Jay and the Barn Flyz

Video Production for Miss Emily. . .

2012-02-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

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:

2012-01-31T07:15:00.001-05:00

Baking with Peja on CKWS. . .

2012-01-14T10:11:00.003-05:00

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.

2011-12-23T10:30:00.001-05:00

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

CKWS

2011-12-21T15:59:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-27T00:54:00.000-05:00

Echo turns 2

2011-11-25T07:45:00.001-05:00

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. . .

2011-11-06T21:54:00.003-05:00

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.

NOV 6th @ THE MANSION

2011-10-28T22:19:00.001-05:00

Baking with Peja Episode 4!

2011-10-24T10:44:00.003-05:00

It took a couple of months -- Peja has been back in school and I've been working on the "secret project". But we got together on Saturday and finished shooting and editing.

I'll put a post up when I have a poster done, but we're playing at The Mansion on Nov 6th, a Sunday afternoon show. We're playing with a great band from Ottawa called Hey Buster!

Music School Commercial. . .

2011-09-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Secrets, and Episode 3 of Baking With Peja

2011-08-29T22:39:00.004-05:00

There's a secret project on the way.

Not really related to the following:

Baking with Peja: Episode 2

2011-08-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

2011-08-15T18:38:00.001-05:00

Boathouse from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

Baking with Peja: Episode 1

2011-08-09T22:44:00.001-05:00

2011-07-26T22:48:00.001-05:00

TRAIN TEST from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

Commerical Test Run. . .

2011-07-23T06:56:00.002-05:00

Bike Ride -- Soon!

2011-07-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

I got an email from a kids-music band in Ottawa -- a friend of a friend who recommended my band as an opener for a gig in the fall. They're into playing bar shows for families, just like me, but they needed a local opener to book a gig at the Mansion. Who knew? I count as a local draw? Cool! I guess I'll need to put together a band again. It's, uh, November something. I'll look it up. November 6th. There you go. Be there! It's like 4 months away. . .

Peja and I have been working on a couple of songs together. She actually walked up to me the other day and showed me a sheet of lyrics that she had written. Sometimes I forget that she can write. . . And then she proceeded to sing the songs for me; she had work out some melodies. I never asked her to do it, and I was really surprised. She takes piano lessons, and enjoys them, but doesn't practice much (generally only when I ask her to), and rarely asks about going over to the music school. My hammond organ is just as likely to be a spaceship as a musical instrument when her friends are over. But here she was creating stuff. Pretty neat. Sienna's still telling me to do a kids album -- maybe Peja's ready to write/record one with me. Our best song right now is a counting song. Spanish numbers have WAY more syllables than english, french, or japanese. . .

I got invited to jam with one of my favorite bands, The Trash Daddies, last night. They opened the first Central Family Dance show, and they are an amazing group of musicians. They're also the nicest 4 people I've ever been in a room with. I brought my telecaster, and was terrified all night of fucking up the great sound they have. I hope I stayed out of the way enough. On every song they have this amazing tight 4 part harmony, and they have great banjo, mandolin, and guitar stuff on everything. I've been trying to get them to come and record a song and make a performance video -- maybe I'll just bring some gear next time.

I'm finishing up the script for Bike Ride -- I thought the next Happy Kid Production would be a script called Stroller, but my cousin Tom, who I cast for the lead, hasn't managed to find time to come to Kingston, so I think I'm going to start working on the next one. I've cast the two leads (Peja is one), and I think I'm going to shoot it in Skeleton Park (I wrote it with City Park in mind, but then remembered that I live 2 blocks from Skeleton Park). After those two is one called Monopoly Junior -- I kind of want to act in that one, but I need a camera operator. . .

Anecdote has gotten lots of good reactions, and it's viewing numbers have been great on Vimeo. It was made so quickly and for $0 (uh, I think Emily kindly bought/made her wedding dress; Thanks Emily!), but I really loved making it. It took me a few shoots to get comfortable with directing actors, but the last day of shooting was really fun, and Mark and Emily did such fantastic jobs. I think my work on it is very student-filmish, but, hey, I dropped out before I finished film school, so I think I deserve a few more low-pressure directing gigs.

Anecdote

2011-06-20T13:22:00.002-05:00

10 Days In. . .

2011-06-06T12:15:00.003-05:00

A week ago from Friday, it was raining, and Peja was home for a PA day. Sienna had just switched jobs and the hospital and got her vacation time paid out. It was a lot. We paid off some debts and then I suggested we by a new camera.

It is awesome.

And makes beautiful images and video.

It is awesome.

My parents gave me three awesome lenses (30mm, 28-80, 75-300), and I got the $100 kit lens (18-55mm), so, aside from something really wide (like the 10-20mm zoom I tried to steal from my dad) I'm really set up for lenses.

The video files look like 35mm film. Movie film. Amazing film. And they are HUGE files. And my computer is suddenly outdated by the size of its files.

Sienna looks at me, as if to say, "when exactly will you have everything you want?"

More. More. More.

Books with Peja

2011-05-29T19:41:00.000-05:00

Books with Peja from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

Echo's Journey. . .

2011-05-08T22:47:00.000-05:00

Echo's Journey from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

Camera Tests continue. . .

2011-05-03T06:37:00.002-05:00

Jam Sandwiches -- boom arm test from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

DIY Steadicam Imitation Test from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

Spinning in the Backyard

2011-04-26T09:40:00.003-05:00

I've been shooting a lot of test footage with my video camera, seeing if I can get the "cinematic" look that all the new cameras promise.

I slowed the footage down to 5% using frame blending in Final Cut Pro, which I'm slowly learning my way around. My 2006 computer can't quite handle all the cool effects and stuff that FCP can do, but for normal editing stuff it's working great.

I've cast some friends in an upcoming Happy Kid Production called "Anecdote". It's a bit different tone than the silly stuff with Peja, but hopefully people dig it too. Stay tuned.

Candy Store -- A Film by Jay and Peja

2011-04-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Video Equipment. . .

2011-04-03T22:39:00.002-05:00

The Dreaded G.A.S.

2011-04-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

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. . .

2011-03-26T20:58:00.005-05:00

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

2011-02-15T00:18:00.002-05:00

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.

The Massie Johnson Combo. . .

2011-01-29T20:28:00.003-05:00

Kids are sleeping. Wife is working. Blogging time!

After 4 sleepless nights and days, I lost my head and bought some drum mics, then panicked, and bought different mics instead, and then panicked, and then finally got some sleep, and then decided that the mics were a good decision. I've always recorded my drums with 1 or 2 mics (I think I used 3 a couple of times), and I liked the sound, and mostly the simplicity of setting up 5 minutes. The new mics clamp on to the drums, or hang high above, or need to be carefully placed on stuff near by drums, and when they are all combined, they sound fucking (sorry mom) awesome and huge and punchy.

