Ever since Ian Svenonius included “Beautiful dreamer” into a playlist he made for us almost 2 years a go, we’ve been gaga over Jeremy Jay.
As Jesse said: “He is exactly the kind of artist BYT readers would go nuts for. Reverby cool doo-wop + icy disco + at least one song that has the lyrics “sometimes we gallop/ over moonbeams”, and he was right.
Jeremy, who was born to a French mother and carries a love for well fitted pants, Francoise Hardy and nouvelle vague has been storming the hearts and souls of everyone with a heart and soul worth storming with his Johnathan Richmanesque melodies and impeccable style.
He has a new record out now on K records AND is playing a show @ Velvet Lounge this Sunday (with Exactly). So, naturally, we asked EXACTLY to send a few questions over for JJ, you know, so they and you can get acquainted.
Enjoy, with free MP3s on bottom.
How was the European tour?
The European Tour was great! We started on Valentines day in Koln Germany and our last show was in Paris on MArch 14th. We had a total blast. We played the slow dance lp and also the Love Everlasting single.
Have you had a warmer reception stateside or on those continental shores?
i think both, the us and ith eeuropean shows go really well.
Words like “icy” and “noir” are often used to describe your music. Can it be listened to on a beach?
Maybe at night.
On one of your myspace blogs, you mentioned an affinity for the seminal North Carolina band Polvo. Do you have a favorite record of theirs?
I think one of my most favorite songs of theirs is Celebrate the new dark age.
Is Polvo an influence on your music or songwriting? Are there any other bands that have influenced you that reviewers don’t usually mention?
Polvo was actually a really big influence on me early on. If you listen to a lot of the early demos its really obvious.
We can’t help but hear an Ian Svenonius influence in some of your jams. We Were There, for example, has some very Svenonian “yeah” yelps. Are we imagining this, or are you a Svenonius fan?
I’m sorry but svenonius was not the first person th say Yeah.
You’ve recorded with Calvin Johnson at Dub Narcotic, and all of your releases have been on K. Even your packaging seems to have a K Records aesthetic (thinking of the Airwalker EP in particular here). You seem to be pretty closely associated with the label in a way that is becoming rare today but that was more common in the 90’s. How did you get involved with Calvin and/or with K? Do you think of yourself as a “K records artist” (whatever that means) or is it more of a business relationship?
Well everyone at K is a friend of mine or has become one over time. I think of myself as an Artist not a K artist that’s silly. They are just friends of mine who believe in Me and support me and encourage me.
Are you going to be spending time in DC at all, or just playing and hitting the road? Is there anything you’d want to see in our nation’s capitol on a fine spring day, like Sunday?
wow, im not sure. I was to see what exhibits are showing at the museums in town. Thats one of my most favorite things to do:)
Want more:
score the MP3 for In this Lonely Town right here, for real
socialize with jeremy online @: http://www.myspace.com/jeremyjay
and don’t miss the Sunday show @ Velvet Lounge
Yes, many artists have said “yeah”. Point taken. But at least with the Make-Up, the word “yeah” was like 40% of all the lyrics (which was awesome). Just check out After Dark. The only competition I can tink of for yeah-ness might be White Zombie. More Human than Human is kind of “yeah” oriented.
April 24, 2009 at 4:02 pm