Jay Funk Dawg

bump!

Crazy part is that I'm not really offering that much money - they are planning on flying to Toronto and going out of their way to make it happen... i'm probably going to have to pass... Unfortunately I have other worries right now..

Hey Y'all I'm sorry not to have given you all an update to what happened to me and the Irie Band. (skip down below to the Burnt VW photo if you've already heard the van on fire part). [blurb] Here's how the accident all went down: It was day two of the Irie Band tour and just after passing through Montreal we changed drivers. I had been hustlin' for the past couple of days to get all the details ready for our tour, we had done a series of tour fundraisers & gigs to afford to make the trip together... and I thought I had everything together for a successful tour. I leveraged almost every resource I had to make this tour possible .[/blurb] I was totally under the weather by the time we left - I drove for the first 15 hrs of the trip - we make lots of stops to give the van some rest. We changed drivers just outside of Montreal, and I got into the back to sleep as I was sick, exhausted and had a migrane. The guys pulled over in a small town in Eastern Quebec - probably 4 hours after we changed drivers, just as we stopped, people started to point as us - there was black smoke pouring out of the back of the van, we immediately got out and tried to stop the fire that was happening underneath the engine - i saw gasoline pouring out - within a couple of minutes the entire van was in flames - burning everything - it all happened so fast - by the time we stoped fighting the flames - it was too late to recover anything in the van. The police and firemen arrived about 15mins after the fire has started and fought the flames for about 30mins. Everything we owned: guitars/amps/clothes/sleeping bags/tents/merch/cellphones/CDs burned to the ground... there was little to nothing left that was salvage-able... Just as the firemen were pulling pieces of debris from the van, they pulled out the remenance of the Gibson 335 - it was the only thing that was recognizable - it must have some tough fire resistant paint! The VW van was very well maintained and prepared for the tour, it was a freak situation that lead to the disaster. I believe the driver of the vehicle at the time did not see the check engine light or the rising oil temperature gauge - by the time he realized that something was fishy it was too late. It was a crazy hot day and I believe that contributed to our accident. Being in the back sleeping I didn't notice anything strange until I woke up just moments before we pulled over, if we didn't pull over at just that second, we could have had a fire while driving on the highway and been in a crazier accident! Also if we would have stopped the van right by a gas station we would have definitely took it down with us. Only a hour after the fire had died down the cops took the vehicle away and I was left with nothing - not even shoes on my feet. All we could say to each other is - "We are thankful for being alive" Here's the list of stuff we lost: Irie Band Merch CD, t-shirts, stickers Gibson ES335 guitar w/case 2 Fender Stratocaster w/case Fender bass guitar w/case boss me50 guitar processor Stagemaster roadcase Fender hotrod deluxe guitar amplifier Drum cymbals w/softcase and stick bag Guitar accessories cords, straps, power etc 7 - Boss guitar foot petals effects Yamaha Acoustic guitar Brass Piccolo snare drum '85 VW Bus Hiptop Computer Phone Camping Supplies / Tents / Sleeping Bags CDs & Clothes After the fire in the vehicle, I was still determined to make it to Evolve. We first stayed the night in Quebec and in the morning I rented us a car to keep the show rollin forward. We stoped at Walmart and picked up some clothes and shoes and hit the road - bewildered. We played in Fredericton with a great band called "Dub Antenna" - who were very generous to let us use their equipment. On to Saint John - our show was cancelled, but the promoter put us up in a nice hotel and lent us some guitars and effects that proved to be very handy at Evolve. Thanks Ozzie! While at the hotel, I was making lots of phone calls to land the Irie Band some tents & sleeping bags - in the midst of using the pay phones, I must have left my wallet on the top of a phone. I returned to my room and realized that I didn't have my wallet with me... running back to the phone 10 mins later, the wallet was no place to be found - now I had no money, ID or access to money. How did my luck end up so bad? The show must go on! We finally made it to Evolve and got to play 2 sets. It was nerve-wracking playing with some limited effects, different amps - but mostly it was our lead singer Steve who was rattled and in a crazy bad mood - he refused to speak between songs on our first set - we headled the Mainstage on Saturday at 5pm and upon King Sunshine's Charlie Findley joining us for a couple songs, Steve pouted off stage. "Finish the set without me!" he said. We played some nice latin High Plains Drifter material and I had the crowd cheer like mad to get (not so) Irie Steve back on stage for our finalie - a heady version of Exodus. heres' some pictures: Dropsi singing his song "Inhalin'" Irie Steve being not so Irie Jay feelin' the note King Sunshine's Charlie Findley sits in for some High Plains Drifter songs Colin playing some High Plains Drifter songs. That evening I had to leave to a wedding in Antigonish - It was the wedding of a friend from University who was also the daughter of my father's room mate in University. So it was lucky that my parents got to come and check out Evolve - they had heard me talking about it for the past 8 years, it was great for them to experience the real thing with me. I think they were very impressed with the event, it was very clean and the weather was awesome. The next morning Irie Band played an early set to wake the crowd ~ Irie Steve was in a much better mood and really reached out to the audience to tell them what we had been through. Grassroots Deviation lent us their equipment and pedals and I thought we sounded much better than the day before. They played right after us and were very nice. Evolve was great this year! Review to come! The Evolve acts were great - Keller Williams, Kid Beyond, Do Say Make Think, That One Guy, Slowcoaster, Carmen Townsend, Holy Fuck, DJ Heather were big highlights. THE COAST EVOLVE REVIEW So now the adventure home!! Luckily my parents were able to take Irie Steve and Colin home immediately after the show, Dropsi and I had a hell of a time getting back home - we drove firstly back to the rental location in Quebec, found out we missed the last bus, so we took an hour long cab ride to Quebec City, where we again missed the bus to Toronto, instead we got to Montreal, had to stay the night - shacking up in a sleazy motel called "EUREKA" - and taking the bus to Toronto in the morning. It was at that point that I was contemplating cancelling my trip out west to Shambhala Festival - but I had already paid for my plane ticket, I have rides to the festival and a free ticket for the event line-up. It was a great excuse to run away from my problems for another couple of days. Shambhala was great... I'll post a review sometime soon... but now I am trying to deal with the aftermath of losing my wheels, my instruments, my cell phone - this was an accident that will forever change who I am - it's a sign to make some serious changes in my life - I'm going to pull through the best I can, I'm scarred as hell - this event was a financial disaster and I think that I am going to have to put down my musical ambitions for awhile and rethink what the new direction of my life will lead me. I have a couple of shows & musical projects in the works, I don't think I will have the enthusiasm or resources to promote as many events I have done in the past. I'd live to thank everyone for reading my story and thanks those who have supported me in the past - it has been a good run. There will be some Irie Band benefit - I'm unsure if I will be a part of it - details to come on that. much love to the jambands.ca community. Jay Cleary RIP JAYDAWG

