Operation 365... Blog 102

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 110 Charbra - 1-26-2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZhGAN2ZYMs

Here are my friends Charbra, playing a song from their set at my Open Mic on January 26, 2010. Charlotte James (left) and Barbara Tolbert (panda hat) are currently playing in an electric band by the same name and and going on at least four years of being "married" on Facebook.

I play with the in a side project with these young ladies called and "The General" Justin Mills, The Greens of Mind. I plan on sharing some of the unofficial "Greatest Hits" of The Greens, real soon in this here 365. Enjoy Charbra.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Covers - 110 "Helpless" by Neil Young
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXP8CAzsWc0

"Helpless" is one of Neil Young's million awesome tunes. I saw Neil Young at his Bridge School benefit in 1998. It was a pretty big day in my world. The Yankees played Game One of the World Series against the San Diego Padres that day. It was the day Tino hit the grand slam off Mark Langston on the pitch after what many viewers swore was Strike Three. Ahhh, life. My mom also got married for the third time that day. I saw Phish and Neil Young play "Helpless" together on stage. It was beautiful. I don't remember, but I may have cried. Two weeks notice wasn't enough to catch wedding #3 for me. No regrets here on that one.

I decided to do an upbeat, countrified, different version of "Helpless," Today has been a crazy day. I feel helpless against the sprayed up skies, my puppy's comprehensive, poop-aided assault on everything I own, and my inability to accumulate any reasonable amount of dough ever. Does it ruin my life or make me sad? No, not at all. Do I look forward to having different things to worry about than those? Absolutely. Then again. If they can spray the skies to look like clouds without people knowing or caring and an earthquake and a tsunami can ravage Japan in moments, maybe I should be happy with puppy poop/destruction and only enough money to have everything I need always, as my biggest problems. GOd bless perspective. I feel better already.

Oh, one more thing. I have recently lamented that nobody in popular culture is standing up for anything anymore. Hogwash. Neil Young always has been and absolutely, still is. He is a shining light and a how to, as far as artists go, on mandating, quality, integrity and a clear view of what is relevant and righteous in the world, whether it is popular or not. Hell yeah Neil. God bless you. You may be the coolest dude alive.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Originals - 110 "Billboards Are My Friend"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LvCd_0XSqc

"Billboards Are My Friend" is the story of a guy, who believes and lives by everything he reads on billboards. he is either your average American or a really dumb guy depending on your perspective, I suppose. He is a silly example of capitalism gone to absurd extremes. The song is based down here in San Diego in about 2003, as some of the references are slightly dated to here and then. For instance, The San Diego Gulls minor league hockey team doesn't even exist anymore. Pure Platinum and Deja Vu are San Diego-strip clubs.

"Billboards Are My Friend" was written with Ernie Navarro and Jeanette Anderson in or right around 2003. Ernie and Jeannette were songwriting students of mine back when I offered a Songwriting and Collaboration class at San Diego State University. They were really cool and when I offered a private version of the class one time, they came out. This time, it was days after I broke my index finger on my right hand and I wrote all the of the lyrics to the new song lefty. I still have the original lyric sheet and it looks pretty funny, kind of like-candle wax dripping letters. Hope this tune finds Ernie and Jeannette well. It's been too long.