Festivals, Festivals, Recording, Recording...

And so it begins. We're now in the process of working with Chicago area festivals to line up shows for next summer - yes, next summer! These places book super-far in advance. Not only that, but we're doing a new photo shoot this month, along with some more studio work. New songs coming in February, if all goes according to plan!

Blown Away...

I just can't thank all of you enough for such a great show at La Spiaza last weekend. I know this thanks is a little late, but I hope you all appreciate it still. Special thanks to Rachel Zibrat, Peter Frederiksen, Daniel Hautamaki, and Rob Bruhn for performing with me - this show would have been nothing without them standing beside me.

And thank you all who were there! I know it was worth your while.

-Jay

PS: To those of you who were in Ragtime, I thought you tore it up on Saturday night!

Northbeach Show Last Week; La Spiaza This Week!

Wow! I had a great time hangin' out with everyone at Northbeach last week. Thanks to everyone who came out, and thanks to Tom Hartman and Screaming Beaver Records for setting up the show. Now that the Wheaton Grand Theater is gone, Northbeach has picked up some of the "local music slack", I think. If you haven't been there yet, check us out the next time we play there.

Of course, that was the past, though, and it's now time to look forward - to this weekend! I'm looking forward to a laid-back show, hanging with friends, playing with friends, etc. If you don't have plans yet for this Saturday, come out! And if you have plans, make sure it includes coming by around 8:30 PM! Daniel Hautamaki (guitar), Rob Bruhn (box), Peter Frederickson (bass), and Rachel Zibrat (vocals), will all be a huge part of the night.

Special Thanks to Glenbard East and Students!

I've been so busy over the last few weeks, it's unbelievable! I would have to say that the week prior to the Homecoming Dance was, quite possibly, the busiest I've ever experienced. But even since then, I've been going non-stop. Life's not willing to slow down for me until after my Northbeach show on October 24th (though I'm very much looking forward to that).

So here's the deal: I want to extend my greatest thanks to the students and staff at Glenbard East for making my concert there such a great success! I'd like to thank Rachel Zibrat for singing with me, and hanging out the week of the show, and Chris Vandenburg - for sharing the stage with me, and for helping with logistics for the event. Of course, I couldn't forget to thank Jim for contacting me about the show to begin with. I had a blast!

Facebook or Myspace?

Well, actually, the answer to this is much simpler than you might first expect. Any of you who frequent the pages of Myspace.com know that every day they seem to be getting more and more "sketch" - the advertisements, the random friend requests from businesses looking to make a few bucks. Here's what's happening: Myspace is going "commercial." Myspace is out to make money, and companies advertise on Myspace because it generates more money.

Now I'm not saying that other sites (like Facebook) aren't making money (they are), but it's more about the way the whole system is set up right now. Atleast for the time being, you have to be, or have been, a student to get an account. And, only companies hand-picked by Facebook can do marketing to its members. Also, it's difficult to "randomly" add friends, which makes it "safer," in the sense that you'll most likely know the requester. Finally, you can't see people's profiles unless you're friends with them!

Bottom line, though it's difficult to say, and difficult to swallow, Myspace.com will eventually lose out to Facebook.com - that is, if Myspace continues commercializing and Facebook is careful to guard their network. O.K. So what does this all mean for you and me? If you're a student, get on Facebook and add me as a friend! Here's a link to my page: http://www.facebook.com/p/Jay_Mathes/48609039

peaCe.

Jay

Jay Mathes and Wine?

The question one must ask himself is: "Do 'Jay Mathes' and wine-tasting go together?". Well apparently the answer is "yes," because I just got booked to do a show in Lilacia Park - a wine-tasting event! You can check out more details (just a few) on my "shows" page. Anyway, special thanks to Bridget and The Lombard Town Centre for this show - I'm looking forward to playing another sweet, new venue.

