you can shake a stick at. . . Muskoka isn't such a bad place to visit.

It's my home, I guess, as much as anywhere -- especially the cottage. I've been going there since my first summer (some think I made it there for my first christmas, which would've seen me around 1 month old), and my family's been there since '54.

When I was small, we would spent almost every weekend there, and 3 weeks or so in the summer. It was my favourite place in the whole world, and when I was older, and my family didn't have the time to go, I signed on as a nanny to my twin cousins to keep my cottage time.

I'm no army brat, but I lived in 5 different cities and towns before I graduated high school. Other familes live in the houses of my youth, other children sleep where I slept. But my grandmother's cottage, which housed us all in chaos and joy before the land was subdivided, has a hardwood floor that I remember crawling on. I hide and seek my daughter Peja in cubbies and nooks where I once hid myself.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Thoughts on the fall. . .

The rest of the summer is booked up, and the band won't be doing much until the fall -- but that's only a month away.

The Wilson Room will be revisited; I think it's the perfect sized venue for us.

I'm debating finding gigs at bars. I don't know. There are some very nice pubs downtown, and it would be cool to get paid. . .

I just wrote the great Nick Peat an Email to find out if he's still down with being a Barn Fly -- if he is, with his great singing and song repertoire, I think we could handle the 2-3 hour demands that bars have for single act nights.

Man, is Derek even of age?

And the Wellington Street Theatre has been in the back of my mind for years. It's just the coolest looking building -- their P.A. facilities aren't enough, and it's twice the cost of the Wilson Room. . . But it'd be awesome.

New songs are being written, and rewritten. . .

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

An evening in the Church Basement

Well, first off, thanks to Greg Tilson (uh, I'm still guessing on the spelling, but it's gotta be close, right?) He seems to be a very nice man, and I believe I saw him play "down by the bay" at a 1st birthday party a couple of years ago.

The Basement of the Queen Street United Church somehow has a stage, and lights, and feels like a highschool gym.

I ended up going on 'round about an hour late, to a pretty small crowd -- which made it seem much more like a bar gig than a show in a church basement. But my audience was mostly made up of Skeleton Park Music Festival Volunteers, and endeavor I very much admire, so I am quite glad to have played for them. It's funny how a small crowd is much more terrifying than a large one. I think I'd rather play for 10,000 people than 8; aside from the obvious signs of a career that the 10,000 might indicate, it's just much less daunting to win over some of 10,000 than all of 8.

One time Flyz drummer Ian Montgomery was there, currently of InfoTourist fame, and I got to meet Annie Clifford, sister of Paul Clifford - who's been playing bass to my drums for Kyra and Tully lately.

Everyone was very welcoming, butI feel quite old, and somehow also like a little kid, around these folks; it's a world away from play groups and wading pools. I also just can't get my head around waiting for stuff; I've been playing live music for a decade, and I still show up on time -- always hours before anything happens. Spalding Gray uses the phrase "little drummer boy" to discribe feeling like a tag-along with other artists; I always feel a step out of time.

Nich Worby played after me, and he was really great, and quite gracious to compliments. He's opening the Wolfe Island Music Festival this year, so show up early.

My Set List:

The Slow Country Song (from my very first Sideview E.P.)
City Lights
After the Fire
Parrot (new)
Red Flag
In the Shadow of the Sleeping Giant
Tryin' You On

Monday, July 30, 2007

Sound Gear. . .

Peja and I took back the rental sound equipment this morning -- $39 goes further than you'd think. As stated in earlier posts, I was worried as hell about the sound; we had a bit of a rough time in Inverary, but The Wilson Room was very kind and everything went together smoothly.

I got to hear most of Kyra and Tully/Me Man Jack, and I thought the sound was fantastic -- I'm not taking credit, I think most of it is just that the Wilson Room has amazing acoustics. But we kept it simple, with only vocals and a bit of Piano coming out of the P.A. -- The guitar and bass amps weren't miked, just turned up a bit. There was only one mix coming out of the main speakers (pointing at the crowd) and through the monitor. There was only one monitor, on the floor in front of the stage. Stage volume was not too loud, but I could hear everything well. We had no effects, no compression, no gates, and no feedback for the whole show.

Technical Info (because I'm always wondering. . .):
So, we had a 12 channel mixer (we used 6), a stereo power amp (300 watts?), 2 Pulse tilting monitors (used as mains), 1 mackie 12" powered monitor, 2 shure sm58's, 1 shure beta 58, 1 apex condensor mic (piano), a Blues Junior 1x12" 15 watt tube amp, a 100 watt yamaha half-stack 1x15" bass amp, and a couple of passive apex direct boxes.

It's basically a rehearsal space worth of gear, and it was totally enough for an indoor show. We could've gotten away with less than the mackie monitor, it was turned way down (it's got like 400 watts of power of something insane), and I wonder if I could just bring my little 30 watt cube amps, link them together, and point them up at the singer.

There's some talk, mostly from me, I suppose, about charging a bit more at the door in an attempt to do slightly better than breaking even (to the dollar this time). I've paid $2 for great shows and $10 for crappy ones, and I don't know if people would even blink if we asked a bit more than $5 for 2 hours of cool music. I'm trying to create a third way, besides bars and $25 concert hall shows, somewhere everyone can see cool music at a fair price.

What do you think?

-- Jay.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Post Wilson. . .

Wow, what an f'n great show.

Huge thanks to all the musicians from Kyra and Tully and Me Man Jack, who were all very very awesome. Thanks to the library for having us (alright, we paid them, but maybe they'll have us back. . .) -- the Wilson Room is a fantastic room for a concert in so many ways.

Tim Tran from the Dorian School of Music provided the sound gear at no charge, so a big thanks to him.

Our Set List:

1. City Lights
2. Sucker Punch
3. After the Fire
4. Society Dames
5. In the Shadow of the Sleeping Giant
6. The United Stars
7. Red Flag
8. It's Coming Down
9. Tryin' You On

The Barn Flyz were:
Anthony Popis - Drum
Derek Pyne - Bass

Jay was Jay.

And the biggest thanks to everyone who came to the show! We hope to see you again soon.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

3 for 2!

