 DISCOGRAPHY
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Jaymay is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, NY. She's one of the artists at the forefront of the whole "antifolk" scene. I first found out about her from a podcast called Alley Cuts from Podcast NYC in 2005. I was drawn to her beautiful voice and her amazing songwriting. And her name also drew my attention since my nickname is Jay and I was born in the month of May, so it was only fitting that I would take a listen. Her music is heavily influenced by Bob Dylan who she grew up listening to; so much that anyone who knew her, knew she loved Bob Dylan. Other influences include "everything". There's a video on her site that explains this in better detail. She's been compared to Regina Spektor, Nellie McKay, and Fiona Apple. Not bad for someone who originally wanted to be a book publisher.
Jaymay isn't her real name. It's a moniker she came up with during her first open mic. In an interview with The Gothamist, she said, "I get jaymay, ja me, james, J, jay, JS, but my name is Jamie Kristine Seerman. I don’t like it. I was nervous singing at my first open mic (Sidewalk Café) and I didn't want anybody to know my real name so I said it was Jaymay. No one pronounces it or spells it right."
In 2004, she released a 3-track promo EP that was available at a Pianos show in NY and was limited to only 100 copies. In 2005, another limited edition EP, this time 250 copies, was released at The Living Room featuring 5 live recordings. Last year, she released an EP titled Sea Green, See Blue that was featured in the Indie Spotlight on iTunes as well as a split-EP with singer-songwriter Kayoko. Now, she's working on putting together a series of EPs all with a theme or concept; for example, each track on Sea Green, See Blue has a color theme. Sometimes she posts clips/demos of songs that may appear on one of these EPs on her MySpace account. My favorite of these demos is "Darlin' All I Ask" and is just under 45 seconds long, but unfortunately she replaced it with a different song. The latest demo "Clarissa Come Home", which is up right now, reminds me of the old 1920's black & white cartoon Steamboat Willie featuring Mickey Mouse. I'm absolutely 100% sure that wasn't her intent, but that's what comes to mind. Aside from the EPs, she doesn't have a full length, but she doesn't want to rush it nor do her fans want her to. In an interview with Dave Cuomo last year, she said "An album is a big statement, and I don’t think I’m ready to make that kind of statement. I won’t release a full length album until I’ve written the songs to be one." No rush Jaymay, take your time.
Links
Official Site | iTunes | InSound
Discography
Untitled Promo EP (2004)
Live at The Living Room EP (2005)
Sea Green, See Blue EP (2006)
Jaymay + Kayoko Split EP (2006)
[Jason]
