Central Public School -- 8th Year in a Row!

Newburgh and Kingston mini-Tour!

Thanks to everyone who came out to our double-header shows in Newburgh and at the Isabel Turner Branch of the KFPL last Saturday!  Thanks to the Lennox and Addington Library for sponsoring the first show, and thanks to the KFLP for bringing us back to Kingston in the afternoon!

Hey, check it out -- we're back at Central Public School for the 7th time!

Gig Details:

Thursday, February 12

6pm

w/DJ LOVE

Cake Raffle

Bake Sale

Pizza

$1 / donation

See you there!  We're on at 6pm sharp, so get there on time!

Skeleton Park, KFPL, Verona Cattail. . .

Last month, we had the privilege of playing at the 9 annual Skeleton Park Arts (formerly Music) Festival in McBurney Park.  Last week we returned to the beautiful Wilson Room at the downtown Library.  August 9th we play at the Verona Cattail Festival.  What an amazing summer of amazing gigs!

All of our summer gigs have featured Shaun Weima on lead guitar / vocals; Lee Casement on bass, Kevin Holloway on drums, and Peja Hanako on percussion and vocals.

Hope to see you in Verona!

Jay.

Live @ CENTRAL PUBLIC SCHOOL VIDEO

I mounted my GoPro at the front of the stage and it spun around while we played our set!  Check it out!
Huge thanks to everyone at Central, the Blue Genes, DJ Love, The Queen's Dancers, Tara Foods, and most of all to the awesome kids that danced and cheered and made us feel so welcome.

The Barn Flyz were:
Guitar/Glock/Vocals -- Shaun Weima
Bass -- Lee Casement
Drums -- Kevin Holloway
Vocals/Tambourine -- Peja Hanako
Jay was Jay

Hey, look, it's a fancy promo video for our new album!  Click the fullscreen button for fullscreen summertime!

CD RELEASE SHOW!

Alright, we recorded a kid's cd, and we were about to give it the big, loud launch that it deserved, and then a really cool, amazing thing happened and Jay had another baby.   Skip ahead, skip ahead.  That baby is now 1!  So, it seems only appropriate that we proudly officially and completely LAUNCH the CD!  BOY is 10 tracks of family-friendly rock and roll.  The show will be the February 13th Central Public School Family Dance -- an event that we created 4 years ago to give the Central Public community a chance to hear rock and roll at a reasonable hour in a great safe venue.  There will be a poster soon.  That poster will be displayed near here.  And other places.  The CD will be available here, there, and other places!

What's that?  A show?  A show!

Hey there!  I haven't been posting much here lately.  All my video stuff is over at www.happykidproductions.com, or vimeo.com/jaymiddaugh.  But there is news -- the kid's album that I've been teasing forever is coming out!  Here's a quick look at some concept art:

I recorded it at my friend Zane Whitfield's amazing North of Princess Studios -- an amazing creative space.  Shaun Weima from Ianspotting recorded the album and we mixed it together.  Shaun and Zane mastered it, and very soon it will be in commercial packaging and ready for your hungry hands!

Kid's Album Progress!

This is Peja, doing some overdub vocals on "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner", one of the fast-paced rock and roll kid's songs on our new album.  I got the mixes back from their mastering session, and I think they sound really rad.  I can't wait to share them with everyone. . .  Miles still to go -- video production is going to ramp-up on the dvd that will come with the album.  Thanks for the patience, I promise the record/movie will be worth the wait!

Take care,

Jay.

I haven't forgotten you. Imaginary band that appears now and again and pretends. We have a show in May. It will be outside. You will come and dance your heart out. I will cheer your dancing. Details as they are presented to me.

Love,

Imaginary Jay.

Baking with Peja - Season 2 Premiere!

Baking with Peja Episode 2-1 from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

Video Production for Miss Emily. . .

