Kate Jayne: News

So at long last, there are some new songs up.  This collection of demos is still in progress, so keep checking back for more.  This one is my favorite. ;)  Eventually you'll be able to download them all for free, currently you can just grab the ones that are done (the others have some tweaking left, either another vocal take, or a piano part or something).  I'll let you know as I add more.  There are couple more new songs to be recorded, as well as some old b-sides that I might throw up as well, plus I'm going to write out some explanations/notes on the songs for those of you who are far away and don't get to hear all the little tidbits disclosed at shows... lots happening here at katejayne.com!

The show at the Cat Club the other week went splendidly, although we had some last minute personnel changes (the piano player had some...issues) and it ended up being just me and my percussionist.  But it was a great turnout and a whole bunch of fun - my sister took photos, and I'll have those up soon!

Stay close, and play safe....

For the holiday this year, I’m posting a love song as a gift. The Seasons of Our Discontent is my second-newest song, and my overwhelming favorite of the recent batch (which is why it got recorded first). I’m not shy to say I love this song, and I hope you will too. I wrote Seasons at the tail end of September last year. I started to get the itch, the kind that lets me know there’s a song in there somewhere wanting to come out. I was frustrated because I felt like I had already written all there was to about this story in an arc of two and a half earlier songs, but if there is one thing that is just as hard to say no to as your heart, it’s your muse. I'm sharing it for Valentine's Day because I think it's my best love song; the most honest and straightforward and well-intentioned of them all. What better time could there be? I somehow doubt that it would have any kind of resonance on St. Patrick's Day. Here's hoping we all have someone to share coats with. This recording was done pretty quickly last weekend, and as you can hear, my voice has been a bit hoarse. I’m on the fence whether I like the sound of it or if I should rerecord it – though if I do recut the song, this will end up a collector’s item! So download with abandon, share with your friends, and definitely send it to your crush (secret or otherwise). Enjoy the holiday, my doves! -Kate Jayne

The Seasons of Our Discontent can now be found slightly remixed and still available for free download here.

 

Last month, on December 22 I played a special holiday show at the Cat Club. It was the most fun show in quite a while, possibly ever. I had my whole family there, including both my sisters, which was a first. I baked cookies and dressed in holiday colors, and borrowed an ukulele from my friend Ned for the highlight of the night: a performance of Mele Kalikimaka with a hula dance accompaniment by my sister! It was a lovely, fun crowd, with the merriment flowing - sugar highs and drinks all around. Yours truly finally remembered to bring a camera, and a friend of mine also snapped a few...enjoy!

Note: these photos, including ones with the uke and hula dancer, can now be found archived in the Live 2008 Gallery (scroll all the way to the bottom to see).

The voting is now open at the MAVRIC Awards! I would love it if you could take the time to vote for me for Acoustic Song of the Year!

Note: Voting is only open til January 31, so vote as soon as possible!

Here are the steps:

1) Visit this link.

2) My category is second from the top, "Song of the Year: Acoustic". Select my name, then scroll to the bottom. Enter your first and last name and email address, and press the "submit" button. (Feel free to vote in other categories as well, but it's NOT necessary to select any others to place your vote for me!)

3) Check your email, and you should have a message from the MAVRIC Awards. Send an email to the address they give you as a link to INSIDE THE EMAIL (don't just click "reply") - you don't have to write anything in the email, this is just to be sure that you're a real person voting from a real address.

4) Tell your friends to vote! ;)

Thanks a million in advance, I hope we can win!! I'll keep you updated! Happy New Year!!

-Kate Jayne

Hey all,
I have some exciting news to share. I was recently nominated for two MAVRIC Awards, which are the independent music awards of Ventura County. Here's their website if you want to check it out: mavricawards.com. I ended up with nominations in both the "Song of the Year - Acoustic" and the "EP of the Year" categories, for Muse and The Memo EP, respectively. For now that's all there is to tell because the nominations and the (and this is the key part) online voting are not on the website yet, but when it's time to vote I'll let you know and hopefully we can win one (or both)! Stay tuned...
KJ

I played a show last week, at the Cat Club. It was rad, and way fun. Here, see a few pictures.

Note: photos are archived in the Live 2008 Photo Gallery, scroll down to November.

Why hello, folks, long time no see. Well, actually, I'm sure there's a bit of overlap between here and whoever's reading my blog and myspace, so it's not that I've been out of touch. I always felt funny using this site as a platform for something other than music, and I never want my general ramblings and immeasurable neuroses to make it hard to find the more important stuff like info on songs, photos, and updates. So, come here for music and visit the blog for everything else.