Five days? Something like that. . . Rehearsal this Thursday with the Flyz, and meeting with Kyra and Tully tomorrow to double-check details 'n stuff.

One cool thing, the Kyra and Tully set will contain a performance by Me Man Jack -- so it's like 3 bands for the price of two at a very good price! And kids under 12 are free! Yeah! And, if you like books, it's at the library, where the books are free! It's a win win win!

Uh. . . I missed my nap. . .

Hope all is well with you,

Jay.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Travel to miss home. . .

Back from a 3 day trip to Toronto. Thanks to Kevin and Tom for hosting us! Peja and I avoided downtown - the bass amp purchase in Ottawa used up my spending money until '09, I think. . . Sienna rocked some wool stores and fabric stores while we hung out with k&t -- The parks in their neighborhood are pretty damned impressive -- tunnels and slides high into the sky.

We had a nice visit with Sienna's/our old K-town friends on Tuesday night, including 2 of the Radical Dudez, who have been one of Peja's favourite bands since she saw the great video for "The First Place". If you haven't seen it, head over to their site and check it out.

We got back to town yesterday and dropped by Sienna's folks place to drop off the van and beg/steal some awesome noodle/tofu/magic food.

Hope all is well with you,

Jay.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Inverary Post-Show

It's Sunday morning, and Sienna and Peja just headed out to hang out with some of Peja's little friends.

The Lady Racers were totally amazing, and I hope I get to play another show with them in the future. Thanks to Kyra and Tully for putting on the festivities, thanks to the Inverary Playhouse and it's operators, and thanks to Paul who rocked the bass and helped a lot with the sound. Huge thanks to everyone who came out and gave their money and their time and their applause.

The play house is a beautiful room, and our hosts gave us a great deal. The draw wasn't as big as we hoped, but if you could fill the place, it is a fantastic venue.

This was the first big show I've played without a sound-guy, and I have a new respect for the craft -- it's a real f'n hassle to be messing with unfamiliar sound gear in a short time-frame while you're trying to get ready to perform. I'm wondering if I should make a new plan for the Wilson room show -- I hadn't totally decided what to do, but I think I might check out the cost of having a sound guy who isn't me.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Saturday, 7pm, Inverary!

One more rehearsal before the Inverary Show -- (Saturday, Inverary Play House; Lady Racers, Kyra and Tully, Jay and the Barn Flyz!) The show starts at 7, so I think we're heading out there around 4:30 to set up sound gear and stuff. There's suppose to be an article in the Whig this weekend about the show, so look for that.

After this weekend, the media blitz will start for the Wilson Room show, so look for the posters all around. I'm still up in the air about the exact sound lay-out, but the room has been booked and paid for, so everything should be cool. The only sad note is that Grady Kelneck will not be gracing the stage (did I mention this before? I really have to start reading the blog. . .), so the Barn Flyz will be a trio; but that's kind of cool to.

See you in Inverary,

Jay.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Quiet Power Jam. . .

Starting jamming for the Wilson room show -- Derek and Anthony came out to Dorian last night, and although I forgot my microphone, necessitating a fairly low volume, I think it was a really productive jam. Despite a 4 month lay-off, the boys still know their parts.

Grady can't make it down for the show, so it's going to be a 3 piece special (plus Kyra and Tully on vocals and keys). The set list is up in the air, but songs that should make the cut include: Society Dames, City Lights, and Red Flag.

Derek starts at Queens in the fall, and Anthony's talking about commuting back for the occasional show, so the band should be able to keep gigging in the fall without too much trouble. Nick's back in September, so we'll have the piano man too. Tim at Dorian and I want to do a big show at the Wellington Street Theatre, so stay tuned for news about that.

This Saturday is the Inverary Playhouse show with The Lady Racers and Kyra and Tully. I'm opening with a few tracks, and with some help from Kyra and Tully and Paul (who's playing bass to my drums in Kyra and Tully this time out).

Congrats to Tara and Denton on their first house!

See you on Saturday in Inverary!

Take care,

Jay.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Basssss Ammmmmp

Drove up to Ottawa on Wednesday with Sienna, and visited songbird music, where I got this great old yamaha bass head and 1x15" cabinet that shakes the house in pretty great ways. I've been wanting a bass amp almost since I sold my old one to my cousin Tom, and this one, aside from not being tubed, is pretty perfect.

Rehearsal tonight with K&T, we're trying some of my tunes so they can back me up in Inverary and the Wilson Room show. I don't even know what instrument I'm bringing anymore. . . I'm playing drums at that show, but my stuff too. . .

Planning for the Wilson room show continues, I'm debating sound options. Tim's kindly offered me his sound gear, so I might just do a simple set-up, just mic the vocals and have everything pretty quiet -- it's a bright sounding room, so that might be the best option.

Take care,

Jay.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

No Rain!!!

Like Woodstock before it, this years Elphin Roots festival nearly floated away -- right after Kyra and Tully's set. Tully's last lyrics before the deluge? -- "and it feels like it's gonna rain".

Sienna and Peja and I took off for K-town, but Kyra and Tully reported that everything was cool, and the festival continued in a nearby hall late into the night. Congrats and thanks to Jenny Whitely and all the bands who played. Thanks also to the vendor who sold me the old Ray Charles records.

We played a benefit concert today held to help a family on the island who lost their house to a fire. Despite the sullen cause, the community was out in cheerful force, and I got a good reminder what I miss about Wolfe Island. The show was great, lots of cool acts, and after a quick stop-in at a potluck, we made the 6:30 boat back home.

Busy weekend. Sleep now.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Gigs Gigs Gigs

So, you take division street north for a while, turn left, left, right at westport, keep going past highway 7 until Elphin, then take a left at the flashing light, and the festival is behind the Elf-Inn Express Chip Wagon. . .

Busy weekend -- up to Elphin tomorrow to rock out with Kyra and Tully -- sharing the stage with some pretty awesome acts like Sarah Harmer and Luther Wright. . . Then out to Wolfe Island on Sunday for a benefit concert.

July 14th (not 15th as I've said elsewhere), in Inverary (also North on Division), I'm going to play 3 songs to open the Kyra and Tully / Lady Racers show. Should be rad.