Sometimes Barn Flyz Kevin Cooke sent a cd from ottawa of a group he's been playing with - The Massie Johnson Combo, (link is to a youtube clip of dubious sound quality, but you can get a bit of an idea) which is really fantastic instrumental jazz/blues/r&b that makes me want to shoot a black and white 16mm film about walking down quiet early morning misty city streets. We're in discussions about him mixing the next bit of Barn Flyz music; he just may have persuaded me to let someone else have some control over the sonic aspects of my tunes.

Movie Review: True Grit. . .

2011-01-15T21:13:00.002-05:00

I took Sienna to the movies for the first time in 6 years.

We saw the Coen Brother's "True Grit".

There was a line-up for tickets, but apparently everyone else was going to see the Green Hornet or whatever else. We shared the theatre with one middle aged guy that came in 15 minutes late. Maybe he couldn't buy Seth Rogan as an action hero, ditched his 3-D glasses and wandered across the lobby. Either way, it was a quiet crowd.

Sienna bought a $7 bag of popcorn. It was f'n huge.

In film school, one of my instructors was always talking about how movies seem more entrancing then TV because the bigger screen makes your eyes move around and that keeps your brain more active. It's also nice if you're near-sighted like me. It's like a large print book in movie form.

The movie reminded me a bit of The Murder of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; it is set it a similar world. But the pace is much faster, the whole thing is under 2 hours. But the plot never feels rushed, everything has time to breathe and be noticed.

There is a man wearing a bear as outerwear.

I really enjoyed it.

You could go see it, if your wife likes seeing movies in theatres, and you never, ever, ever go with her, and by going together you will share an enjoyable afternoon in a dark room with a strange man and $7 popcorn.

I don't mean the other guy watching the movie was strange. Just that he was a stranger. I think. I wasn't wearing my glasses. He could've been my 3rd grade teacher.

Notes from the Recording Studio. . .

2011-01-09T11:00:00.003-05:00

I've been spending some time in the studio working on demos for a new record. I suffer from demo-itis a lot of the time; I make really fast sketches of songs that have a lot of energy, but lack polish. The plan is always to go back and do a "better" recording based on the demo. But, after listening to the sketch demo a few times, it becomes the song for me, and it's difficult to live with anything that doesn't have that same first-time energy.

3 steps down the road towards solving this problem:

1. Become a good enough player that I can get a great first or second take.

2. Work on song building (as opposed to writing) before hitting the record button.

3. Write down song structures so I don't have to relearn parts from quick demos.

Most of it involves planning and discipline. Not being lazy lazy lazy lazy lazy lazy lazy.

It took me two days to write this 200 word blog post.

Hmmmm. . .

MMXI

2011-01-01T23:14:00.002-05:00

Alright.

Now.

I resolve to formalize the time I spent on my creative efforts. Specific to discipline, be it film-making, writing, song-writing, music-recording, times will be allocated and regimented.

Regimented?

I'm not sure that works there.

Add time for editing.

Rewind. . . and play. . .

Specific to discipline, be it film-making, writing, song-writing, music-recording; times will be allocated and maintained.

Better?

I'm not sure.

It's all very confusing.

When I was trying to become an English teacher (alright, lets be fair, I was actually trying to not live in my parents basement forever, and maybe meet some girls), I decided that I would write a novel, get it published, and not need to complete the plan I already had grown bored and jaded with. So, I had never written anything longer than 4000 words. Books are like 80,000 words. Small books. So, like the German army at the end of WW2, instead of going, "well, it'll take me a week to write a quality 500 words, so I should probably plan to finish the novel in like 5 years", I instead picked a long-term goal, and then forced the short-term issue (side note, I wrote a really long side note explaining the WW2 analogy and then erased it because it seemed a bit much; email me for details). I wrote 500 words a day, no exceptions, editing in spare time, and a bit at the end, and wrote my novel in about 8 months. I have no illusions about it being a great work of fiction, but I got it done, published it myself, and I never look back and wonder what would've happened if I really tried to write a novel. I can go to my bookshelf.

I'm looking to regain my foolhardy aspirations and the discipline they require.

Also, I should stop staying up late and rambling on my blog. . .

And a big shout-out to anyone in England reading this. Man, I'm sure that Blogger's stats have no idea what's going on. Adam, do you know anything about their accuracy?

Toronto, Tony, and Jolly Ol' St. Nick. . .

2010-12-23T10:14:00.004-05:00

Played my first show in Toronto in 7 or 8 years. Thanks Nick and Steph for asking me along. The family came to the city and we hung with my awesome Aunt and Uncle (and don't forget cousin Tom!). The gig was at a little upstairs of a bar. The Peat Bros had a film crew there to try and capture their incredible live energy; made the performance a bit strange, with the audience back 10 feet while two bigs guys pointed cameras in our faces (alright, not so much in my face -- there's a reason the band is The Peat Brothers).

A very strange side note, and wearing my glasses for more than just the set could've helped here, but I managed not to recognize my good friend Anthony Addario, who was apparently playing drums for one of the other bands on the bill. 10 Years and we all look just different enough, I guess. So, Salut Tony! Glad to see you're still playing music. I'll catch up with you the next time we're randomly on a bill together in a city I nearly never visit -- or hopefully sooner!

Peja and Christopher recorded this song for Christopher's Grandparents' Christmas present. Enjoy!

Back to the Mansion. . .

2010-12-05T10:51:00.002-05:00

Here's a pic from the Peat Brothers show on Thursday in the Living Room at the Mansion. Nobody told me it was vest night. Or that I shouldn't look like I'm reading music charts.

Hauled the littlest P.A. ever to the Mansion last night for a 40th birthday party for my friend Mark. It was an open mic thing -- I was too busy last week to put any cover tunes together, but The Trash Daddies let me sit in and play some rhythm guitar with their second set, and I through in a shortened version of Weezer's Undone. The crowd was a bit older than me, and Mark kept singing "pull this string as I walk away" instead of "pull this thread. . .", but it was still very fun. I also managed to steal a piece of cake for Sienna. Oh yeah.

Another Peat Bros gig. . .

2010-12-03T08:38:00.003-05:00

Played some bass with The Peat Brothers last night at the Mansion. Once again they had some amazing fan support, and the sing-along on the last number was pretty awesome. I meant to take my camera and video-tape some of the set, but somewhere between finding a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, and drinking a litre or so of black tea trying to wake up, I forgot.

Next time.

Thanks again to the Peat Bros for inviting me, Sienna for minding the herd, and Ladies of the Canyon for letting us open for them.

Stats, and a Request. . .

2010-11-28T18:53:00.002-05:00

Blogger has a new feature, where you can look up the stats of your blog. Now, for a long time, thanks to my tech friend Adam Hewgill, I've been using google analytics to chart all your wonderful visits to this humble site. So, I had a pretty good idea (I thought) of the general traffic trends.

Now, google and blogger disagree as to the visitation patterns of y'all. By an order of magnitude.