sounds awesome!

ya Marco - it's probably too risky and too short a time frame to do it.. we'll have to pass on it this year and hope for something next year. jay

It was acutally less than 60 people for the Slip at the Mod Club - which I think was because they didn't use their all star promoters!! lol.. also because of the Slip forum - this board didn't light up in a Slip frenzy like their last tour.. also remember it was at the same time as Come Together Music Fest - it was a damn shame that they didn't play Frontier Town!

would you pay $20 though ?

Congrats! You've got a super cute baby!!

just checkin' in on the interest of Toronto folks for Garaj Mahal... Do you think we could get 225 people out to see 'em ?

TONIGHT ! www.nufunk.ca presents... The only Skyhook appearance in Toronto this summer. Come celebrate the release of our album, Adam J's departure from Ontario's capital, and Mikael's birthday! We're going on tour right after this so it's gonna be a scorcher. Wednesday August 15, 2007 @ the Rivoli (Queen & Spadina) featuring: Skyhook (www.theskyhooksound.com) w/ special guests Maikë Murray Maas (www.themsound.com) and dj SYRuM (www.torontotronica.com) 9pm

wow .. sounds like I missed a wikked time!

check this out! http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=79871877&blogID=297509211 I'm off to Shambhala tonight, no time to take this all in.. i just arrived in Toronto late last night.. no rest for the wicked!

we lost everything but we're trying to remain.... ah.. ahem... Irie! i'm just on my way into Evolve festival.. hopefully things will start turning around for the better.. but since the accident we've had a couple of other misforutnes... cancelled gig in SJ and we lost a wallet. to quote the simpson's movie.. Bart: This is the worse day of my life. Homer: no, this is the worse day of your life, so far. Thanks to everyone for their kinds words... this has been a life altering event... 'The times they are a changin' :0

im alive - on my way to Evolve.. don't miss JSB if you are in the city!

holy shit~! what a review Scottie! Bigs ups to your weekend... i'm killing myself right now for not going!