The Wilson Room, for those who ask, is in the downtown Library, and it's a really cool big room with awesome acoustics. And The Barn Flyz will be there on July 28th, along with Kyra and Tully and with Grady Kelneck opening the show.

I've probably mentioned all that stuff before, but I thought I'd put it all together in one big post.

Rehearsals with the Flyz start this week -- anyone remember how City-Lights goes?

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The Wilson Room

July 28th, The Wilson Room (KFPL), at 2:30, Jay and the Barn Flyz, plus guests to be confirmed soon, will be playing the rock and roll and folk music.

Man, it's taken me way too long to book this, but it's here now, and it's going to be rad!

I'm trying to track down the Flyz, so if you've seen them, let them know.

Jay.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

The Race. . .

Quick mention -- awesome Skeleton Park Music Festival. Sienna sold out of her rad knit creations and Peja and I cruised around seeing music and lots of great friends. I've almost forgiven them for not letting me in; next year, my friends, next year.

Posters around town have my name with Kyra and Tully and The Lady Racers, which is pretty cool.

On my way to work on Thursday, I pulled the E-bike out of the driveway in front of a cube truck. We passed each other a few times up the Concession Street hill, and again on the slow downhill towards the railway tracks on Bath. I tried to catch his eye for a "hey, lookatme, I'm keeping up with traffic!" smile, but to no avail. Bath opens up after Value Village, and the cube truck flew passed me doing about 80, and the race seemed over. . . But I helped out the motor and killed myself up the hill towards the busy lights at Gardeners Road. I passed the truck for the last time at Days Road (he was turning left), and I turned into work, having kept up with traffic (at least the big slow cube truck part of it) the whole way out. $0.03 commute, same time, fresh air, why don't you ride one?

Friday, June 22, 2007

Post-Party-Post

Thanks to everyone who came out for Peja's party -- she was very very happy to see so many of her friends. The potluck was a huge success with lots and lots of awesome food and tons of little people running around. I wish we could think of an excuse to have one every weekend.

I spent the day in the studio yesterday, trying to record new stuff, or old stuff, or anything really. . . I'm not supposed to be in the studio right now, not until the album breaks even, but I've snuck in a couple of times, with disappointing results each time. Maybe I'll take Peja upstairs and record her singing something -- I think that's allowed.

The Skeleton Park Festival is this weekend -- Sienna will be there selling her knit toys and other awesome crafty stuff. I don't know how they manage to put on the festival without charging admission, but it's so rad. If you're looking for something to do on Saturday, you've got to go check it out. Skeleton Park (McBurney Park) is 3 blocks north of Princess street on Clergy Street. I'll see you there!

Take care,

Jay.

Monday, June 18, 2007

"How long have you been taking lessons?"

Went to the Dorian School of Music recital on Saturday night -- my kids did their absolute best, which was pretty cool to see. Congrats to them -- you guys are rad.

My folks headed back to Muskoka this morning, after spending the weekend celebrating father's day and Peja's 3rd (a little early). It was my 4th and my dad's 30th. We got Peja to ask them over and over to move to K-town (sorry T), but time will tell. I love the idea of someone asking Peja where her grandparents live, and her just pointing and saying "a few blocks that way".

Blogger is running slow, and my letters are appearing long after I type them, which makes my frequent revisions a bit maddening, so I'll cut this short.

Take care,

Jay.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Elphin-Bound. . .

Alright, so I think it's kind of official or whatever, pending whatever acts of god, but it looks like I'll be playing bass with Kyra and Tully at this years Elphin Roots festival, like, for real 'n stuff. It's a pretty great honour for me, playing an instrument that I love to play. I've been learning the 17 Kyra and Tully tunes, which has been really fun and a great way to deconstruct some of the songwriting I really admire.

Quick note, Congrats Kev! Kev and I almost killed each-other (well, I'm assuming. . . I know I almost killed him anyway) on an epic 18 day driving-fest across the country and back in 2001 or thereabouts. That was the trip that reminded me that I hated where my life was and set me on a new path. But Kev just had his 2nd baby girl, which is pretty damned awesome. How this dufus gets to live with 3 beautiful girls, I'll never know.

Adam, get the hell off the sidewalk. You're going to kill some poor old lady. Although, I do strongly endorse the yelling horn. So you're 1 for 2. Also, you made my website for free. . . Hmmmm. . .

Friday, June 08, 2007

Bikes

Watched a woman fly through a stop sign on a bike, almost get hit by a car, ditch the bike, and the car drove off. Me and Peja (in her bike trailer) stopped, and I got the lady and her bike off the road. Alright, so flying through a stop-sign is a pretty fucking (sorry mom) stupid thing to do on a bike (who's in this car that doesn't stop?), but it got worse. Now, first, it was an Ebike, which pissed me off, and second, she had a cast on her right foot. A walking cast, but not a riding cast - since those don't exist. I asked her how far she was from home, to see how big of a situation it was (she was claiming to be in great pain), and she responded "I'm not going home right now", got on her Ebike, and rode off.

The other Ebike I've seen around town is riding up and down the sidewalks (I believe it's a geared motor, they have more torque), which is pretty insane considering the weight and speed an Ebike can reach. Would you let someone drive a dirt-bike or a vespa down the sidewalk? An Ebike is lighter than a gas bike, but it's also nearly silent, so you don't hear it coming. The extra weight of the battery and motor (35lbs) also makes it a lot harder to maneuver. There's really no reason for anyone to be riding a bike on the sidewalk, but when you can do 40 km/h, and you're a 180lb man on a 50 lb bike, it's pretty insane.

New dangers seem so much worse than old ones.

I breathe the smog, dodge the cars, but this entry complains about people using a fantastic new form of transportation that I strongly support.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Rain rain rain rain rain rain rain

It's official -- the Ebike works in the rain.

It was coming down like a bastard (sorry mom) when I left for the music school yesterday. It reminded me of a couple of times I got caught up the lake in a big storm -- the rain felt more like spray, stinging and blinding. But I'm not complaining -- it was pretty fun; like being a little kid again. I had rain-gear on, so aside from my face, I was keeping pretty dry. The lights were helping me out, and I made it there in 20 minutes.

It's funny, parts of the bike are so laughably cheap -- the fuse box holder has broken about 50 times, but at the same time, because it's so simple, fixing it just involves jamming the wires back into the box, knowing they'll make contact somewhere. The parts that really matter; the motor, and the controller, are both totally sealed, and everything else just has to hang on.