Two weeks ago I came back from another trip to Italy, which was gorgeous and amazing as always - you can check out dispatches on that blog - and now I'm getting back into the swing of things here. I have a bunch of new songs that need to get recorded, so I'm going to be doing some demos in the very near future and offering them for free so you can download them, put them on your ipod, and enjoy them if you like. I'm so happy with them.

Oh! Also, I played my first gig in Europe while I was in Florence! It was so much fun, it was in a gorgeous little bookstore just by the Duomo, called The Paperback Exchange. It was intimate, all-acoustic, and lovely. It was also a real treat for me to play an hour set since most places in LA only give you thirty minutes.

Since I've been home I already had a gig, last weekend at Tangier. For me, it was awesome because I was able to recycle my wig from Halloween (which was the night before) - a photo can be found in the Live 2008 Photo Gallery (scroll down to November).

Here is a video of "Tango," one of the new songs, from that night, it's a bit dark and the room was quite loud (there was another band playing in a different room that unfortunately you could really hear (I couldn't hear myself at all) - but still fun:


Going back in time to a few days before I left for Italy, here are some photos from an all-girls show I did in Redondo Beach, dressed in uncharacteristic bright colors (they're a bit blurry):

Note: these photos are now archived in the Live 2008 Gallery, scroll down to September to see them.
Going back a week prior, I performed a freewheeling and super-fun set at the Viento y Agua Coffeehouse in Long Beach, a photo of which is also in the Live 2008 Gallery (scroll down!).

Stay tuned for new songs, and stay cool...

I played at the Cat Club on June 25, and my friend Norman took these photos for me. He sent them to me a long time ago....I didn't know how to open the file, and then I kind of forgot about them til now. Thanks Norman!

Note: these photos are now found here, in the Live 2008 Photo Gallery once you scroll down a little.

(this is just a demo, full of mistakes...)

NORTHEAST

two hours northeast of boston
the summer night is too hot to sleep
all the world is softly resting and you're three thousand miles away
so ghosts are all the company i keep

out behind the flicker of the fireflies
my first dog is buried in the ground
inside my echo chamber focus there are thoughts screaming out
bloody murder but they never make a sound

lately i've been dreaming that i kiss you
i wake with my heart pounding like a drum
because i play for more than money
i put my heart on the line
i've bet all i have before the game's begun

here i swim in the lake of my childhood
pushing slow lazy strokes through memories
some i can hardly remember but feel heavy in my bones
like a hand or a hip held blatantly from reach

lately i've been wishing i was with you
nervous as someone living on the run
because the longer that the days grow
you slip more and more away
the knots that tied us together coming undone

That's where I told my Italian class I was playing on Friday, "Camera Cinque". Of course, in English it is the lovely venue known as Room 5 Lounge. I played with my very good friend Norman Kim; I started the night off with a set followed by one by Norman, and we stuck in two duets as well (Gillian Welch's "Orphan Girl" and Ryan Adams' "Come Pick Me Up"). It was awesome. I loved playing and singing with Norman (my first time singing a duet with a pal), we'll have to work some more songs out soon.

If you haven't been before, Room 5 is a beautiful room above Amalfi Restaurant, on La Brea Ave. They have great sound, a long full bar, and gorgeous ambience. It was my first time playing and definitely is already one of my favorite places to play in LA. Many thanks to everyone who came out!

Also, at my Cat Club show on June 25, a friend of mine taped my last song of the set, "The Heartbreakers". Check it out below!

I'm home again. As usual, I managed to catch bronchitis just before I came home (and yet in summer, and with no sign of sick people anywhere), and as usual I have a Cat Club show in a week. Routines.... I'll be up to full speed by then.
You should come to the show, half of the set will be new songs. One is called, "Blue Ribbon," one "Tango," and one possibly "31" - but that one is still flip flopping around on the deck and is slippery and hard to get my hands on. The title, I mean. The song itself is done and has been for a while.
I miss Florence, and my neighborhood, and I think I should write more (songs, blogs, essays, everything). I'm going to get over my hangups about using this space for my thoughts and non-music stuff (because what, truly, in my life is non-music related? It all shapes my thoughts and thus art in the long run) and so I hope you'll come check it once in a while to see what's up. I'll post some Florence photos soon.
Baci- (Italian for "kisses")
Kate

Me and the ol' dot-com are scrapping a little... mostly about the little everyday things: who takes out the trash, why he tapes basketball over my CSIs, my habit of withholding affection, you know... oh, and I want to load photos into the galleries and he makes them slightly blurry. I'm working on that and promise to have it sorted out soon so you don't have to scroll down here to see pictures.