HYPE IT ! did anyone else check out and like the video??

Here's the time schedule: http://users.boardnation.com/~evolve/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=2343

Alright Funk Fanatics! You're in for a treat Make it Funky Collective presents "SUMMER LOVE" a funky summer night of fun and dancing with special guest DJ LOVE (Dallas) & The 11 piece Disco Funk Sensation The Elastocitizens!!! Featuring: DJ Love (Dallas,USA Stellar Music) AND The Elastocitizens Live! (Toronto's Top 11 Piece Big Bad Heavy Groove Funk Collective) with Big League Chu, Dave Dub, Phat Conductor, Mez, Peas n' Beats, Mickey D, DJ Zirca and more!! The Reverb & Holy Joes 651 Queen Street W. www.thebigbop.com www.makeitfunky.ca official launch party! Email inquiries at makeitfunkyparty@hotmail.com R.O.A.R., PLUR, 19+event (Id required) Funk'd out costumes & enjoyment highly encouraged! Advance Tickets $15, more at the door TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE at www.ticketweb.ca and www.nufunk.ca direct link here: http://www.ticketweb.ca/t3/event/EventListings?orgId=15910 or buy tickets in advance at these fine outlets: Soundscapes - 572 College St. - (416) 537-1620 Play De Record - 357A Yonge Street - (416) 586-0380 Rotate This - 620 Queen St. W – (416) 504-8447 Shanti Baba - 546 Queen St. W - (416) 504-5034 Sonic Temple - 5165 Yonge St - (416) 222-2004 DJ LOVE http://www.stellarmusic.com DJ Love (Dallas, USA) Stellar music DJ Love began his dj career inspired by such seminal artists as Coldcut, Bomb the Bass, Simon Harris, Kraftwerk, Soulsonic Force, Egyptian Lover, Art of Noise, Paul Hardcastle and a host of other electronic and hip-hop pioneers. Electronic music fascinated him as a means of expressing raw emotion through beats, breaks and basslines Having been trained as a classical pianist and violinist, then augmenting his skills by learning the guitar and drums in high school, Love´s musical training gave him strengths as an electronic composer from the start. Developing a small record collection his first few years of college, he was inspired by the fact that most of the music he felt was truly influential was only available on vinyl. A live performance of "Rockit"by the legendary Herbie Hancock and Grandmaster DST changed his perspective when he witnessed someone scratching over a track live. Experimenting with his small collection, he taught himself to beat mix almost by accident. Attempting a remix of "What´s On Your Mind" by Information Society led to beatmixing a record and a drum machine together, and his DJ career was born. Confined to the small town of Lawton, Oklahoma, Love would often drive two hours or more to find the music and crowds that inspired him. He recreated scratches from his favorite hip-hop records by trial and error until he had mastered them, then began playing out at local clubs in 1988. In 1992, he threw the first-ever, documented renegade "rave" in the OKC area, employing the old-school techniques of maps, an abandoned warehouse and a generator. This was all while he began a four-year residency at Rome, where he was given his DJ moniker of "Love". The income and gigs allowed him to acquire his own set of turntables, a mixer, and his first real music studio in 1994...six years after he had already started his DJ career. His love of real hip-hop and artists like DJ Premier and Pete Rock, among others, helped him focus on bass and beats as the sound that would define his label, Stellar Music, founded in 1996. By 1994, Love had developed a foothold in the Dallas music scene, and in 1997 moved there permanently. With a residency at club mainstay the Lizard Lounge in 1998, he achieved a following of those dedicated to old and new beats that followed him to such respected local hot spots as 2826, The Red Jacket, The Wall, Club DNA, Starck, Euphoria, Area 51, and currenty Club One. Love has gained a following across the globe in cities like Toronto, London, D.C., Bangkok...and the dent hasn't even been made yet. THE ELASTOCITIZENS www.elastocitizens.com The ElastoCitizens were founded by Steve McCarthy and Jason O'Brien in the fall of 2004. With theatrical grandeur and ecstatic stageshows, they have endeavoured to bring their brand of heavy groove, funky feel good music to the masses. Since their conception The ElastoCitizens have headlined across Toronto at venues such as Crowbar, the El Mocambo, the Drake Hotel, Supermarket, Clintons Tavern, and the State Theatre, playing to over 1500 people in their first eight shows. The ElastoCitizens are distinguished from other bands by their