Hey, remember that comic? I'm not sure what happened to that. The band got together, so that was the thing for a while, and then the Kyra and Tully thing. . . I'm starting to feel a glare coming from my drawing stuff, on the top shelf of the bookcase, slowly buried under waves of clean-ups.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Everything I Need. . .

Is it raining out? Maybe. . . hard to tell. . . I'm watching the leaves. . . I could tell if I had my glasses on -- they were a big hit, and then I got the Ebike and stopped driving the car. Oh, I think it's raining.

T and D-town came down for a short visit -- Peja was gifted, pizza was eaten, and ceiling fans were advertised. Tara just told me of a big storm heading East from Windsor -- the real Barn Flyz'll will be happy, the crops are thirsty.

Peja just walked over with a large plastic bag, pulled out 2 tupperwares, 1 cup, 1 plate, and then walked away saying "you've got everything you need". Hmmmm. . .

Rehearsals should start again this week (actually, they should've started last week, but "someone" forgot) with Kyra and Tully. We're playing the Elphin Roots Festival (I don't have the link handy, but that's why God invented Google) in the near future, so I guess I should get my brush-hands back.

Oh, there's the first thunder clap -- "Giants!" yells Peja. Well, I guess going to the park is probably over.

Today's Lyrics:

The girl I love
loves 4-track
tape hiss
and vocal cracks

End of Today's Lyrics.

Quick shout-out to the long-lost Christopher James Martin Scott, who's birthday is in the summer, and since it was 90 out today, I must imagine it is soon. Happy birthday buddy!

Take care,

Jay.

Friday, June 01, 2007

No More Purple Bike. . .

I'll get a picture up soon, maybe with some more details and stuff, but I switched the Ebike motor over to my Uncle Jim's old bike. As much as I liked rocking the purple girls' bike at 40 km/h, this bike fits me better, and it's a bit lighter and better designed, leading to a better top speed, better acceleration, and the throttle actually fits properly, so I don't have to have it resting on the front brake lever. Also, when I have to lift it, it's a lot nicer having the horizontal bar of a men's bike, as opposed to the sloping women's bike design.

Sienna and I are talking about switching our electricity to this service that effectively buys enough wind power to make up for you use -- which would mean that I'd be biking to work on wind power. It's around 3 extra cents a kilowatt hour.

I really want to sell the car. It's just a big fat mountain of hypocrisy sitting in my tent-garage. Anyone want to buy a low miles '95 Ford Contour?

Music news -- new rehearsals with Kyra and Tully are starting up next week, in preparation for the Elphin Roots festival at the end of the month, and a gig at the Inverary Playhouse. I'll be playing a few songs to open that show, which will also feature the Lady Racers -- a band I saw last year at the Wolfe Island Music Festival; they're cool.

Peja wants to go to the park. I want to eat lunch. The battle begins.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Harmonica?

Accidentally stood-up Kyra and Tully last night. . . Somewhere between 4 pm when I told a friend how I was enjoying playing with them, and that I had a practice that night, and 8pm, when I was supposed to show up, it up up and awayed it's way out of my head.

Willem would say, "These things happen."

I said, "stupid idiot, goddamn it!"

I'm meeting a new student this week, Tim tells me he wants to learn the harmonica. . . Or, rather he's been learning, from the words and pictures of the great Mel Bay (who, despite being dead, manages to hold on to his publishing empire). So I'm going to step up to the plate. Let's all hope it's a blues harp. 'Cause if he pulls some Stevie Wonder chromatic action, I'm just going to lay down my cards and plead ignorance.

Trying times in the sleep department. Peja is a strong willed kid. If she ain't happy, ain't no one sleepin', and that's just the way it's going to be.

Google Analytics shows this little free blog beats the hell out of the real band site (see the blog header for link). So, I guess I should start updating it. . . I need a Karl Koch.

Take care, sleep for me,

Jay.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The $0.03 Commute. . .

As I've mentioned many times, I worked out in the township (note for non-kingstonians -- Kingston is vaguely divided into a few sections, like New York or wherever, and I live on the north side of downtown, which is very old, like downtown; all the new stuff, i.e. the horrible box stores and the like, are out in the new areas of suburbia, a.k.a. the Township), and last winter I just drove the car. This spring, I ruined myself a few times and biked it.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got my Ebike built. I wanted to have a picture gallery of the process, but the first time I tried, the motor didn't fit, and I got pissed, and the 2nd time I wasn't so hopeful and didn't take any pictures -- so, there are no pictures of the successful transformation.

How it works -- my front wheel has been replaced with an electric hub motor, which looks very much like a wheel, but has a large mental casing (oh, hell, just go to www.ebikes.ca for pictures) around the hub. This motor connects, via a little black box, to a battery mounted on the back. When I turn the throttle (attached to handlebars), it goes. How fast? Well, it's sort of like driving a car stuck in 3rd or 4th gear, the pick-up off the line could be better, but with very little pedaling help, you can average 30 km/h, which is damned quick on a bike without sweating. It tops out (on the flat) at around 40, 45km/h on the flat.

F.A.Q. --
1. how far will it go?
2. isn't that something for old people?
3. how much does it cost?
4. how much does it cost to charge?
5. really, can't you just bike?

F.A.Q.A.
1. It will travel 30 km on a charge. I've been doing my commute, 13.6 km round trip, at full throttle, and it's still got a lot in the tank when I get home.
2. This one pisses me off. I ride my normal non e-bike more than almost anyone I know, and generally, the person asking me has driven a car, possibly an S.U.V, to wherever they're asking me. The mind-set you need is that it's not a replacement for your bike, it's a replacement for your CAR.
3. I spent, with shipping and tax and everything, a little under $700 for all the parts.
4. It costs (depending on utility charges) about $0.10 to charge. That's it. One dime. In 30 km of riding, you'll probably pass one or two dropped dimes.
5. Damn it, yes, I can bike. I do bike! But getting to work sweaty and ruined, not to mention if I get a cold, or am injured, or am late, or it's windy, or whatever other shitty thing drives me to take my car instead of my bike, the structure of this sentence has broken down. I can take the Ebike and get to work refreshed, and happy. It costs me $0.03 to get to work. The bus is $2, my car would be around $5, and a cab would cost $20. The extra food I would have to eat to make up for the calories I burn biking there would cost $4-$5 and likely would've travelled to Kingston 1000 miles using gas transportation.