We either have a very nice select number of visitors from Canada, mostly Ontario. Or, we have multitudes finding their way here from the US and UK (and a few from Canada). Now, I'll guess which one is more likely.

The real puzzle, of course, is that google owns and runs blogger.

I'll tell you what, if you're from the US or UK, please leave a comment and be counted!

Today I am 31. And Jimi Hendrix would've been 68.

2010-11-27T14:12:00.003-05:00

Somehow I spent 31 years without realizing that I share my birthday with Jimi Hendrix. Of course, I spent 15 without hearing, really hearing, his music.

I remember the first time I heard Hey Joe. It was on a tape that my friend and then band-mate Tony Addario had made for me (Tony had the eq on his stereo set up so when he made a mix tape, it was like he was remastering it, and no matter where you played it, it sounded like his stereo), and I was in grade 11, walking down the hall on the science floor of my high school. I remember being immersed by the haunting voices of the back-up singers milking extra syllables, and the guitar solo after Hendrix sings "I gave her the gun, and I shot her!" That song is everything I love about music. It's a simple heartfelt lyric; it's fantastic guitar playing; but it's not at all showy or overdone, and it's catchy as hell. I remember waiting in front of my locker for the song to finish before getting my books.

I spent the morning with my boy Echo. He is getting more interesting. He can walk, carry a basketball, and eats like a starving horse. He dances to good music and ignores bad music.

Thanks everyone who sent along their best wishes today, I had a very typical day, which is exactly how I wanted it.

A little while ago I did some guitar work on an album by a friend of mine, Wendy Luella Perkins. The album, "Lucky Life", is out now. It was recorded in the amazing North of Princess Studios. You can check out her website here.

Post Show. . .

2010-11-15T07:14:00.003-05:00

The Peat Brothers show came after a stretch of about 72 hrs in which I got about 4 hrs sleep. So, I was grading my performance on a bit of a curve. . . But it was great fun, and the brothers themselves put on a great show. I got to play through a huge ampeg SVT bass head and an 8x10 cab -- memories of former radical dudez / barn flyz / and current Stanford bass player Nick Kaars. . . The amp was super punchy; huge thanks to the bass player from Dinosaur Bones for sharing his rig.

The show was at Clark Hall Pub, which, faithful readers will remember, was the site of the very first Jay and the Barn Flyz show, as well as about 300 Radical Dudez shows. It's a campus bar, so it was a good chance to feel wicked old, but the kind staff turned it all around:

"Hey guys, can I see some identification?"

"Uh, sure. . . " (thinking, "what year is the latest year to be 19. . . 1991?" oooh, just squeeked in by two decades. . .)

Great crowd, great songs. I'm playing again with the Peat Brothers at the Mansion on December 2nd -- come check them out, you'll be very impressed.

Jay.

Vomit, Ankles, and a Gig

2010-11-07T12:28:00.003-05:00

I am home with a vomiting 6 year old, a 11 month old that hasn't slept more than 65 minutes in a row in 3 weeks, and a sprained ankle. Rock and roll.

I made it back to basketball this week, but the ankle is feeling pretty rough since, so I think I'll wait it out.

I'm playing a gig this Thursday with the Peat Brothers. I'm rockin' some bass. We've had a few rehearsals, and depending how many people are vomiting by Thursday, we might get one more in. The show is at Clark Hall Pub, which apparently reopened somewhere along the way. Back in the day, I play many a show there with the Radical Dudez, and the first ever live Jay and the Barn Flyz show was there.

Sienna is back at the hospital, helping keep the bank at bay. How long is 12 hours? Oh my.

Hope you enjoyed your extra hour.

Jay.

I fuc#ed up my ankle. . .

2010-10-30T21:17:00.002-05:00

There haven't been many basketball posts lately. . . The documentary is still being worked on, but somewhat slowed down by the above swelling.

In cooler news, I bought a hammond drawbar organ (240 lbs of fun!) and it's wicked awesome. Maybe some quick video of it coming soon, or at least some pictures.

Chris Scott, The Peat Brothers, and Echo. . .

2010-10-22T09:55:00.008-05:00

Had some good friends from the past drop by the house.

Simply the best front-wheel drive car fish-tailing driver I've ever been terrified with, Chris Scott, came by the house with his better half and met mine and my little ones. Cake was eaten. Inappropriate jokes were told to tepid response. More inappropriate jokes were told to silence. Still more were sent along in a follow-up Email. Phone-messages to follow.

From the 2007 incarnation of my band, and now of the Peat Brothers, Nick Peat came by the Sleeping Giant School of Music with his bro and some amazing 12 string, slide-strat, and a bit of hack bass from yours truly, was heard throughout the house. They'll be playing around Kingston in the next few months, catch them if you can, they are really something special.

Echo and I are hanging out today, Sienna is at work and then off to a kid's sale, Peja is at school and then off to a play-date. This will soon by out regular thing; Sienna is back at the hospital in November, and I'm assuming Peja won't get kicked out of school. But you never know. It's always the quiet ones.

The Big Show. . .

2010-10-07T10:42:00.002-05:00

Our best and biggest show ever was one that we put on with the amazing Central Public Parent Council last October. And, if you look up, way up, you'll see that our normal logo is gone, and instead is an amazing poster for the SECOND ANNUAL JAY AND THE BARN FLYZ @ CENTRAL SHOW! This year, along with a bake sale, there's going to be a cake raffle too!

Uh, alright, so that's not a normal rock and roll thing, but it's how we roll.

Skeleton Park, one of my favorite bands, has not only agreed to once again open the show, but Keiran, Skeleton Park singer and guitarist, is filling in for the usual Kevin/Damian bass battle. The other Kevins will be on hand.

Alright, me and Echo are going to go and poster for those few who don't visit this site daily.

Uh. . .

Elvis?

2010-08-19T21:55:00.005-05:00

Never Too Late. . .

2010-08-14T09:35:00.002-05:00

NEVER TOO LATE teaser 1 from Jay Middaugh on Vimeo.

2004

2010-07-21T13:17:00.003-05:00

Some kid's music that Peja and I recorded a while back is playing on my headphones.

I finally got around to figuring out how my hard-disk stand-alone recorder can export single tracks to my computer. My recorder does a fine job recording, and I have decent pre-amps, but it's mixing abilities, i.e. effects and compression, are noisy and can sound cheap.

So I've been doing some mixing with free free free Audacity, which feels a lot like the old sound editor on window 3.1 or whichever one was the last one that actually had windows, I remember isolating a Jim Morrison scream from a live show and looping it over some other stuff in my parents office in the cottage in Lake of Bays.

The difference, is that this track actually sounds pretty good, as far as it's sonic qualities (the song itself is very much a demo) It is easy easy easy to edit and stuff, and I imagine a shinier interface would make this kind of mixing easier that the layers of menus on my recorder.

I am so 2004.