In other news, things change, and things stay the same. Take my hair, for example. It's long now, but technically the ends are the same hairs that were once at the top of my head. Blowing your mind?

I'm gearing up to record a few demos (my song, The Heartbreakers, has ONLY been performed live, so I think it's time it got tracked and there are some others that have outdated recordings), as well as head back to Europe in a few weeks.... stay tuned...

So the show last week was a big success. I, personally, had a ball. The Cat Club’s always fun, and since I missed my Italian class for the gig I didn’t have to do my homework, so double-whoop. (Though now I have 2 weeks’ worth.)

I didn’t have a setlist pre-written, so I just went with the flow and took requests from audience members (translation: my dad yelled out his favorite song over and over)... this worked out well because I was able to play extra long. I was supposed to go on from 8-8:30 but the girl who was playing after me didn’t show so I played from 8:10-9... I don’t know who she was, but thank you, mystery-girl, for your flakiness!

If I remember correctly... the setlist went something like this: Southern Boys, Muse, Charleston, The Best Coffee, The Heartbreakers, Ventura (my dad’s request), Indian Summer, The Pistol (very rare!)... there was possibly something else in there but I can’t recall.

Photos were taken by my awesome fashionable friend Norman Kim (you can check out his amazing music here: Norman Kim Myspace Page) with my awesome fashionable iPhone.

Note: these photos are now found here, in the Live 2008 Gallery, right at the top of the page.

Katejayne.com has been quiet lately. I've been busy - I had a big birthday in January and one of my gifts was a trip to my favorite city, Florence. I returned home a little over a week ago, and am still in reverse-culture shock....and guess what? Sick again!! This is becoming a terrible trend. Luckily, this time my travel-bug didn't set in until after I returned (must've been the sneezing flight attendant on the flight home), so at least I was able to enjoy my trip. Actually, that's a bit of an understatement -- I relished, soaked up, and overflowed with my trip. It was amazing. Want to see a few photos?

Last week I returned for a show at the M Bar, which is lovely and cozy and classy (if you haven't been before) - I LOVE the people who run these nights, best soundgirl & host. I'm sorry to say yet another show without photos -- I promise it won't happen again! It was a quiet and lowkey night, and I had a really nice time. The highlight for me was getting to pull out the singer/songwriter holiday favorite River (by Joni Mitchell) to end the set. Many thanks to everyone who was there and who helped, and many blessings to you all - this was my last show for the year, so I'm signing off til 2008... Happy Holidays everyone!

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is both shows this month went really well, the bad is that I don't have pictures from either. My trusty photographer (my sister) couldn't attend either, and I forgot a camera. Sorry!

But let me paint you a mental picture. The first one was November 19 at the Cat Club. I wore a tan sweaterdress & tights (why am I always wearing tights at the Cat Club?), and was very worried about my voice (see previous entry) - gloriously, they had honey behind the bar so Ian (bartender/booker/dj extraordinaire) stirred me a nice little hot toddy the way I like it: that is, without hot water. Pleasantly, my voice sounded actually BETTER than normal (I guess all the rest I was forced to give it?), and the audience was lovely and full. Many thanks to everyone who came out!

The second show was on Monday, the 26th, at the Verity Room in Canoga Park. 'Twas a little like old-home week, because my friend Bill does the sound there now; Bill did the sound at my first-ever show in Santa Monica and has spoiled me for life with his expertise and amazing equipment. Nothing disappointed about this night, the sound was (as always) incredible, and I was really privileged to perform on the same night as some women I admire: Hannah Reader, Connie Jean, and Anne Armacost. Oh, and I wore a blue sweaterdress this time. Double, triple thanks to Ned for making it to both shows!

To any American readers, hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend!

A few days ago I returned home from a lovely trip. I went to Munich, Florence, back to Munich, and then to Chicago for a week. I saw old friends, made new ones, had sister-sister bonding time, and met my all time favorite person. Big success, no?

Although I lost my voice - ho perso la voce completamente in Italia! It's hard to practice your Italian when you can't speak. It's slowly coming back, though I still feel a bit sick (the cold in Chicago helped cement a cough) - let's hope I'm better for my show next week!

A photo of each place:

The past two weeks I traveled far and wide (okay, as far as Ventura) for 3 shows, all of which were full of fun and games.