I really encourage anyone who has a medium distance commute (5-20 km) to consider this option. It's great for the world, it's great for you. If you want a workout, it's still a bike, and you can pedal as hard as you want, and if you're tired, you can just relax and get there. The bike will pay for itself in gas savings very quickly. I estimate I'll need about 100 commutes to break even in gas savings alone.

This blog entry isn't nearly as cohesive as I hoped, but I wanted to post something about ebikes, and if there are questions I haven't answered, please post in the comments and I'll respond. Or, shoot me an email at jayandthebarnflyz@hotmail.com.

The rock will return shortly.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

the one before the one about the electric bike. . .

When I'm home with the kid -- i.e. most of the time -- we have tunes going about 95% of the time (5% of the time we're choosing the new tunes after the cd/record ends). When I go to put something on, Peja always runs over and says "I want to pick the music!" I ask her if she wants a record or a cd, and then give her 2 or 3 choices. Lately, I've started asking her if she wants something mellow or something that rocks -- and generally she picks in accordance to the mood of the moment. This morning, though, she wanted something particular. She asked for Jay and the Barn Flyz. And my day was made.

Spent yesterday over on Wolfe Island helping fix up the Summer Dock Studio, formerly run by our Australian Friends, run this year by our friend Deirdre. Winter was cruel to the studio, as a gaggle of chickens spent the winter calling it home. . . We moved them out and started scraping. This summer, you'll be able to our cd and maybe some merch, and probably catch an occasional live show / signing thing at the studio. Just get off the ferry, turn right, and look for the signs.

Tune in next time for a full recounting of the tales of the now awesomely functional electric bike.

Waaaahaaaaa!

Jay.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

What's a Leopard Frog?

Spend the weekend getting a cold to replace the flu. . . Good trade, but still a burn -- thankfully, I've been a drummer lately, and with enough cold medication, I can hit the snare on 2 and 4.

Went out to the studio on Saturday with Tully from Kyra and Tully, set up my drums (snuck in some extra gear). On Sunday we laid down what are known as "Bed tracks" -- keeper tracks of bass and drums (hat-tip to Rob on the bass -- fun guy, great player). The click-track gave us some headaches, but overall it was very productive, and Chris at Leopard Frog was really awesome -- if Jay and the Barn Flyz had any sort of budget, I know where we'd spent it.

The Studio is in Battersea (sp?), which reminds me a lot of home. Quiet lakes, trees, animals, the whole deal. Lots of wood and tile in the house; just beautiful.

Tim at Dorian got a call from the people that run the Wellington Street Theatre -- an old downtown church turned theatre, and apparently their rates start as low as $200 -- with lights and sound and the whole deal. Tim's going to go check it out, I'm going to try and tag along and see if this deal is really too good to be true. Otherwise, I think Jay and the Barn Flyz and Kyra and Tully might do a double-headlining show there late summer/early fall.

Peja and me stopped by and picked up my copy of the tracks yesterday (kindly welcomed by Popsicles and tea) and even in an unmixed and rough form, I'm quite proud to be a part of this project.

Pray for clear lungs,

Jay.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Screaming

Okay, okay, it's been a little while.

Peja got a stomach bug.

Gave it to me.

I gave it to Sienna.

She's upstairs sick right now. Peja's with Sienna's parents.

I'm typing to you. Hello!

"Why don't you scream in your music?" one of my little drum students asked me. "It would be better if you screamed." Something to think about. Still, he bought the damned cd (45 to go before we break even -- order your copy today)

Been sitting today listening to bootlegs of Kyra and Tully Rehersals, trying to decided what to play and what not to play. Brushes and I are learning to get along. . . Slowly. . .

It's getting darker outside. I still want to bike to work. It's been like 3 weeks or something. The wind is Eastern today anyway, so the ride out would be fine. Electric bike hopes are slowly fading, growing, fading, growing, and now just waiting. It would be sweet. 30k at 30k for $0.10 of electricity. . .

Must get off my ass and plan some new shows. Soon. I promise. I'll talk Kyra and Tully into renting out the Wilson Room or something. It'll be great!

Wash your hands,

Jay.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Kyra and Tully meet Jay. . .

Late Friday afternoon, I finally coaxed Peja to come with me to Limestone Music to buy some brushes. When we got home, I added my new brushes (I know my parents bought me some back in '93, along with my snare and cymbal combo; but perhaps from lack of use, they've vanished along with some trig, a hook-shot, and some horse whispering) to the already stuffed backpack. I managed to squeeze a snare drum, a cymbal, two stands, a drum stool, bundles, maracas, an egg shaker, and now, some brushes into Sienna's old planting backpack.

There's this thing in some era of English lit, where people would do this thing called Cataloging, where you just list things, and the idea is that a really, really long list can become almost like poetry, and the story it tells can be so compact and artful. My list back there was not. Read some Swift, he knows what he's doing.

Get to the point, man. See, here's the thing, Peja's got a flu thing that's involved my getting puked on in the middle of the night. Which kind of gets in the way of my sleeping. Which leaves me all dopey and rambly. Evidenced here.

So, yeah, I went to Kyra and Tully's house, where I got to meet their son Kezyan, who's 3 1/2 and about 10 years ahead of the curve on learning the drums. Just try and throw him off time, it's not going to happen.

13 songs to learn. A really slow shuffle to master. Less cymbals. Less than that.

Quick preview -- the new Kyra and Tully songs are really great. I should send them an Email about that. In a jam, when I'm really busy trying not to fuck-up (sorry mom), it's awkward to fit that in.

The plan, as they see it, is to head into the studio in a couple of weeks, and lay down the songs 3 times, as if live (though from different rooms). . . So, I'd better pull up my damn socks.

Socks!

Get some sleep, little ones. The wolf awakes at dawn. He's thirsty.

Brushes, a pail, two cats, three dogs, a car, a dock, a leaky roof, a sinking deck, mushrooms, a bakers dozen, six midgets, 3 globetrotters, and my aunt Ruth.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Mostly on the Plains. . .