Link to the Music School website, and a pictures of Echo and Me

2010-07-18T14:39:00.002-05:00

www.sleepinggiantschoolofmusic.com

Hat-Tip to my good friend Adam Hewgill who taught me everything I still don't know about the internet.

No, You're Weird. . .

2010-07-09T13:19:00.001-05:00

Are you telling me that you DON'T have a drum kit for every member of your family? Weird. . .

Orillia, Drum Kits, Weddings, Music Schools

2010-07-05T19:39:00.002-05:00

Hello! We just got back today from a 5 day weekend in Orillia with my folks. On Saturday we drove to Owen Sound to attend the wedding of our good friends Andy and Candace. Andy was the first bass player who ever played my songs in a band, and was always awesome to play with. Congrats guys!

Peja is standing next to a giant guitar art thing on the main street of Orillia. We bought an awesome little premier jazz kit, which will join my kit in the drum room of my. . . wait for it. . . NEW MUSIC SCHOOL!

After 4 amazing amazing years out in the township at The Dorian School of music, I'm opening my own shop downtown. It will be called "The Sleeping Giant School of Music", and there will be website links and all the rest posted when I get around to it. I'm still at Dorian for the summer, and the new shop will open Sept 1st! A huge thanks to Tim Tran, my friend and my boss, for working with me all these years at Dorian.

Hope all is well with you,

Jay.

Jay and the Kevins Reunion Show!

2010-06-22T07:33:00.003-05:00

We've been asked back to the Island Grill, so this coming Saturday, the 26th, ride the 7, 8, or 9 o'clock boat out to Wolfe Island and catch the show. Me Man Jack and other special guests will also be performing.

Damian can't make the show, so crowd favourite Kevin Cooke is flying back from Ottawa to rock the lefty 6 string bass. Yeah, Kevin Cooke!

Peja turned 6 this past Sunday, and she shared her day with my 7th father's day, which is pretty fun. It has been so cool getting to know her. The day before was the awesome Skeleton Park Music Festival, and Peja and I danced up a storm to the awesome music. There were even some Taiko drummers for Echo to hear -- one of his middle names is Taiko, so it seems like he should be exposed to it. . .

SHOW!

2010-05-25T23:01:00.001-05:00

Peguin Le Pas

2010-05-20T14:23:00.003-05:00

Fear not.

Things are afoot.

We just can't talk about them right now.

But they are afoot.

In non-music life news, we tore down a wall in our house. The house is still standing. I even moved some switches to a new location without electrocuting myself.

Got some sweet new hats for Peja's drum kit. Our band is reforming this summer. Look for us busking.

Oh, hey, I played a gig at the Chilean Relief Show. It was awesomely busy. The Speaker of the House of Commons, and one of The Tragically Hip guitarists were there. And me. Playing the song "Peguin Le Pas" that Peja and I wrote, while she stood beside me, happy but frozen in front of the crowd.

Me: "Uh, Peja are you okay?"

Peja: (frozen, smiling, barely audible) "Yes"

Me: "You want to stay up here with me"

Peja: (same) "Yes"

And so it went. I played a set on Bass with Kyra and Tully, which, aside from some sound issues, was good times.

Two of my favourite bands, Skeleton Park, and The Trash Daddies played sets as well, and they were rad.

Alright, off to teach some lessons.

Again, things are afoot.

Mid-Early-Morning Nap

2010-05-02T07:07:00.004-05:00

Hey, look, we used our tent! Alright, so it was a bug-shelter at a party. But it does have awesome round hobbit-like doors.

It is 8am. Echo fell asleep about 10 minutes ago. He often has a mid-early-morning nap, especially if he gets up early. He will likely sleep for 20-30 minutes. The clock is ticking.

Hey, did I talk about this yet? I'm going to record a single at an awesome recording studio that a friend of mine runs. I've spent a lot of time listening to old demos trying to find a good track to work on, and then, since this is a family-financed project, Sienna picked a track called "Empress of India" which didn't quite make it onto the "Echo" project. She says it's "catchy".

I'm playing at "A Roof For Chile", a relief effort fundraiser at The Mansion on May 8th. It's an all-day thing, so I'm not sure when I'm playing - I'll post set-times when I have them. Kyra and Tully are playing as well, so you might see me on Bass with them as well.

Oh, I hear little footsteps on the stairs!

Oh, it's Sienna heading out for a run. We're going to rock the Beat Beethoven run together in June. Well, we're going to start together. I feel like I might finish a few days later.

Hope all is well with you,

Jay.

Central Bears!

2010-04-20T09:16:00.005-05:00

Last friday was the end-of-season tournament for the Central Bears Junior Boys Basketball team. I'm sad to be through coaching for another year; it was a great season. We managed 2 practices a week (well, I managed 1. . . co-coaches are great things), and I ran a lunch-time pick-up game for additional scrimmaging. The team had 15 players, many of whom had never played organized basketball before, and they worked really hard and ended the year with a stellar 4-1-1 record. Nice job Bears!

10/04/10

2010-04-15T09:07:00.004-05:00

Rehearsal. . .

2010-04-06T16:52:00.005-05:00

Things I Don't Believe In vs. Things I Like

1. Easter Bunny vs. Chocolate Eggs

2. Jesus, Santa vs. Joy and Wonder in Childrens' Eyes

3. Commitment vs. Family

4. Rehearsal vs. Not Messing Up at Shows

So, this week I'm meeting a bit, now and again, against my belief system, with some of the Barn Flyz. New Bass dude Damian is rocking a fretless bass, and it sounds awesome. I think we might even all be in a room together one time before the show. Maybe.

A reminder, we are playing THIS SATURDAY AT 7pm! BE THERE! BE THERE!!!! It will be awesome. I promise! Like Santa, Jesus, the Easter Bunny all rolled into one, and playing rock and roll.

Thrush Hermit. . .

2010-03-29T13:44:00.002-05:00

We have a habit.

When our babies are 4 months old, we attend a kick-ass rock and roll show.

Kind people watch our babies late at night.

And we go to bars where our favourite musicians destroy us.

With little Peja, our good friend, and one of the original Barn Flyz, Brent "The Wheel" Ferris gave us his time so we could see an amazing set from Hayden. And with Echo, Sienna's childhood friend Carolyn and her buddy Mark-Jan, did their very best to keep our little monster happy while we relived our youths at Lee's Palace.

Thrush Hermit was introduced to me by my good friend Grady Kelneck, and seeing them live was probably the first toronto bar show I ever saw. I believe it was in 1997, and the gang of us walked to the venue (The Opera House), about 60 blocks, because we didn't understand the idea of "transfers" allowing us to get on buses after riding the subway. We got there at like 6pm or something, hours and hours before the show, because we wanted to be in front of the stage. Thrush hermit pulled up in a rented RV, because their venerable short-bus had broken down. We helped them carry in their gear, including their famed rock&roll sign, and hung out in the bar until they kicked us out before sound check. They were the 5th band on the bill, and after the 20 miles we had walked, and the three hours of standing in line, and the 2 hours of standing at the front waiting for them to play, I was pretty much ready to curl into a ball and sleep for a thousand years. But right as I was ready to die, they played this song "sorry if your heart as no more room" and it just connected with me and I didn't feel tired, my feet stopped aching, and it was perfect.