And about the new merch, I'm not so sure what's going on, because I still haven't received anything I ordered! I'll be making a few phone calls today. (Not my favorite type of phone call to make, but sometimes I'm forced into it...)

peaCe. Call me if any of you need to talk.

-Jay

Pics from Spain, Special Thanks

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great start to your school year. Life has been crazy for me. But isn't it always crazy for everyone? Actually, a friend just told me that I hadn't updated this page in a while. (And that's not because nothing is going on either!) I'm going to totally try harder to update this a bit more regularly. If you haven't checked out the pics yet from my trip to Spain, check them out here: http://www.jaymathes.com/myspace/gallery_spain/.

Also, I'd like to give a special thanks to Tom Hartman of Screaming Beaver Records for booking me this past week for an open mic featured artist slot. Check him out on myspace! Click on my friends and search for him.

Back from Spain, Pounding the Pavement

Never before has there been a time like this in my music career. Never before have I been where I now am. Let me let you in on a little secret: I have never before taken a three-week trip to Spain at the age of 23, only to return to a full performance schedule. What I am saying is that there is never a second like the next, and the time is ripe for me to put things in motion.

Spain was a blast. I spent over two weeks hanging out with Spanish and American students in a small town about 40 miles north of Barcelona. The remaining half-week was travelling and spending several days in Barcelona. I love the European contrast between old buildings and history with new, modern technology: 2006 cars next to 1600's buildings, an internet cafe next to a 300-year-old statue. Bonito! I even picked up a bit of Spanish while I was at it - just enough to get by. I'll have pics posted soon - either on MySpace, purvol, or here.

About my show schedule and other music news, here's where we're at: I'm totally bummed about having to cancel the Fat Bean Battle of the Bands show. I was totally looking forward to it, but scheduling just didn't work out for the whole band. We decided it would be best, too, to have more time to rehearse new material, etc. By the way, we're looking to get in to the studio soon - hopefully to have some full-band recordings on MySpace by year's end. Come check out one of my upcoming shows (most are solo)! I'm really looking forward to playing in DeKalb tomorrow night!

Printers Row Book Fair - Great Time, Special Thanks!

I need to give a hearty "thanks" to the two individuals who were responsible for booking me at the Printers Row Book Fair this year: Thank you Jana Dawson and Brenda Berman for "believing in dreams." I would also like to thank my friends Daniel and Katie, who unknowingly walked into one of my Chicago performances while they were hanging out in Chicago. Awesome. But that's not all, I also saw an old friend from high school! Thanks, Becky, for sticking around for my set on Sunday.

Finally, I just want to say that I had a great time playing for you all - and under the banner of my alma mater - Columbia College. For those of you who are new to my music, thanks for listening, and I hope to see you at another show soon! Look out for more dates in August and September - I'll be out of service for three weeks in Spain, beginning the 29th of June.

Thanks again,

Jay

New Website, More Shows, Spain

Boy does it feel good to have a new website. Ahhh... Refreshing, isn't it? I'd like to thank Jimmy Dietzen for doing the design work on it. We've been bouncing ideas back and forth now on this for about five months, so it's good to see the work paying off. I'd like to thank Martini and her mom and sis for coming out to the show @ Green Leaf last week. I had a ton of fun! Acoustic shows, though they are coming rarer and rarer for me, are a ton of fun. Who knows, maybe I'll be solo forever...

So here's the deal: I have about four weeks to cram in as many shows as I possibly can before I hit the "international circuit" in Spain. Kidding - partially. I'll be in Spain for three weeks, though, and I'll keep you all posted about that. I play this weekend at Printers Row Book Fair, then at College Church's "Summerfest" on Monday, June 12, 13, and 14, then at the Borders in Orland Park on June 16th. I'm still working on a show for the week following that, but overall, I think I'll be pretty busy.

Don't forget, right when I get back into town I have the Fat Bean / Screaming Beaver Battle of the bands... Anyway. Lot's going on. Enjoy the new website!


-Jay