Candy Store -- A Film by Jay and Peja

Speaking of Video Equipment. . .

The Dreaded G.A.S.

No, it doesn't mean that.

I heard it from Kevin Cooke. I sent him an Email asking about some gear I was thinking about buying, and mentioned some other things I thought I could use in the future, and he wrote back, "ah, the old dreaded G.A.S. -- Gear Acquisition Syndrome".

Sienna and I took a trip out to the township, and while she tortured Echo with a trip to Michaels (it was actually fine, she found a small toy basketball and let him throw it around; that's my boy!), I went over to Henry's to check out some DSLR's and Camcorders that shoot the new high-def, manual focus, super-amazing video that all the kids are using these days.

At the end of the day, I was fully convinced that I needed a $1000 camera, a new iMac, and a whole wack of software. Convinced. Like an addict, I was searching around my studio for things I could sell for $2000. Turns out, I don't own anything worth $2000. Which is probably for the best.

I told Sienna about what I wanted to get, and she said, as she always does, "Sure, whatever you need". There are two reasons she always says this: One - she is very supportive of me and my work; TWO - she knows that anytime she agrees to buy something, my CHEAP alarm goes off and I think of reasons to not get whatever it is.

It's so easy to blame gear or money for not starting or completing projects, but that's bullshit for the most part. If I had the gear I have right now within 3 feet of myself (i.e. my digital camcorder and macbook) when I was 15, I would've shit myself. Shit myself and then shot a feature film about, oh, maybe something about a 15 year old troubled loner. . .

There is a baseline of gear needed to produce video, but it involves linking two vcr's together and you can buy nearly all of it for $10 at value village.

I have been so blessed in my life to have had the means to buy what a lot of I wanted (or thought I wanted) to be creative. But looking back I know that my best always involved struggles with (what I thought was) inadequate technology. My favorite barn flyz songs were recorded on a four track where I had to plan track-bouncing and had no editing abilities. My favorite video work was shot with a 2MP digital still camera on a 15FPS "film mode" with a broken shutter button, and pirated shitty video editing software.

I don't need to be able to shoot 600 frames a second, or have an f1.8 lens, or render videos 10 times faster. I just need to keep my ass in gear and actual do the work. The Peat Bros, who are heros of mine, borrowed a mic from my studio to do some recording. Their audio interface? One XLR to USB cable. One Mic. One single cable. And it sounded awesome.

Fuck the dreaded G.A.S.

Catching Up. . .

That's Echo, about to attempt to unplug about 40% of the sound equipment. He was stopped.

Alright.

We played a show.

It was in the afternoon at a bar.

Children were running around, and I'm pretty sure as much juice was sold as booze, and that makes me glad.

Thanks to Casey and the whole crew at the Mansion, they were awesome at every step of the way.

Huge thanks to the Aldous Huxters, who were as great as I had hoped. Thanks to Geoff Chown (Geoff, I'm just guessing at all the spelling there. . .) for rocking the sound board (along with the bass with the Huxters).

Thanks to the Kevins (Bowers, Holloway, Cooke) for bringing it, as always.

Thanks to the kids and parents who came out.

Was out in the studio today working on a new song, working title, "every step that you take on your way" which is too long a title and sounds like "every breath you take". Not the song. Just the title. Other songs on the front burners these days -- "the grey in your hair", "might mean the same", and "if i knew how to fight".

The last one we played at the show, and a version of it spends a bit of time filling up the background in Lenny Epstien's "Guy and Me" a short staring my friend Tully. I was in the right place (Kevin Bower's studio) at the right time (when he had 30 things on the go, one of which was writing some music for the film) and somehow I squeezed my little song in there. Thanks Lenny, Tully, and Kev! I would love to do more of this.

Peja and I started work on a new film project; a new web series that should be out by the summer.

The Central Bears, the junior boys basketball team I coach, started their season with a game at Rideau Heights. We had a great effort, and great sportsmanship all around. Thanks to Heather and Seth at Rideau Heights for hosting a great game.

Hope you are well.

Jay.

NEW SHOW

Details (poster to follow):

Feb 27th, 2pm

The Mansion

The Aldous Huxters

Jay and the Barn Flyz

Special Guests

Come on out for some Sunday Afternoon Rock and Roll.