Sienna and I had a similar day, with a baby in tow, with a 2 hour train ride, miles of walking, but when Thrush Hermit took the stage on Saturday night, every single song had the energy to lift our spirits and heal our wounds. I have never enjoyed a show more. They made me believe in rock and roll, and I don't care how lame that sounds.

Our New Stereo

2010-03-20T13:39:00.002-05:00

Our New Stereo is amazing.

It streams music from our computer's hard-drive wirelessly.

It can be controlled by our i-Touch or our computer.

It was set up in 5 minutes.

It is completely self-contained, speakers and all, in a 16"x5"x10" space.

It sounds awesome and huge.

If we buy more, they will talk to each-other and play the same music or different music at the same time.

It remembers my birthday.

It makes breakfast.

It writes letters to my aging grandmothers and asks them how they are doing.

It gets up with Peja when she has nightmares and plays soft music until she falls asleep.

It changes Echo's shitty diapers and washes them out in the toilet.

It is magic.

P-Guy's B-Day Bash

2010-03-17T14:03:00.006-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Back in K-town after 4 days in Orillia, including a party down in Barrie with my nephew Peyton, who celebrated his first birthday. Happy birthday P-guy!

One of the Kevins moved to Ottawa, one is on vacation, and one is in Toronto. At rehearsal today, it was quickly voted that we should have a snack and answer emails. And we did.

Busy preparing applications for Summer festivals. Oh, the summer festivals. Cross your fingers, and you might see us on a big outdoor stage nearby somewhere.

Hope all is well,

Jay.

Garden Show - Portsmouth Harbour

2010-03-06T19:30:00.004-05:00

So, after a rousing performance described by some as "that was nice" and others as "can you turn it down a bit" three years ago, I returned to the Portsmouth Harbor building and played again for the Lung Association's Garden Show. It's a background music thing, so people can mill around and look at landscaping fabric solutions. I played super mellow, which was handy, in that my voice hasn't really returned from the cold Peja gave us all.

Apparently, someone had seen me before -- they recognized my guitar. . . Which is kind of like being a model and being remembered for your watch, but I'll take what I can get.

Thanks to Nancy the volunteer for fixing the spelling of my name on the sign, and for buying a cd -- awesome!

The April 10th show will definitely involve Kevin Bowers, and most likely Me Man Jack. More details as they come into focus.

Hope you are well.

April Show

2010-03-04T13:00:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone, we're heading back to NeXt church on Saturday April 10th.

Other Acts TBA

Time/Cost TBA

Bake sale? Oh, there'd better be a bake sale.

Hope you are well.

Oh, and thanks for watching our YOUTUBE channel so much. . .

Take care,

Jay.

Chatting with Peja -- Episode 13

2010-02-26T11:42:00.000-05:00

Another Promotional Video. . .

2010-02-25T17:19:00.003-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOlx3H-6h_A

I can't get the embedding to work, so instead, click the link above to check it out.

I'll fix it soon.

Hey look -- I fixed it!

Hey, look, it's a baby!

Jay.

ECHO Promo Video. . .

2010-02-21T18:15:00.000-05:00

TRACK FROM NEW ALBUM

2010-02-19T19:37:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, up over there, if you check out the Barn Flyz song of the day thing, you can hear the brand new recording of "Society Dames" from the new record. Shine your shoes, put on your best white gloves and top hat, and check it out.

Clay Cat says, "I like the song!"

Posters. . .

2010-02-11T11:50:00.003-05:00

My dad printed up some posters to help advertise the new record. Alright, the picture is nothing new. But, still. . . Posters?? ? ? The new album is available from me. Or at my work. That is all for now. I'm not sure if having it in stores really makes any difference. I sold one in a store with "Songs for my Seaweed Girl". One copy. To my friend Andy. Who makes cool films. The band does seem to be better known now, and even the presence of a new record and some buzz thereabouts, but I'm hesitant to put stock in stores, when I can just sell it myself and either make more money, or charge less. Any thoughts?

Peja got this awesome new piano book called "My First Piano Adventure". It has great stuff in it like hitting all the sets of two black keys and stuff. It really invites kids to explore the whole keyboard without knowing all the notes. I recommend it.

In other news, I bought a new camera. . . You can see it there in Peja's eye. It's a JVC Everio or something like that. I bought it from a very nice army guy who's wife let him buy it 3 years ago when he got back from overseas. Retail? $1300. My cost? $160. For a 3CCD video/still camera. Madness. Story ideas for the first official music video from ECHO are in the air. All involve Peja, Basketball, or both.

Under My Hood I Have a Hat

2010-02-08T10:52:00.004-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to Next Church for the gig on Friday. I got to kindly play a solo acoustic set during a concert put on by some amazing home school parents. Thanks to Ice on Fire, Lockdown, and Mars for sharing the stage with me. I sold some cd's, which was cool, and the gig made enough money to share with the musicians (better than I normally do!). Thanks to my boss Tim, who kindly volunteered his services as sound guy. It was a great night of local music, and had the vibe I always want at my shows.

Set List:

Thinkin' About You (radiohead cover)

Beautiful Solitary

City Lights

Sharon

When She Says I Do.

Oh, and the best part of the night -- one of my former students, a 6 year old named Austin, was there, and he walked over to me during sound check and handed me an envelope.

"Hey Austin, how are you?"

"Open it!"

"It's for me?"

"Open it! It's a picture I made for you, you can hang it on your wall, and a puzzle!"

The puzzle was titled, "under my hood I have a hat", which I think is an awesome title for anything. The puzzle was challenging, but rewarding.

Some more pictures from the cd release show. . .

2010-01-29T22:07:00.003-05:00

These pictures were taken by Kev's gal-pal Emma. Thanks Emma! That's Kev on the drums, Kev on the lead guitar, and Kev on the Bass. Oh, the Kevin jokes. They never get old. . . Ha, ah, ah. . . Hmmmmm. . . It's the same name! Isn't that wacky!? All of them! Kevins!

More Pics to Follow. . .

2010-01-26T12:03:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the Mansion, Solange Lacroix, Brian Flynn, and everyone who braved the rain for our cd release show. I had an awesome time, and without a doubt it was our best show yet.

Set List:

Fake Blonde Girls

Society Dames

Rusty Voices

Beautiful Solitary

City Lights

Autumn with its Leaves and Perfect Stars

Jimmie

The United Stars

Hide and Seek

Something Here that Reminds Me of You

When She Says I Do

The Barn Flyz Were:

Bass: Kevin Cooke

Lead Guitar: Kevin Bowers

Drums: Kevin Holloway

Jay: Jay

Stay tuned for upcoming gigs. . .

