Batty Boy music video! with cameos from Latrice Royale from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Wrekonize from ¡MAYDAY!
NEW BLUEJAY ALBUM - MERCURY - COMING 10.23.2012
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1113383927/mercury-new-album-by-bluejay
By Brooklyn Grey
Great voices are hard to come by, even harder to keep hearing
for years to come, Jay Thomas is one of those rare voices. Not
just because, of the lyrical content of his work but, the melodic
undertones of his voice and how special it is. It’s gorgeous, soothing,
seductive, loving, raw, empowering to epic proportions.
Being raised around great jazz musicians, singers and chanteuses,
Ican tell you that honestly Jay Thomas is the real deal. Going by the moniker
Bluejay, he has proven that musically and lyrically that he only evolves with
time, inspiration and each project.
If there is one thing for certain, this songbird is here to stay and don’t be suprised
if down the road his music becomes required listening on unsung, strong musical
storytellers in schools or for any music lover. This bird will soar and soar to new
heights.
As a fellow artist I have been familiar with you for
sometime, but, for those uninformed on all things
Bluejay, Tell us a little about you.
My name is Jay Thomas and I’m an independent songwriter
working out of Tallahassee, Florida. “Bluejay” is me, but it’s
also a band name. The title is intentionally versatile.
Your sound at first glance is vintage with experimental splashes and
at other times, it sounds almost whimsical & ethereal. What genres
weave together the layers that make up your sound?
After a couple years of living in Tallahassee, I fell into the
Folk scene. I started writing songs with friends, and I think
we just called it folk because we were working with rural
themes, and using acoustic instruments.
I think Goblins displays a lot of folk-ish qualities in songs like
Tallahassee Song, but I’m also into creating darker and more
expansive songs.
Some of your songs have unlikely inspirations, What
draws you to the subjects you sing about on those songs?
Hmmm… Lets say every facet of one’s life is a kettle.
When one of the kettles starts to boil, that’s when I
need to write about it and give it a sonic incarnation.
I’m obsessed with music and creation, so I’m not just
compelled to write when there’s a heartbreak.
The song Bruisey Brookie is basically the theme song
of my friend Brooke. I could hear it in the way she
partied, and I told her before I wrote it “You have
a theme song and it goes like…”
Your voice has a timeless quality to it similar to Casey Stratton,
Tori Amos and others but, has an uniquely quirky stylistic quality
to it. What artists inspired your direction vocally?
Well, while I think music can be inspired by other artists,
a voice is something you have to find in yourself. I’ve been
singing all my life, but when I started singing my own song
creations, I found that there were areas where my voice felt
comfortable, and where my voice felt like it was the right
tool to deliver the emotion of the song.
Your album “Goblins” is a beautiful collage of the above-mentioned mix
of everything, Will you be sticking to the sound you’ve done so far or
will you introduce something different on your next effort?
Thank you. My upcoming album, Mercury, is inspired by my warmer
musical tastes, like reggae and alternative rock. I remember when
Regina Spektor was releasing “Begin To Hope”, she said that
she’d have made all her previous albums in that polished
style if she had access to all the professional tools.
I love sparse chamber arrangements in music, and I will
no doubt return to that Goblins-style of production, but
with Mercury, we were at Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford,
Mississippi, and I had the full toy box at my fingertips,
so it’s a full-sounding record. I guess the biggest change
is that we’ve got a full drum kit on Mercury.
One song that you shared with me in its demo form is “Witch”.
Tell me a bit about the backstory behind that particular song.
Witch is a song about persecution. Besides being an occasional
practician of White Magic, the song is about one group of people
persecuting another group of people because of their biased
life-view.
It’s about the singer telling their lover “look, we gotta get
the fuck outta here.” You gotta choose your battles,
and in this song, I decide to run, and I want to take my lover
with me.
Your live album features bits from unlikely sources
including Peter Tosh, Dirty Vegas, Portishead and Radiohead.
What inspired these choices?
That’s sweet of you to call it a Live Album – I’d love to do
a live album in the future – a collection of greatest performances
– but The Tarot Reader is more like an official bootleg. With Peter Tosh, I wanted to take Garden Girl over the edge and sing “Legalize It!” I think it’s ridiculous that America prescribes pills to its citizens that are killing our friends and our celebrities, but if you smoke a joint you’re a criminal.
In the current climate in terms of the LGBT Community.
Do you feel that the music industry is more accepting to
gay recording artists or no? Or do you think acceptance
has always been there in someway?
Hmmm… I guess the big picture is that artists are relying less
and less on an industry, and instead making their own paths.
I think people are becoming more accepting of homosexuality
in mainstream music and America in general. The next step is
the fair treatment of transgender citizens.
It’s interesting for me because I feel like I’m in the middle.
I identify as gay, but I sing about girls sometimes. I wouldn’t
call myself a “Gay Singer-Songwriter”, but I understand that
genre label because you’ve got guys singing about designer
drugs and Ft. Lauderdale clubs.
On the other hand, I have a friend in the pop industry
who’s chosen to hide his sexuality for one reason
or another.
As an artist I have a pretty massive music collection myself.
Can you name a few albums that you’ve fallen in love with
and play continuously lately?
Right now I’m listening to Mr.Kitty. He’s got such a great
emotional-electronic vibe and great style. (You can find
him at http://mrkittydm.bandcamp.com/)I gotta admit I’ve been digging the Lana Del Rey album.
It’s unfortunate that it took the SNL backlash for
me to hear about her, but I think the album is sexy.
Other than that I’ve been listening to the mixes of
Mercury over and over to polish them as much
as possible before release.
What genre outside your norm would you most be
interested in experimenting with?I’d love to collaborate with an electronic artist and
sing on a high-energy drum and bass project. I love
drum and bass music. Dubstep is a bit slow for me,
and leaves something to be desired.
Final question is a question asked to everybody.
If you were trapped on a desert island, What three
things are a must?
Potatoes, Marijuana Seeds, and Ryan Reynolds. [Laughs]
For more information on Jay Thomas and Bluejay, Check out
http://bluejay.bandcamp.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/bluejaymusic