Got a call on Wednesday from my friend Zane, who owns NOP studios, saying that one of his clients really wanted to shoot some in-studio web-content.  I got home from work, put the kids the bed, and had about 40 minutes before I had to be at basketball.  I got to the studio and met Miss Emily, and her producer and her manager.  They just wanted me to shoot her listening to playback and maybe show her doing a vocal take.  They were really nice to me and let me just shoot whatever I wanted (apparently, Baking with Peja inspires confidence. . .).  I think the video turned out pretty cool, Emily gives a really great performance.  Check it out:

Baking with Peja on CKWS. . .

Mixing sessions on the new record have continued.  It is coming along.  Be patient.  The new album is just part of a larger project, which will be a little while.  Christmas 2012.  There, I said it.  Christmas 2012.  That's not the project, it's just the release date.  Well, I guess Fall 2012.  There, I said it.  October?  November?  Who knows.  Fall is a long 1/4 of the year.  Time will tell.

In other news, our little baking show has been on the local CBC affiliate, CKWS.  What does that mean?  In the world of online video everything is on purpose.  People don't watch your stuff unless they somehow hear about it, click through to Vimeo (or watch embedded) and then they don't have to stick around unless they dig it.  Baking with Peja has had maybe 1500 views total in it's 6 episodes.  How many people watch the news?  I don't know, but I'm guessing a few more.  But they aren't the same people -- most people who watch the Live@5 intro news show probably have never even heard of Vimeo.

Peja and I went down to the station for the first airing.  Jessica and Bill (the hosts) were amazingly nice to Peja.  We got to watch them tape the show from comfortable chairs, and we got to sneak out while the next news show was shooting LIVE.

So, we gave them three episodes edited down (mostly editing me out, but their segments are 3 minutes, so we had to cut something).  The sales staff at CKWS is looking for a sponsor for the show.  The dollar amounts involved aren't huge, but getting paid for creative work -- creative work that we choose to do regardless of payment -- is pretty amazing.  If they can put together a sponsor arrangement, then season 2 will air on CKWS, and I'll have to start paying Peja.

Stay tuned.

Baking with Peja: Episode 6 from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

CKWS

Had a meeting yesterday at Kingston's own CKWS.  It's our local CBC affiliate station, and like all local stations, they just run CBC stuff, and then do 3 or 4 news programs to make their money.  And.  And.  And they might air some Baking with Peja episodes.
I edited them two 3 minute episodes (I got edited out, mostly for time, and because drunken, ignoring father's don't make the best family television) and apparently they're likely to air in the next few weeks.  I'll post when I find out when.
I met with the head of news or the station or something, a really nice guy.  We talked about the segment, and sponsorship (the only way they could pay me).  He showed the videos to the head of sales, who thought there was a good chance to get the episode supported.
So.  So.
Does Peja had a TV job?  It might just happen.
Oh, and they wanted to interview Peja live on set.  We turned them down.  They asked me to fill in, which almost made me get Peja to do it.  In the end I said, maybe after 5 episodes. . .
It was awkward when I mentioned I didn't own a TV.
Stay tuned.

Baking with Peja -- Episode 5

Echo turns 2

Hey, look, my son is 2!  Many happy returns, little guy.

I guess that means that our album ECHO is also 2 years old.   Seems like it's about time for a new record.  I started recording at NOP studios in August and the album is almost done.  Lots more news to come about that in the new days.

New Baking with Peja will be posted on Saturday.  Stay tuned.

Post Show. . .

Thanks to Sherwood and all the dudes from Hey Buster! for inviting us to play at their great show.  They filled the Mansion with tiny people and put on a very intimidating set of polished material -- their backing band even had some great pedal steel - which wins me over pretty quick.

The sound guy evaporated, so big thanks to Casey for coming in (with 2 kids in tow) and setting up the stage and teaching me how to use the sound board.  Once upon a time I took a sound class at film school where I learned how to use a digital mixing board -- those memories were sifted through today!

I was joined by Kevin Bowers (lead guitar), Kevin Holloway (drums), and Damian Thornton (bass), all of whom put in a lot of time learning the new kid's songs.  Thanks guys!

Pics and maybe some video very soon.

I should stop eating Peja and Echo's halloween candy and go to bed soon.

Rock and roll.

- Jay.