Hey.

Down at the bottom of this little window I'm typing in is a chance to apply a "label" to this post, like to catagorize it, and my suggested choices are "scooters", "vacation", and "fall".

Did it really snow again today? My whole "bike to work" program is going right to hell. I've managed twice, which is pretty sad considering the mediocre distance (7 km) and my dislike of driving.

Tomorrow night I'm heading over to Kyra and Tully's place to audition for playing some drums to record some demos for their 2nd record. Tully was kind enough to drop off a copy of their first cd, which is really amazing mellow folk stuff; it's very brave music that I greatly admire.

I need to buy some brushes. . .

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Hey, Jay, WAKE UP!!!

Alright, so since the show, which was wicked-fun and at least moderately successful at achieving it's goals, I've had a bit of a music hang-over.

However, Adam's been cool enough to update the site, and now, if you are so inclined, you can purchase the new CD ONLINE (holy-crap!) for the low, low price of. . . It's like $10+2 for shipping and stuff.

I biked to work on Monday, which was one of those "oh, jesus christ, this is the worst thing ever, why the hell did I think this was a good idea" moments. It was windy and cold and lots of traffic, and all the rest. But, it was only like 30 minutes of hell, and I didn't ACTUALLY throw-up at work (only felt like I was going to), and I was at least half-conscious for my lessons. The ride home was much better, the wind had died down (and was at my back regardless), and I got home in 20 minutes through light traffic and darkness. So, the lesson being, I'm going to buy one of them new-fangled electric bikes. You should check them out, they go like 50km on like $0.10 of electricity (no exaggeration). And, sure it's lazier then biking, but it's about 1,000,000 time cooler than driving around 2000 lbs of metal and spewing shit into the air.

Or, I'll just toughen up and get into shape (stop laughing).

More shows soon, I swear.

Take care,

Jay.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Post-Show Post

Lots of friends and family braved the rain and made it out to the show last night. Halfway through our set, about ten kids under the age of three were running laps around the pews at The Salvation Army Church. Pretty cool -- they even had a little toddler mosh going at one point. Hey, Peja -- thanks for bringing your friends!

Thanks to Tim for booking the church and sound engineering the show.

Thanks to Grady Kelneck for gracing the stage with his great music.

Our Set List:

City Lights
Sucker Punch
After the Fire
Millionaire
Society Dames
Hide and Seek
The United Stars
It Makes No Difference (The Band)
Safe and Warm
In the Shadow of the Sleeping Giant
Red Flag
Helpless (Neil Young)
Fifteen Feet Away
It's Coming Down
Tryin' You On

The Barn Flyz were:
Nick Peat - Keys
Derek Pyne - Bass
Anthony Popis - Drums
Grady Kelneck - Accordian

Jay was Jay.

I hope everyone had as great a time as I did. We payed the bills -- and even had a bit over to pay the band.

Oh, check out Kingston This Week for an article about the show and the album. Thanks to Kyra from Kyra and Tully (check out their music - it's really cool) for tracking us down, and for using the picture with Peja skating instead of the boring publicity photo. Now, if I can just get my delivery kids to bring me my copy. . .

Thanks to D-town for keeping the crowd under control. Thanks to T for marrying a giant. Thanks to my folks for driving 4 hours with a car-sick dog to see me sing.

And thanks most of all to Sienna, without whom there'd be no show at all.

Stay tuned for more shows, and more chances to win!

Jay.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Okay. . . . Go!

The website is getting there (in case that link didn't work - www.jayandthebarnflyz.com) -- I'd say it's safe to visit without fear of filler text a la "General ramblings about the gig -- more information, or a link to more information" and so on. There's three songs, City Lights, Red Flag, and It's Coming Down that you can stream from the site, so go check out some more of the new record. We haven't got the E-commerce stuff worked out, but pretty soon you'll be able to buy the new record using Paypal, and have it shipped right to your door!

The show is coming up soon (March 24th, Salvation Army Church, 7pm, All Ages/$5). We had another sans-one-person practice last night, but again I think it helps to clairfy the feel of the songs. Also, it's easier to stop a 3/4 jam to correct a wrong chord than a full jam. Not that there are wrong chords. Ha, ha. . . ha. Alright, it was me. I thought it was C, but it was Bb. . . Sue me.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

The Website

Now, the website is up, yes, if you travel over to www.jayandthebarnflyz.com you will find SOMETHING. But what is there is more of a conversation in process between me and Adam, then the actual website. So, just in case you've found your way there, and were wondering why my band had such an incomplete website, that's why. I was starting to poster for the big March 24th show, and I asked Adam to have something up so people wouldn't get NOTHING if they followed the links on the poster.

So, the website will be better soon.
Soon I will beg and plead you to visit.
Visit now at your own risk.
Risk is the game of world domination.

Take care,

Jay.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

4 practices before the show. . .

It seems like yesterday this gig was 2 months away, but here we are, just 2 1/2 weeks and 4 jams away.

Had a good practice on Sunday, it was actually the first time that the whole new band was in the same room at the same time.

I had a long talk with Tim after work last night, and he's going to move back to promoting the show and being our sound engineer. The band's sound has been evolving, and unfortunately, I think Tim got caught in a pinch between rhythm guitar and keys. So, thanks Tim, for all your time, and we'll be very glad to see a familiar face out at the sound board.

Now, here's the rub; without Tim, I'm the oldest old man in what is now a very young band. I think I'm actually the only one who can buy liquor. . .

Got a message from Grady today, and he's working on his set and polishing up his accordian to help us out on our songs.

Man, it's so damned cold. I don't know if Peja and I will venture out at all. Almost makes me wish we had a tv (I mean, aside from the one I have hidden in the attic to watch west-coast basketball games in the middle of the night. . .).

Take care,

Jay.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Rockin' The Ice Storm. . .

Just got back from the Portsmouth Harbour building, where the Lung Association kindly invited me to play some music for their charity Gardening Show. The hydro lines are shedding their ice onto the sidewalks and roads -- take care if you're out and about.