SHOW TOMORROW!!!

2010-01-23T11:36:00.004-05:00

Kevins are all in town.

Full band rehearsal in 1.5 hours.

Show in 30 hours.

Come see us rock. Tell your friends. Pick your friends up -- carpool to the show. I'll give you one of my free drinks. No, really, I will.

10 things that I have to do before the big show. . .

2010-01-16T19:47:00.003-05:00

1. Have all band members in same room for at least 5 minutes.

2. Have all band members in same city for at least 5 minutes.

3. Try to make rehearsal, otherwise, leave detailed notes for bandmembers.

4. Poster outdoor poster locations (indoor locations handled today by me, Peja, and Echo).

5. Email/Facebook everyone I know 6 times to guilt them into coming. Also guilt them into guilting all their facebook/email contacts into coming too. And theirs. And theirs. Avoid litigation for pyramid scheming.

6. Get hair cut, trim beard. Resist temptations for short hair / clean face.

7. Wash baby puke stains out of at least 1 shirt/pant combo (no, not a jumpsuit, although that would be awesome).

8. Decide on price scheme for cd release.

9. Think of at least 11 clever things to say / stories to tell, without dropping f bombs, for between song banter. (at least 3 of them will be variations on the joke about all the guys in the band being named Kevin. . .) I'm open to suggestions. . .

10. Ignore 938382 items not on this list until last second, panick, and complete them all minutes before stage time.

For What It's Worth. . .

2010-01-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

CD's. . .

2010-01-12T16:13:00.003-05:00

Just dropped off the posters for the show at The Mansion.

Kinda felt a bit small-time, with my home-made efforts next to a lot of amazing graphics and stuff; they have a great wall of band posters when you walk in the door. It's funny, 'cause I actually had my dad print up a whole wack of large colour posters, all of which would look great, but they got folded and crushed along the way. I guess I didn't figure it would take 5 years for the band to actually start playing shows on a more regular basis (is that what we're doing?). I should see if he still has those files from the posters to print a few more for venues.

I was talking to Sienna about posters, and how, if you're not a "name" band, what good it actually does you to spend time/money plastering the city with the name of your venue. I can't remember anyone ever coming to one of my shows because they saw a poster, even when we got really good turn-outs, I felt like I knew everyone there; which is a nice thing. I guess it puts the name out there, so the next time they see a poster, they're like, "oh, yeah, I've heard of the them" and then maybe 10 more times down the road, they decide to see a show because one of their friends is going. . . I don't know.

Eitherway, look for our posters downtown, in store windows and official poster places only, because apparently, The Mansion gets ticketed if their shows break bylaws. I know I can legally poster for shows, as a private person, but I guess it gets messy with an establishment.

Oh, the most exciting thing -- the CD's arrived today! They look awesome, and I'll post pictures of my children holding them in awe and wonder a.s.a.p. The album will be for sale at the cd release show, and after that from me, and maybe a few small downtown locations (the efficacy of putting product in stores seems only slightly higher than postering. . .)

So, again, JAN 24, THE MANSION (in the living room), 7:30 PM (NEW TIME). $5 for big people, free for little people. They also have great food if you want to catch dinner first.

Hey, look, it's Bruce Cockburn, and, and -- me? Really?

2010-01-08T23:37:00.000-05:00

Kyra and Tully w/ Bruce Cockburn - 'Let It Ride' - Live from Lenny Epstein on Vimeo.

Everyone's named Kevin

2010-01-04T15:05:00.004-05:00

Confirmed 2/3rds of the Kevins for the gig. Pretty certain we'll get the other one.

Still working on confirming a great opening act -- cross your fingers.

Poster is almost ready.

Hope your holiday was awesome.

Jay.

Echo's First Christmas. . .

2009-12-29T18:52:00.003-05:00

Christmas day, according to Peja:

"I got my stocking when I woke up, and then I got my presents, and then everybody else got their presents as well and when I opened my stocking there was lots of stuff in it, more than Echo had. Me and Gramma Gramma made a gingerbread-house made of candies. We went to Muskoka to see Grandma Gert. We went and had a sled ride. We had turkey dinner, we had a. . . veggie turkey? Tofurkey, I mean. The power went out at dinner time. We put lots of candles up. It was nice."

We're back in K-town after a nice visit with *ahem* taradentonpeytondadmomgrandmagertgrandmaspryauntielyndaunclerobinkevintom. . . Nice to see you all!

I'm pulling together details for the Jan 24th show. I was hoping to have Skeleton Park open, but apparently, they'll be in the middle of exams (those crazy studious kids). The Trash Daddies (who also played at our last show) are getting back to me with their availability. They're a great folk quartet/quintet with great harmonies and arrangements.

I'll post the show poster when I get it down (hopefully asap)

Take care,

Jay.

From all of us. . .

2009-12-22T15:58:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Album Art

2009-12-21T14:27:00.002-05:00

Hey, look up! Stay tuned for new song previews, music videos, and other careful designs to win your attention towards buying our new record!

Oh, yeah, it's called ECHO. . . Every new baby needs an album named after them.

How You Got Here. . .

2009-12-20T14:55:00.002-05:00

Alright, so, with the new record (details ASAP) coming out soon soon soon, there is a shift. Our old beloved jayandthebarnflyz.com, designed by the amazing Adam Hewgill, has been sent out to pasture. It served us well, and we will remember it fondly. Now, we all gather here instead. I'll be working on the layout and functionality of the blog as we go forward, to replicate some of the functionality of the old site.

That is to say, this is now www.jayandthebarnflyz.com.

Enjoy!

P.S. Oh, don't worry, I'll still mostly post about basketball and my early midlife crisis.

CD RELEASE SHOW ACTION

2009-12-20T00:59:00.002-05:00

Just booked the Living Room (the upstairs of The Mansion) for Sunday, Jan 24th to release the umpteenth Jay and the Barn Flyz album.

If you happen to play in the band, maybe let me know if that works for you.

Details as they surface.

Jay.

XKCD sums it up for us. . .

2009-12-12T22:05:00.008-05:00

Movie Review: Funny People (2009)

2009-12-07T19:39:00.003-05:00

I gave up on the ol' film world in 2000, when I dropped out film school and drove to my parents basement and locked myself inside my head.

It took a long time for me to forgive hollywood.

In highschool, my friend Chris and I worked at a Video Rental Store. We'd watch "Happy Gilmore", "Billy Madison", "Tommy Boy", and "Black Sheep". And I think Funny People is the perfect movie for people who loved those movies 15 years ago.

Adam Sandler nearly stars as himself, and aging star of past comedy mega-hits, who discovers he's dying and returns to stand-up comedy, blah, blah, blah, young comic Seth Rogan, blah, blah, blah.