size and by their stageshow. The band is currently made up of twelve members drawn from such diverse worlds as jazz, blues, theatre, and dance. The horn section is led by Geelicious (aka Gordon Hyland), the leader of the Ladies Foundation for the Motion of Hips is Hippapotafunk (Monica Dottor), and the entire band is led by the Grand Poohbah Groove (Steve McCarthy). With its costumes, choregraphy, superhero personas, and anarchic style the band has continued to impress new audiences with its dance-able original music. The shows are finely tuned, constantly workshopped productions whos model is closer to a theatre piece or circus than your usual rock concert. The band chooses to draw from the polyrhythms and themes of the funk era as a means of making groove-ridden modern tunes. The belief that dancing, and the buoyant joyful expression of life and sex that is at the heart of funk music, is actually good for you, unites the citizenship and gives the band unity of purpose! Big League Chu www.BigLeagueChu.com Colin Chu, better known as Big League Chu, is simply the leading DJ talent in Canada's breakbeat scene today. After nearly a decade of DJing, his name is synonymous with the funky, party-happy sound that?s become Chu's rallying call - and it's one that crowds answer faithfully. Passion for music and fun are what motivates Chu, who plays the piano, flute and guitar, and counts the Dave Matthews Band and Public Enemy as his biggest musical influences. It's this good-natured respect for good times and eclectic sounds that has garnered this humble DJ of Hong Kong and Singaporean descent to such a steady stream of press, from underground publications like Tribe and Klublife to mainstream outlets like the Toronto Star and Eye weekly. As Make It Funky's main resident, Colin dynamic sets and down to earth nature has made him Toronto's most sought after performer. ..> Make it Funky is one of Toronto's largest Mid-Tempo Beats & Live Funk Production team . Since 2005, Make it Funky has presented top international Breaks, Rare Groove, Turntablism, Classic old school hip-hop and live touring artists to venues across Canada. Make it Funky is a concert experience whose mission is to explore the funkier side of all things breakbeat. You'll get an exceptional music, dancing and good fun ~ with focus on bringing the cutting edge of funk breaks hip hop and beat driven live music to the masses. With a strong foundation of 3 years of importing the world's finest breakbeat talent to Canada and as well developping top new Canadian talent, Make it Funk is where it's at for what is new on the international breakbeat scene. What has help set Make it Funky apart is the combination of live band sets with a focus on djs as a headliner, a move that has helped to create a fresh new cross over scene with a open-minded attitude. Check out what the fuss is about here: www.myspace.com/makeitfunky and www.makeitfunky.ca Presented in association with www.nufunk.ca www.mypace.com/nufunk Visit www.makeitfunky.ca for more details. ~~ Email inquiries at makeitfunkyparty@hotmail.com R.O.A.R., PLUR, 19+event (Id required) Funk'd out costumes & enjoyment highly encouraged! Advance Tickets $15, more at the door TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE at www.ticketweb.ca and www.nufunk.ca or buy tickets in advance at these fine outlets: Soundscapes - 572 College St. - (416) 537-1620 Play De Record - 357A Yonge Street - (416) 586-0380 Rotate This - 620 Queen St. W – (416) 504-8447 Shanti Baba - 546 Queen St. W - (416) 504-5034 Sonic Temple - 5165 Yonge St - (416) 222-2004 More information and Group tickets can be arranged by emailing makeitfunkyparty@hotmail.com

In Hamilton this past Thursday - Slowcoaster launched into "Night Train" - Steven MacDougall, the lead singer changed the vocal melody and it ended up having this lounge jazz feel. intense!

Last minute booking: Irie Band @ The G-Spot Tonight - 2183 Danforth Ave. www.irieband.ca 10pm no cover

I caught it yesterday afternoon - funny movie... couple of real funny jokes - but really it felt only like a good & long episode of the TV show.

happy birthday hippies!

Nice show last night - Slowcoaster were intense! here's some lyrical snibits: "Put Black Garbage Bags on the Windows" "I have no Soul" "Fuck Last Night - Tonight is the new last night" "You Can't Change me - So cry yourself to sleep" I didn't realize how dark & mysterious their lyrics are - definitely going to do more investigating into their meaning.

ohh yeahh.. sound fun(k)!

Listen to CBC - they'll be mentioning it today!