Thanks to Walter, the sound guy, who I think took a lot of shit yesterday from musicians and booth workers over appropriate sound levels. I let him know that whatever he wanted was cool with me, and I think we found a happy medium. Thanks also to whichever kind volunteer brought me some ice water. The volunteer staff was very kind to me, and they're putting in so much more time and effort than the hour I spend singing.

I played for about an hour, with a 5 minute break, and despite the ice storm keeping almost everyone away, it was a great chance to try out the new songs live. It's the toughest kind of crowd, one that's there for something else -- but people were very kind and a few compliments were to be had.

I'd include a set list here, but it was about 25 songs, and I really don't remember the order. I just had the titles written across three pieces of note-pad paper, scrawled during spare moments in the last couple of days.

So, thanks Lung Association; hope I was of help.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Rehersals, Tickets, Etc. . .


We seem to be missing one person every time we jam, but it's not such a bad way to see what everyone brings to the group. Two night ago we worked though 5 new songs, and a bunch of old ones -- I think we're getting close to being at least vaguely familiar with the set, probably just about on pace for the show in a month.

Tim's printing up the tickets, so soon you'll be able to book your seat for the big show. You'll be able to get tickets from The Dorian School of Music, out on Bath just past Days Road, or if you're downtown, from me (free delivery!). More details of more places to get tickets when such things have been better arranged.

Maesel says, "you can't have 2 songs in a row in the same key, the same tempo, or the same genre."

I'll do my best to comply.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

New Song Posted!

Hey y'all. I've spent way too much time online today, working on building a "web presence" or whatever the term that Adam uses is.

You can stream the first single from the new record, a Folk/Country version of the oldie City Lights over at our new myspace page. I think this song really embodies the sound we were going for on this record. So, take a listen, drop a comment.

The mail yesterday brought 100 1" buttons with Barn Flyz logos on them, which is kind of exciting. It's the first ever Barn Flyz merch made professionally. I'll try and get a picture of the buttons up soon.

Take care,

Jay.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Songs for my Seaweed Girl

Peja and I are listening to the new record.

It is finished!

The new website is well on the way, I emailed Adam mp3's from some of the new tracks so you can stream them when the website comes online (I think we're shooting for the end of the month).

With the launch of the new website will come your first chance to order Barn Flyz music online. The new album, Songs for my Seaweed Girl, along with the last retailish record Free Soup for the Revolution, will be ready to be boxed and shipped and opened and played and enjoyed!

I'm playing a warm-up to the big March 24th show on Friday the 4th (I think) at the big building at Portsmouth Harbour. I'll be in the courtyard of the Lung Associations Gardening show from 11:30 until 12:30. . . Alright, kind of a strange gig, but I think it'd be a fun way to play for people I'd probably never otherwise reach. So, if you like bulbs and soil -- come to the festival and say hi. I'm really trying to have the cd pressed and ready for then, but it's going to be tight. At worst I'll have some buttons or something.

Take care,

Jay.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Can't swing your arms without hitting a bass player. . .

So I was at the Boiler Room climbing gym the other night, really pissed-off because my bass player had just quit, and I turned to one of Sienna's co-workers (the trailhead kids nearly all dig climbing) and asked him, mostly as a way to start bitching about my situation,

"Derek, man, you don't play the bass, do you?"

And he answered, because there is a god,

"Actually, yes."

So, everything is fine. Derek came out to our practice on Wednesday, and was well prepared and caught on quick, and tolerated Tim's inexplicable repeated singing of Bon Jovi's "Lay Your Hands on Me". . .

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Jay and the Barn Catz

At Dorian, across the waiting room from the drum room, 50 years of music experiance teaches kids how to play guitar. Maesel and I are opposites in almost every way, but I have a great time talking to him about music and teaching, and life in general.

The other day we were talking about my band, and he asked the name, I told him, and he thought for a second and said, "it should be Jay and the Barn Cats -- think of the imagery that comes with that!"

I still don't know what he meant, but it's really not such a bad name.

Great jam on Wednesday, Grady did such a good job on the accordian, I'm going to have to bribe/blackmail him to come back and play the show. There are rumours of a bit of a line-up shake-up, but everything should be fine. Don't worry. I'm not worried. Don't look so worried. Everything is fine. I'm in talks with a guy. It'll be fine. Stop worrying!

Jay.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Express Post

Tomorrow night is the first practice with the new band. I've been busy writting out tabs and chord charts for the tunes. It's amazing how little lead-guitar I remember -- and my ear and guitar technique are conjoined enough to make it easy to decode.

I'm working on content for the new website -- I really like when bands take the time to write some stuff for their online world, so I sent an Email out to the Barn Flyz down in Guelph -- I got back a "from the desk of a barn fly" letter in about 10 minutes (I guess the -10 weather is giving the boys some time for internet use). I need to write some more stuff, and do some more graphic design.

Ex-Parkas frontman Grady Kelneck is coming down to hang out with Peja, Sienna, and I, and do some recording in the studio. I'm going to drag him along to the Barn Flyz practice -- he plays a mean accordian, and I want to use it to fill in for the harmonica parts I'm not so adept at playing avec guitar.

Did I just use some french to get out of a messy sentence?

Whoops.

Thanks to Adam and Tara for always carting out the comments.

In Grand Caymen, we had this bus driver from Jamica who would always ask us to "speak to me, when you speak to me, it makes me feel better".

Off to the post office -- I hope there's a line-up, and that the person in front of me is express-posting invitations to a 300 person wedding.

Jay.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Promotion. . .


I'm hangin' with Peja today -- she's getting a bit of a cold, and it's just plain COLD outside, so I'm splitting my time between pretending I'm a dinosaur, and playing with Peja (that joke depends entirely on how seriously you take your commas).

The show is still a couple of months off, but I'm working on the poster. So, the big ol' picture of yours truly is either the saddest acceptance of personal vanity, or my attempt to connect with people using a face instead of a name. Well, I guess it doesn't have to be 100% one way or the other. . . But, I mean, to pretend that I'm not REALLY aware that my image is there (look up in the right hand corner of this blog for what I prefer to appear as), would just be so dishonest. I mean, when the shop windows are reflecting outwards, it's time to make sure your ass isn't hanging out, right? (sorry mom, I've been trying really hard not to swear).

