LINKS

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

If we’ve met lately, you’ve likely heard me go on about my foray into Jewish literature and more recently into Holocaust literature. It started when I was 13 years old reading Eli Wiesel’s – Night. (Night is a 1960 memoir by Elie Wiesel based on his Holocaust experiences with his father in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944–1945https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(memoir)) Much too young to have read… Continue reading

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.… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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. It’s a day I’ve long anticipated and it calls for a celebration. What should we do?  Well check this out first :https://smarturl.it/yourperfectmatador Share it! But first, I should acknowledge the… Continue reading

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 and… Continue reading

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 first… Continue reading

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’m… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

  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 its song That’s what she said to me,… Continue reading

Don’t ask me why I’ve decided to write this today; it’s meaningless. You may wish to delete this and save your coveted time. You’ve been warned. 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. We agreed that it… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

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… Continue reading

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life Every year around Easter time I remind myself to watch this Monty Python classic: The Life of Brian. This closing ditty always got to me. The absurdity of blind optimism in the face of such horrific circumstances: to be hung on a cross whistling and singing “Always… Continue reading

In the truth is stranger than fiction file…here we go again. I was having a Starbucks Coffee at the Indigo reading a newspaper – minding my own business – when a random businessman sitting next to me loudly put his order in with his colleague to buy him a double Mocha-Choco-lata-ya-ya while turning to affix… Continue reading

If you’ve read the chapter entitled: The Sludge Boat you’ll know I did a very short, horrendous stint on a cruise ship during a weak moment about ten years ago. When I arrived back home to Toronto, I was perusing a Goodwill thrift shop and came across this poster entitled: AT SEA. I didn’t realize… Continue reading

Many of you have read this chapter either online, or as part of the book, however, it’s worth posting once again as it’s that time of year again. Full disclosure: I’d never felt this story fit into the theme of the book and had no intention to include it alongside the other short stories of… Continue reading

It’s your 94th birthday today dad. And Mom you’re going to turn 90 in three short weeks! Amazing really. I’m touring the Yukon and thinking about the party I’ll be missing. Wish I was home. Tonight, I’ll be singing your song at the show: The Bells of Retribution I wish the world could thank you… Continue reading

I made my pit stop back at the motel a quick one. I took another thirty minute power nap, changed my guitar strings, put on black jeans, black shirt, black boots, black belt (with silver belt buckle) and mentally morphed into Jake Rivers during the short drive over. Upon pulling up the building, I noticed… Continue reading

The Rise and Fall of Jake Rivers It was the perfect day to drive around the mountains.  A Saturday in July and I’d finished my show in Chilliwack the night before. Chilliwack! What a classic Canadian band! (Wish I had the same affinity for the town) “Whatchya gonna do when I’m gone”.  I’ll tell you… Continue reading

Hello friends, If it feels like I’ve been a bit stingy on the ramblings lately well that’s just because I’ve been hoarding my words for this book. With some cajoling by many of you and a fierce internal battle about it all, I’ve decided that the world needs another book much like I need a… Continue reading

Just a very quick update to those of you across Canada who read my occasional musings. Something is happening here and you should know what it is – isn’t that right Mr. and Mrs. Jones? I’m recording my first live record. I realize you may not be in Toronto but I’m sure you may have… Continue reading

I’m not sure why I’m thinking about fashion and music this morning but “I think it has something to do with the way that I fill out my skin-tight blue jeans! Oh….Lord it’s hard to be humble!” No, that’s not what I’m really thinking. I’m thinking about the show I had at home over the… Continue reading

PART 3 (from Part 2) I knew something was up because Zoran was always much too busy to actually sit and break the bread during a Saturday dinner rush. “Jay, tonight’s a special night as my parents are visiting. They have friends and relatives coming in from the old country. We’re going to reserve these… Continue reading