Operation 365 2... Blog 125

Operation  365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Originals - 125 “Seize the Day” by Jefferson Jay

“Seize the Day” is the penultimate number from my last batch of 24 tunes I wrote at once. It is the one and only bunch of 24 jams I wrote in 24 hours. 24 tunes in 24 hours. Not too shabby. I’m getting gamed up to do it again.

I was on the edge of doing it last night, but these types of long form creative expressions can be borderline impossible with a wife wandering around awake. They just don’t like husbands being that focused on something else for that long. I’ll correct myself. I shouldn’t speak for everyone, but it takes a lot of attention to write tons of tunes quick, and wives prefer that attention land on them, at least mine does. Don’t get me wrong. I much prefer that to having a wife who didn’t care at all about what I did. I am not complaining. In fact, I am thrilled.

Instead, I wrote a concept of sorts, for a 12-song story and I wrote and recorded a pretty cool riff. I’m more a chord dude than a riff guy…

So, I’m powering through the second 12 of the 24 that day and my dear pal, Kip stopped by. He pitched in some lyrics so he gets a songwriting credit for this jam too. I’m feeling fired up for Open Mic tonight. Open Mic is an amazing thing for a community, at least mine is. I insist. Kip is the star of the best Open Mic story ever, and there are many. Two Novembers ago. I was hanging with him on his birthday. It was mellow to say the least. We did nothing. It was fine.

Two days later, Kip, also the keyboardist for my Jefferson Jay Band, stopped in to my Open Mic to say hey. I told him I’d go schmoozer whatever lady in the bar he wanted on his behalf. I’m married. I don’t care. I have nothing to lose. He declined. I did not relent. I pestered him to tell me who he thought was hot. He cracked and told me. When he tried to stop me from approaching her and her two pals, I said, “Get out of my way.” He is much bigger than me, but he listened.

I went and schmoozed. I could tell right away they were Brazilian. I learned a word or two during my past life, working at Portugalia, a Portuguese restaurant up the street. I broke the ice, introduced Kip shortly thereafter. Two days later she moved in with him. Eleven months later, they were wed.

Open Mic is important. So is seizing the day.

Operation 365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Covers - 125 “It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond

 My “5000 Candles in the Wind” cover is coming along pretty nicely at this point. I may even have the winner in the can. That means done, but I am not ready to end this era so quickly. I play these songs with a purpose until I cover them and then they fade to the periphery with the rest of everybody else’s tunes. I am still too tickled and heart-warmed by this beautiful ballad of L’il Sebastian to slam the door that quickly.

Fortunately, an unfulfilled request, surfaced in my brain and I had much fun playing “It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond, a song I didn’t know before. I know some songs from 1972, but not nearly as many as I would have, had I been alive. Hail my man, Dan Truesdail. One better, hail all Truesdails everywhere. Hail Truth.

Operation  365 2 - Jefferson Jay - Words - 125 “Follow Very Closely”

So I tried out my cover of “It Never Rains in Southern California” by Albert Hammond on the senior citizen special needs adults I do music with on Wednesday. This video begins with them telling me I did a nice job. They knew the tune much better than I did. After, one of my friendly pals suggested I sing "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," which I offered in this very project some weeks back, after similar requests from this fellow. 

He said "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," and I said "Maxwell's Silver Hammer What?," encouraging him to ask me, instead of just giving me the ol' jukebox treatment. Somehow seconds later, I lost track of the conversation when he started talking about being "alone with a test tube." Stay with it, kid. You got this.

Speaking of following closely, thank God I wasn't following too closely just before this class, because some sillyhead practically stopped in the middle of the road right in front of me and I had to slam on the brakes and swerve to not smash 'em. Thank God indeed.