The first was in Ventura for the Harvest Moon Festival (that would've been the big light in the sky you saw recently), which was family-friendly -- three cheers for spray-on tattoos! Many great performers (shout out to Connie who hooked me up with this gig and the amazing Anna of Without the Blonde), and thanks to Sammy for booking me! Here are some photos of me performing (join me in trying to get past how scarily white my legs are - do I really live in SoCal?):

Note: Photos now found in the photo gallery (scroll down to October).
Next show was at the famous Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood with the ever-so-talented, hilarious, amazing Dave Morrison. Dave and I met at an open mic a while back and he invited me to do this show with him, which was an incredible pleasure. The audience was so gracious to me, and evidently you could watch it online (no photos, sorry - I'll look into getting my hands on some). Then I got to sit back and watch Dave put on a truly great show (visit him online here). It was a wonderful night, and I met lots of sincerely lovely people.

Last but not least: the M Bar last Wednesday! This was my first time at M Bar (both as a performer and patron), and I was so pleasantly surprised to walk off the street into it's lush, burgundy interior (do you think I could have a career writing housing adverts?). Lee is just a champion (he organized the night) and perfect gentleman. So many thanks to my friends who came, here are a couple photos:

Note: again, the photos are now found in the Live 2007 Gallery, scroll down to the bottom.
Tomorrow I leave for Europe and Chicago (senza internet, sorry, this is strictly vacay), so ciao for now!

Howdy Folks,

The show on Labor Day last week went well - much fun and absolutely excellent sound. It was kind of a Greatest Hits/Fan Favorites setlist (plus a new song and a spontaneous cover thrown in) with the oft-requested-yet-unavailable The Best Coffee making an obligatory appearance, so be sure to check out the video below to hear a bit of it.

Here are some photos and two videos, courtesy of my sister Juliet, and there's also a setlist in the Calendar section if you're interested. I debuted a new song, "The Heartbreakers" (which unfortunately wasn't recorded). Happy September!

Note: These photos can now be found in the photo gallery, by clicking here and scrolling down to September.
The Best Coffee: (intro & first line were cut off)

West:

I've been summering in New England - that glorious waspy concept of fleeing in linen to the coast to weather the weather with lobsters and martinis, only without the waspiness or linen (far too wrinkly). It was nice. Now I am home again in Los Angeles. (Visit the myspace page for a photo blog and musings.)

On July 9, I made my East Coast debut in my hometown of Boston, MA as part of the Sunday Songwriter's Series at Kennedy's Midtown. It was a complete blast to perform at such a lovely venue for many old friends and family members -- I'd like to give a shoutout to my fellow performers and a special thank you to Matt Quarterman who not only stayed for my set but also was willing to jump onstage with me for a spontaneous duet of "Orphan Girl"! (Photos thanks to my lil' sis Juliet.)

Note: these pictures have been moved to the photo section, click here and scroll down a little to see them.

Show last night was good - Grade A success, I feel. There were some sound problems (I forgot a cable) at the beginning where I was hard to hear but then everyone quieted down and stopped chatting (I tamed them!). I was very nervous before, which hasn't happened in a while, but I had a really lovely crowd of friends there, and they not only calmed me during the show but drank with me afterwards.

Many thanks to the Cat Club boys for having me.... and to everyone who came to see me! A few people took photos and if any turn out well (and end up in my hands) I'll post them.

Note: there were photos, and you can now find them in the photo section, by clicking here.

Check out the "Buy" page for links to download and order the debut EP. More (including iTunes) will be coming soon. Keep checking back here....


Adios, amigos
Kate

"The Memo EP' is ready! It will be available in April 2007 for (hardcopy) order and (digital) download from iTunes, Cd Baby, Digstation, and Myspace Music, as well as personally from me (to order and in person at shows).

Also in the works are a variety of merchandise and continued additions and improvements to the site.

More soon!

Kate

The show at the UnUrban went well, despite some, ahem, tuning issues. We had a packed house, which was really lovely. An excellent photographer, Thomas Craven-Bartle, was in the house, and you can see some of his handiwork on the photos page. Many thanks to all who made it out!

For Christmas, from me to you, I'm going to make a new website. But it will take some time.

Kate

The holiday season is officially upon us. As an early present, there are several updates of note to tell you about here at katejayne.com.

1) Show this Saturday, Dec 2, at 9pm! Should be full of adventure and fun. Check the Calendar page for more info and detailed directions.

2) Another show scheduled for Jan 20, at 7pm. (Come early - also a Saturday.)

3) Be my friend! Though I'm not lacking in real life, as a "band" on Myspace I'm desperate for them - visit me at http://www.myspace.com/katejayne
4) The long-awaited debut E.P. is very close to being finished and in your hot little hands (or hot little computer, as the case may be). You'll be able to order it from me, from cdbaby, or purchase and download it online.

Play safe.
xoxo
Kate