By Chloe Schildhause
LA's Jeremy Jay has been preparing for his San Francisco performance at the Rickshaw Stop this Thursday, Nov. 6, by relaxing in Paris.
After his European Tour, Jay decided to stay a little bit longer in what he calls “one of the best cities in the world.” He was in the City of Light when we spoke by phone. “I will be also living in Paris starting Jan. 1," he said. "I already have a flat here, too. I love it here in Paris.” This month he reluctantly returns to the States to perform for his American fan base.
Jay’s deep voice perfectly accents the slow rhythms of his music. He sings of slow dancing, wearing blue fur coats in Aspen, and heavenly creatures who cast “their tracks in wet cement ground.” "Slow Dance" is Jay’s personal favorite off his new LP, which comes out in March ’09. The tune could totally fit into The Labyrinth: Jay’s dramatic singing wafts alongside '80s-vibe piano scales. The tune is ultra-mystical.
Jay crafts poetic lyrics that frolic on the fantasy side of life - not quite unicorns, but close - yet it’s his style that catches a listener's attention. His retro-European look, tall stature, and long dirty blond locks evoke a preppy David Bowie. In response to my summarization of his style Jay acknowledged, “Well, I do like David Bowie. He is an inspiration to me, as with all of London in the '60s and '70s. But I definitely know I am me.”
Jay's style icons include Francoise Hardy, Nico, and Anna Karina: "Currently I love classic and simple.” And of course, Paris has provided him with inspiration. Jay was raised speaking the languagel, thanks to his French mother Madeline Dussuet, but he confessed that right now his French is “pretty rusty - actually rusty-faucet rusty.” That should change when he moves there permanently early next year. Who knows, he may start singing in French.
Paris, he said, is “one of the best metropolitan cities to live in.” Jay said. “There are things about LA I love like the weather, my apartment, the area in which I live. I feel that in order to accomplish a certain perspective one must become a jet-setting globetrotter and really experience the world.”
This goes beyond Earth. “I think I would like to go in space, too, one day," he added. "When I read the book 2001, I felt for a second that I was in space and I actually got scared.”
Jay may love French culture and be willing to break from this planet to explore, but there is one thing the vocalist won’t stand for. “Snails are high on the list of things I refuse to eat.” said Jay. “Apparently a lot of people like it. I've never understood that if you have all these good things on a menu, why would you pick the ones that aren’t so good like snails. You could pick cheese and olives or anything else, but some people don’t - they choose snails. I don’t understand.”
JEREMY JAY
With Musee Mcanique, and Donuts DJs
Thurs/6, 8 p.m., $10
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
digg •
del.icio.us •
sphere •
google
•