There's a dreamy vibe to the picture, a super smooth flow that I'm not entirely un-acscribing (not a word) to the general sleep deprivation around this house, but that vibe is what made Good Will Hunting so much more than it's script.

It's long as hell, and it's not really a comedy, but it is funny.

So, in conclusion (that's a Jeff Middaugh ending right there, sorry, Dr. Jeff Middaugh), go check it out. It's awesome.

Final Grade -- A+

To Do List

2009-11-30T10:17:00.002-05:00

1. Finish Album Art -- Timeline: This Week

2. Release New Album -- Timeline: Januaryish

3. Plan/Perform CD Release Show -- Timeline: Januaryish

4. Toilet Train baby Echo -- Timeline: 18-30 months

5. Trim Beard -- Timeline: This Morning

6. Write Joke to end To Do List -- Timeline: A.S.A.P.

7. Fail at writing joke to end To Do List: Timeline: Now

8. Begin Rambling comment on lack of joke, as joke, but fail regardless -- Timeline: Now

9. Plan new life in Siberia as Sheep Herder / Horse Shoer -- Timeline: Soon

10. Fail to convince wife of merits of plan -- Timeline: Later

11. Steal Baby Echo and head out for Siberia. The Middaugh men shall survive! -- Timeline: 6 am.

12. Return when it is apparent to all that I cannot lactate -- Timeline: 6:05 am.

13. Steal Peja instead, try to convince her that she wasn't my 2nd choice -- Timeline 6:10 am.

14. Victory! -- Timeline: Inevitable, but indefinite.

"I'm Bruce's girlfriend, from the story he just told on stage. . ."

2009-11-24T18:30:00.004-05:00

Across the hallway here at the Dorian School of Music, someone is learning to play Van Halen's "Eruption".

Note by note.

Indeed.

This weekend, Kyra and Tully released 3 years of work on cd. I played bass at the CD release show, which was headlined by Jenn Grant, and featured a not-so-surprise guest spot by Bruce Cockburn, who even brought along his very own stalker. She introduced herself to me as "Bruce's Girlfriend" and repeated a story he had told on stage about his girlfriend as proof. A janitor nearby bought her tail and let her in through the locked back-stage area. I followed, since I belonged there, and didn't want to take the long way around. She was completely non-violent, and when asked to leave, she left. Bruce was understandibly annoyed, but very gracious and said, "I forgive whatever you've done", which I think is a pretty good line as people haul away someone fixated on you.

I didn't have much of a chance to talk to him, just an awkward "band in the kitchen" bit of time where we talked about my new baby, and he made jokes about iraq that he meant to be about afganistan, and then corrected himself.

He joined us for one tune, and he was awesome. After our set, he played 3 songs, and they were all fantastic. I don't meant they were fantastic songs, because I'm not sure I would every buy a cd with them on it, but the performances were breathtaking. He was buy himself on stage, and he filled the room with his guitar and voice, and just left absolutely no doubt why he's the famous one. The crowd would've stayed for 100 more songs.

I missed Jenn Grant's set, as I was home rocking my new son, and talking with my parents, who were in town. And since she reads this blog, my sister joined us in the morning, and had a big-sister pow-wow with Peja, wherein they went to indigo and bought a book about princesses.

Thanks to Kyra and Tully for risking my not being there (Echo could've been born much closer to the show and forced me to cancel) and allowing me to participate in an awesome night of music in Kingston.

Baby Echo

2009-11-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

Yet another short film. . .

2009-11-15T18:22:00.002-05:00

Content. . .

2009-11-14T16:52:00.002-05:00

Alright, there's nothing actually new on the site, but I embedded a few more videos over there on the right side, and added a new old song on the "song of the day" whatever thing. I started out changing it all the time, and I'd like to keep that up. Maybe as the new album release approaches (date TBA) I'll start putting individual tunes on there. The one video, "swings with Peja" has an early mix of what will likely be the opening track.

200 songs in. . .

2009-11-13T08:14:00.003-05:00

My iTunes Stats for Jay and the Barn Flyz:

200 Songs

8.5 Hours

Yowza. . . .

We shall someday make a mighty box-set. . . If box sets still exist. . . Which they won't. . .

New Record is inching closer. . . Closer. . . Closer. . .

New Baby is inching closer. . . Closer. . . Closer. . .

It's a race!

My love of Weezer. . .

2009-11-04T23:40:00.002-05:00

Alright.

I already did my review of the new weezer single. In short, I thought it was awesome.

I got my copy of the album. . . It is. . . Uh. . . I'm going to give it a few more listens. . .

What is totally, and amazingly kick ass, is the two songs they played on Letterman last week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i2K901_rAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlvLGc6kaUY

So, there are at least two great songs on the record (at least 3 on the deluxe edition with "the prettiest girl in the whole wide world" as the third), and they go from great to unbelievable when supported by the CBS Orchestra. Might've topped the legendary "Say it Ain't So" when Rivers had his leg in a huge metal cage under his baggy pants and couldn't move at all, while Matt Sharp hit his bass with the fury of a dying sun. Weez fans are going to disagree with me to the death, but I think there's something about these two clips that transcends.

Kyra and Tully November 21st!

2009-11-03T14:24:00.002-05:00

Hey, did I talk about this yet?

Kyra and Tully (for whom I play some bass now and again) are releasing an awesome new album (on which I play a bit of drums) at a great big concert with Jenn Grant headlining. It's November 21st at 7pm.

Now, the secret news, and this isn't for print media, but apparently on the internet is alright (or, very quickly you will see this post vanish), but a certain Canadian legend is going to come and play a few tunes. I can't say his name, but it rhymes with Spruce Cockburn. And, if I had a rocket launcher, I'd make somebody pay. Still not clear?

New furnace installed today. Thanks Roland! We are 2 different kinds of warm now.

Scammed an H1N1 shot by going with my girls when they got theirs. Yeah! Take that, flu! Or, rather, in 9 days when it kicks in. . . 'Till then you can just leave me alone. . .

Daylight Savings. . .

2009-10-31T22:51:00.004-05:00

I should go to bed.

It's late for an old man.

Well, late old time.

Not too late new time.

Let's go with the new time.

Although, unless I sneak into Peja's room and change her clock, she's going to wake me up on Daylight Savings time instead of regular old-fashioned time. Hmmmm. . .

Halloween was a great success, although Peja's concept of who the candy REALLY belongs to continues to sway toward the generally held belief, and away from my vision. . . Alas. . .

I'll also come right out and admit that the Princess Leia costume wasn't 100% Peja's idea. . . But she looked awesome and got lots of compliments. Thanks Sienna and Michiko for making the dress!

Got some art thrown together for the record using pics from the summer in muskoka and around Kingston. I think Peja took one of them, and Sienna took the other.

Quick shout out to Baby PJ and his very first halloween -- hope you rocked it proper, nephew!

BOO!

Jay.

Closer and Closer

2009-10-26T13:59:00.003-05:00

One kid back to school, and one Preggers back on her feet, so it's time to carry on.

