“Excuse me? Jay, as you know, we refer to this as a cruise. Not a boat. And these are guests – not folks! And you should wait to be invited over to a table before approaching anyone uninvited.”
“Oh, I’m sorry sir. I just wanted to make sure you were you having good time.”
The war was over. Chalk one up for the protest singer.
I walked back to the stool, affixed my headset microphone, strummed my guitar one last time, and sang out:
“Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin’ too.”
The Sludge Boat – Part 1
I’d Never Been to Spain It was almost nine years ago that fate took me to the Mediterranean Sea, where I truly came to appreciate Picasso, Venetian gondola builders, Hemingway, bullfighting, pizza from Napoli, Florence, Olympia, Spanish women, French women, the Acropolis, Pisa, Maltese architecture, The Sopranos, and, regrettably, Wayne Newton. This leg of my […]
Always Had You (Miss America)
In some ways it feels like the perpetual silly season all year long in America these days. If you’re following American politics closely, you might ask yourself how the media has managed to normalize PT Barnum. Money? Oh don’t be foolish Jay. Are we ‘sleepwaking into facism?’ I recently had an American friend ask me to explain the […]
David Baxter – Step Lightly As You Go. RIP friend.
For those who haven’t heard, the Canadian music scene just suffered a big loss with the passing of David Baxter. One of the top roots music guitar players our country has ever known. For many of us Toronto based musicians we lost a friend, mentor, producer, dog lover (Bob Barker), bean roasting coffee aficionado, self […]
THANK YOU receives a heartfelt THANK YOU
REVIEWS February 4, 2023 Sometimes the best reviews on a project come directly from the intended recipients. In this case, a healthcare worker who contributed pictures to our THANK YOU video / song project (found here: (https://jayaymar.wordpress.com/2023/02/03/songwriters-say-thank-you-to-front-line-workers-with-charity-single/)wrote me the following email. Hi Jay, I opened your link and was speechless with just a stream of tears. […]
Songwriters say ‘Thank You’ to front line workers with charity single
FEATURE Jason Schneider January 18, 2023 During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian singer-songwriter Jay Aymar was moved to write a song for his friend who was suffering from work-related distress in her nursing role. “From watching patients die without the presence of family members to the lack of adequate protective gear, it was obvious to […]
Your Perfect Matador Re-release Day!
Hello friends, I thought I’d take this opportunity to let you know that today is the day we re-release my latest album Your Perfect Matador to the world once again. It’s a day I’ve long anticipated and it calls for a celebration of some sort. Hmmm…what should we do? Well check this out first :https://smarturl.it/yourperfectmatadorContinue reading "Your Perfect Matador Re-release Day!"
Somewhere Stephen Hawking’s Laughing: The Year That Was 2019
Where to start with the year that was? When I woke up this morning I thought I’d be inspired to write you a long rambling piece about the state of the music industry, El Duce to the south, how I got a handle on alcohol, how I almost died in a car fire, how andContinue reading "Somewhere Stephen Hawking’s Laughing: The Year That Was 2019"
Mitch Podolak – Rest in Peace
The world lost one of its premiere folk music ambassadors this weekend: Mitch Podolak. Imagine Mt. Rushmore without Lincoln. This is a huge loss. Personally, I’ve lost a spiritual advisor, intellectual jouster, artistic curator, employment counselor, employer, breaded veal cutlet impresario and eventually – a friend. I’ve just put the finishing touches on my firstContinue reading "Mitch Podolak – Rest in Peace"
A Good Place to Be: An Afternoon with Morley and Me
Sometimes a story finishes itself at the just the right time. This is one of those amazing stories. The cycle feels complete on this one. I debated where to place the big ‘reveal’ in this story. That’s an important discussion. Where should the ‘reveal’ happen in the arc of a storyline? In this case, I’mContinue reading "A Good Place to Be: An Afternoon with Morley and Me"
Simple Pleasures and Buried Treasures
Watch this little interview first: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/john-prine-the-singing-mailman-delivers-again/ The last time I saw Prine was at Massey Hall about 13 years ago. My girlfriend snuck us in backstage by sweet talking the security guard at the back of the theatre. We made our way down the hallway to stand in line with the other autograph seekers (about …
Chip Taylor // Hugh’s Room Live // March 7 (and WHY YOU NEED TO GO!)
Hello friends, this is a concert you need to know about. Like the rest of the world, I grew up singing Wild Thing and hearing Angel of the Morning just about everywhere. (Thanks, Shaggy!) As a songwriter in the business I must confess to being only vaguely familiar with Chip Taylor (the writer behind so…
TABLE FOR ONE – PART TWO
We met in an open air market Fully aware of the price We did our waltzing on water Until one blade cracked through the ice Don’t try to save me I’m already saved Just save yourself and move on Walk into the wilderness Give the world it’s song That’s what she said to me,…
Table for One
She brought me breakfast in bed and whispered “Do you like this?” I smiled and said “can we try dinner in bed too?” She laughed. She agreed that it felt excessive but was too much fun. Food, love and Netflix all from the confines of a big warm bed. Then the sound of rain came…
The Bridge to Rickles
When I was a kid, my mother’s bridge club consisted of her sister Marie and cousins Liz and Claire. It was always a big deal when mom hosted because I would inevitably be able to sneak a few deviled eggs away from the proceedings. I learned a lot from watching these women play bridge. You…
I have tried in my way to be free
It’s been a rough week. I am speechless on every level. Ironically, I heard that Leonard Cohen passed via text messages while working on a song for my next album. I have thoughtful friends. When we recorded a live record last year I added one cover song to the mix: Bird on a Wire. My […]
The Bells of Retribution
It was about fifteen years ago now. The day I drove through the beautiful fall colours along Highway 7 toward a tiny little village about an hour north of Kingston, ON. I was en route to visit an old friend who’d moved there from the Sault. He’d recently lost his wife to cancer and the […]
Another Thanksgiving Day night at The Costa-Lessa Inn.
It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I am sitting in the bar of this hotel speaking with friends I’ve met over the past few years. This hotel is north of perogy line (The Yellowhead Highway) in Manitoba, Canada. I don’t want to tell the name of it is as I believe it will be better […]
Jay Aymar 2016 Canadian tour dates
Below is the list of our Canadian Tour Dates. Please take a moment to share this with your friends across Canada. I’m sure we can fit them into a concert somewhere! Expect a who’s who of special guests at our shows along with a book reading to start each concert, followed by a full night of […]
The Singing Country Folk Poet
I’d just finished my stint in Nashville leaving behind several great friends who’d helped me find the heart of another Saturday night! You might know some of them from the Canadian roots music scene: Melanie Brulee, Jadea Kelly and Cindy Doire. I’m a lucky man to be occasionally surrounded by such youthful beauty and supreme […]