Oh, hey, google analytics (www.google.analytics) have been telling me that a few people have been stopping by, so I just wanted to say "hi" to anyone who hasn't been here before.

Hi!

A skeleton of the new website is up somewhere online, when it's done, it'll be moving over to somewhere easier to find, and then I'll give you the link. Want it done faster? Head over to www.adamhewgill.com and give him hell.

This blog will still live here, because blogger is so easy, but there'll be links from here to there and from there to here.

Jay.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The kid calls me "man"

Went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival last night -- it's a touring festival that Sienna's work sponsors every year. I worked the raffle table, smiling at people while wishing them luck at winning the size 14 right boot in the prize display. The show was quite good, and even better, Peja went to sleep for her Ba-Chan, a.k.a. Sienna's mom, and was still asleep when we got home at 10:45 -- I think our first evening out that didn't end with the consolation of screams. High times indeed.

It's all part of the general trend back towards being human beings, a trend that is sure to waver as we move through this bizarre adventure of parenting, but right now, the skies are clear and the Dad to Jay ratio is looking better all the time. The kid has started to call me "man", and that alone makes me happy about everything.

The first all-band rehersal has been scheduled for next week. Lead guitarist / head Dorian guy Tim Tran has been kind enough to donate the music school for jams, so Sienna and Peja won't have to suffer through our awkward phases. The band is a 5 piece, a number that gives me pause; with a 3 piece, a band is almost assuredly going to sound tight, as long as everyone is listening to someone, the whole band will be locked together. With 4, you can pair-off and lose cohesion fairly easily. But I am hopeful, I think the musicians I've somehow bribed, borrowed, and/or stolen are all very good, thoughtful players, and I'm really excited about hearing them all play together.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

The Piano Man

Today I jammed with a fellow BMLSS Grad, one Nick Peat, who plays some mean keys. Grady did not lie, the kid is great. We worked on the new folk/country version of City Lights, and a few other things, and each time he came up with something great to play.

And, although I have yet to manage to get the whole band in a room together (I'm hoping to do so sometime in the next couple of weeks, I swear), I'm really started to think you should all buy advance tickets for the show and help us sell it out!

The challenge is going to be getting my electric piano to the venue - they have a grand-piano there, but Nick was coming up with some great Rhodes, Organ, and Vibrophone stuff, so I think I'm going to have to find someone who's back seats fold down (alas, mine do not -- why, Ford, why?).

Had a very nice dinner tonight with Sienna's folks -- they were kind and had a fork, knife, and spoon waiting for me. I practiced with her dad for a while after dinner, picking up raw rice, and I think next time I'm going to brave the chopsticks at the inlaws dinner table. I mean, Peja's actually getting pretty good with them, I could at least try.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

The New Barn Flyz. . .


The live show is planned for Saturday, March 24 -- it'll be at the Salvation Army Church by Victoria Park. It's funny that two main choices for downtown venues are bars or churches.

Because the real Barn Flyz aren't even speaking with me right now (enough re-takes will test any friendship), I've been putting together another kingston set of Barn Flyz to fill in.

Josh from Cedar Speeder will be rockin' the bass, and my very cool boss Tim Tran will be taking lead guitar duties. I'm meeting with a keyboard player tomorrow, Nick, who was recommended for the gig by a Grady Kelneck, ex Parkas singer/guitarist. So the band is just about put together. Now, uh, all we have to do is, you know, learn the songs. . .

I put together a set list, and dug through and found all the cd's and stuff to make up mix cd's with the right tracks in the right order. Man, I couldn't find a copy of Free Soup to save my life -- I had to download 15' away from the Radical Dudez website.

Oh, and Peja and I bought a new Harmonica Brace yesterday -- live harmonica is going to take some practice. . .

Monday, January 15, 2007

Winter Wheat. .


Barn Flyz Web-Guy Adam Hewgill has come through with a first mock-up of the website that'll promote and sell the new record. So, someday, you might be able just to head over to a website that doesn't end in .blogspot.com to get your Barn Flyz info. The album still appears to be called "songs for my seaweed girl", and it will be out sometime in late March or early April. Packaging design, a little more recording, some mixing, some mastering, and a big ol' live show will follow. News as it happens. Comics as I post them. Snow as it falls.

Quick news about the real barn flyz, they got their winter wheat planted just before Christmas, and during that time they were making some pretty insane treks to K-town in the night to record. I'd sneak the 24 track down to the basement so we wouldn't wake the kid (the basement is dank, mouse infested, and bosts at 5'5" ceiling), and we'd generally wrap up around 3 am, when they'd get into their 1984 GMC sierra and start the long drive home, getting there just in time to start work. To be honest, I think I kind of burned them out -- their answering machine right now just answers "you've reached 547-28##, if this is Jay, the last take was perfect, leave us alone; otherwise please leave a message".

Friday, January 12, 2007

A funny thing happened on the way to the studio. . .

So they're here.

Sienna's folks.

Peja's grandfolks.

And they love the kid. And the kid loves them. And I got freed for like 4 hours on a wednesday morning.

You know that look that a lost dog has when it's wandering through a strange neighbourhood, and you just KNOW that it's lost and you grab it's collar and check it's tags? Well, I think that's what I looked like when I realised that I had my first chance in about a month and a half to really get some work done in my studio. I didn't know where to start, where the album was at, what songs to work on, if I should be writing, or finding old lyrics, or what.

I decided to evaluate all the work I've been doing since the band break-up. Somehow, there's a lot of songs done, 10, in fact, that I think are pretty much on-target for the kind of album I wanted to make. So, I finally get time to do some recording, and it's already done. . . But mixing and mastering and artwork and lots of other fun stuff will fill my newly found spare time.

The 30 brave comics have all been mocked-up. I printed the first 2 today and inked all of the first and half of the second. Inking is so terrifying - I spend most of my creative life using word processors and multi-track recorders completely married to the undo and redo short-cuts.

I guess it's kind of like a live performance - high-risk and high-reward.

I need to get some wite-out

Jay.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Doesn't everyone do it?

Ray, Layla, and Sierra. . .

Hey, just a quick note for comic readers -- I've changed everyone's name. You'll probably figure out who's who. If you have any trouble, just ring your call button.

Vick to Clue

Tuesday, January 09, 2007