I remixed and remastered 2 tracks yesterday, and I think we're getting closer to the record being done. Normally, I have all the artwork done long before the songs are even chosen, but this time I don't have anything put together. . . Send your drawings to jayandthebarnflyz@hotmail.com? Uh. . . No? Alright. I'll think of something.

Also creeping up is this baby thing. . . Sienna is 37 weeks, so that's full-term, so it's kinda anytime now. . . Hmmm. . .

It was nice to be back at Peja's school this morning. It was picture-day, as well as a library field-trip, so it was a good day to go back. We walked in the door and one of her friends ran up yelling, "Peja's back!" and gave her a hug. No hugs for me, but I got to move the basketball net out of the way so they could shoot the class picture. It's nice to feel needed.

I have to figure out and consult with my illustrious webmaster Adam about the redesign for the new album.

I've played 3 or 4 games at the Central Basketball Parent/Teacher league, and it's been really fun. The gym is small, but we play 3 on 3, and without a transition zone (I think 3 point lines would touch at mid court) running up and down doesn't tire people out and it's a fast game all night. There are some great players, and always great passing. And I'm kinda tall there. . . Yeah!

Hope you are well.

Jay.

Three Letters

2009-10-24T08:26:00.001-05:00

FLU

Back soon.

Love,

Jay.

super-fuzz

2009-10-20T16:06:00.003-05:00

Burned a copy of the would-be CD.

Took it on a drive.

Want to remix the first song.

A new bass track was recorded since the last mix, and although it has none of the wrong notes from the scratch take, it also has none of the super-fuzz that made the track come alive. Might be able to fix it by running it through a filter or something. . . It's a short song called "Revenge" and it's about our old lap to getting swiped.

Traffic was too light, so I didn't get to the end, so the drive home might reveal further issues.

Packaging ideas are going around. Lots of votes for digipaks, so maybe we'll go down that road again.

My girls are sick sick sick. I am going to make a giant fruit smoothie when I get home, just in case whatever they have gets any ideas.

Hope you are well.

Mario and Mixing

2009-10-18T16:13:00.003-05:00

Playing super mario 3 with (for) a feverish Peja bear. We beat the ice world, and I'm 9 years old, in my next door neighbor's basement, amazed at the huge world that the nintendo programmers squeezed out of 8 bit graphics and the memory on the chip of your credit card, confident that I had seen the greatest thing ever.

Mixed a few more songs. Depending on re-recordings, the album might be getting close to finished. Stay tuned.

Thanksgiving for Peja

2009-10-12T14:17:00.003-05:00

(in no particular order)

1. Hang with her uncle Kevin

2. Visit her 2 Great Grandmas

3. Stay with Gramma Gramma and Grandaddy Paul

4. Visit her Auntie T, Cousin PJ, and Uncle D

5. Share a meal with Great Auntie Lynda

6. Chill up in a tree while I hung lights on it's high branches.

6. Be told a story by Great Uncle Robin, in which a giant and a tiny little girl made friends.

7. Walk Sam the dog.

8. Return to Kingston, catch a friend walking by the house within 15 minutes of being home, rock a play-date.

Why the Songs are All So Short

2009-10-07T12:06:00.003-05:00

These songs have been around for a while.

I'm working on one that is way too long.

6 minute song = 6 minute for a take, 6 minutes to listen back -- only 5 takes an hour. So, let's say you want an average of 4 takes per track (which, let's not kid ourselves about our abilities, is probably low low low), and there are, say, 10 tracks, that's. . . Uh, carry the 4. . . A hell of a long time to get the song up on it's feet.

The tune is called "New Year's Eve"

In the plot of the song, I play a bartender.

It's coming along.

Hope you are well.

Post Show. . .

2009-10-04T08:12:00.002-05:00

Pics / Video to follow soon.

The show was, without a doubt, the most successful of this band's existance.

We owe this to the great bands we shared the bill with -- Skeleton Park, and The Trash Daddies -- and to the amazing parent council at Central Public -- Sharon, Lea, Rae, et al -- and to the staff at Central -- Chris, Val, et al -- and to the amazing community that not only comes out to family concerts, but help set up / tear down, bake amazing food for the bake sale, and dance their hearts out.

Oh, and I can't forget my boss Tim Tran from the Dorian School of Music who loaned us all the sound gear at no charge! Thanks Tim!

Set List:

Society Dames

Rusty Voices

Hide & Seek

City Lights (featuring Kevin Bowers on lead guitar)

Autumn with it's Leaves and Perfect Stars

Fake Blonde Girls

It's Coming Down

Something Here that Reminds Me of You

The United Stars

Say it to Me Now (Glen Hansard cover)

I need to thank my awesome band mates -- The Kevins again went above and beyond to support this little band.

The Barn Flyz Were:

Kevin Cooke -- Bass

Kevin Holloway -- Drums

Jay was:

Jay.

Drum Loop Song

2009-09-29T17:07:00.003-05:00

3 days until the show. The cold that Peja gave me is still around, but improving daily; here's hoping the voice returns in time. . .

The white-board list continues to be juggled around. This strange drum-looped song is trying to break into the list. It's short, and a demo of it was circulated to little fanfare a while back, but I re-arranged and re-recorded it, and I think it's greatly improved. The lyric is about taking Sienna to see a Parkas show in my hometown over thankgiving weekend a few years ago. I hadn't been in my hometown in a couple of years, and I hadn't seen a lot of the people at the show in a good 5 years. There was a feeling that it was likely the last time I'd be in the enviroment that I lived in during highschool. It felt less like a reunion and more like a final fairwell. And the band was very very good.

So, right here would be a good time to play you a sample of the song, or the whole song, or have a music video with the song behind it. . . Uh, sorry about that.

Hope you are well.

Jay.

Car-Testing the new Songs

2009-09-27T20:42:00.005-05:00

Sienna took Peja downtown in the rain today, so I had a bit of time in the studio to mix down some tracks. I have a ever changing list going on a white-board beside the keyboard. There are about 15 tracks, in different stages of the process. After today's work, I think 5 tracks might be ready for the final disc. Peja and I took the CD/R out to the station wagon (gotta check stuff on the car stereo) and while throwing stuffed animals at each-other (her in the very back, me in the front, with the back-seat as a sort of demilitarized zone, the mixes sounded good. I hope that y'all enjoy the songs when the record comes out.

I'm not really sure what format the album will take. . . I can't imagine doing a big expensive thing again. I liked the look/feel of the digipak on "Songs for my Seaweed Girl", but it costs so so so so much. Thoughts? Ideas?

Big thanks to the whole crew at Central Public for spreading the word about the show. You are an awesome group of people. Bake Sale? Oh yes. Turkey Raffle? You know it. It's all happen October 2nd, 7pm, Central Public.

The window for the baby is now 5 to 9 weeks away. No, really. 5 weeks. Could be.