Last night we arrived exhausted from a 11 hr marathon drive from Riviere Du-Loup. We are back home after an amazing 10 days of music, making friends and drinking excessively. What an incredible way to spend the only real week of summer us sucker ass Canadians got all year.

The best part about the show last night was with out a doubt the second suprise from our home town friends an unexpected location. Hayley and Maya (girlfriends of Mike and myself), along with my rommy Ally showed up in Quebec after making an all night drive from Toronto. I heard someone say "James" and I was thinking, I recognize that voice. Next thing I know Hayley is wrapping her arms around me. SO GOOD.

Thank god they showed up to because our show at Cafe Innocent ended up being a private showing for the girls with only three other people in the room. That is really the way the cookie crumbles on the road. Somedays you will have a full on dance party on a Monday night and some nights you play for the bartender... I remeber one of my friends once telling me that they saw Kardinal Official in Bellville and even though there was only ten people in the room he put on a hell of a show. Since then I always try to keep that in mind when I preform.

After all was said and done the boys hit the town and I hit the hay early. It was an great way to end another amazing tour.

On the way home our van "Cecilia" started making some funny noises. It sounds like she is about to fall apart and Jer is taking her in today. I am really hoping she is okay but she must be coming to the end of her life. After next week we are going to be pushing 450K on her. What an absolute warrior. I LOVE YOU CECILIA!!!! (Thank you Wooden Sky for letting us carry on her tradition)

We met so many amazing people and played so many fun shows. Next week we are heading back out to Quebec and NB to play. While I am not looking forward to the long drive I am already iching to play again. I hate not being able to be on the stage every night. Our van better hold out for one more go at it. We can't afford a new one with our sites now moving toward New Zealand.

Show Hightlight Real!

(through the eys of Jimbo Slice)

Friday: Lindsay with the Strumbellas, Ma and Pa put the Boys up and Chris from Mechno Toad lands a huge back flip during the set.

Sat: Cafe Ole and the Amazing Christine, followed by shots at Shot's with the Canadian military

Sun: Beach day in Pem City with Christine and her amazing fam. Followed by and all night jam and party in the Cafe.

Monday: Ottawa Dance party with "So you Think you Can Dance Canada" judge Blake Mcgrath. Big ups Heather!!!! (sorry to keep you up all night by talking about how awesome we are outside your window :)

Tues: Mini Beer throw down that ended in T-Bag hahahahah! Your an ass Jer.

Wed: Lotus Bleu and listening to Louise tell us stories about Africa and Michelle Estelle treat us like kings.

Thrus: Sackville, Pay back for Montreal with a permanant marker and a belly full of liquor.
Friday: Alex and Allie in Berwick. The bartender telling me that we were one of the best bands to ever play the bar.

Sat: The girls showing up in Rivere Du-Loup and ending the trip with my favorite people in the world.

Sunday: Praying Cecilia makes it home and shouting over the engine.

Over all: Dance parties breaking out from Lindsay to Berwick in every stop we played no matter how few people were there.

Bam!

Slice

P.S forgive the lack of attention to details in grammar and spelling.. I drank more this week then you will all year. Give a guy a break eh Jonny!

Hello all,

Jay Spectre hailing from Cafe L'Innocent in Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec.  We have just arrived from a whirlwind of travelling, shows and general mayhem.  We are just about to sit down to dinner so I apologize in advance for keeping this fairly short.  Between our last blog update and today we have gone all the way to Berwick, Nova Scotia and back.

Our show in Edmunston was everything we expected and more.  We made a bunch of great friends last time and we were all looking forward to seeing them again.  We pulled up to the cafe and after some friendly hellos were treated to some amazing pad thai.  We played two sets to a nice crowd of Edmundston locals.  Afterwards we went back to our friend Michelle's house for some beer and good conversation.  She again kindly let us stay at her place, gave us beer and even laid out a spread of breakfast for us in the morning.  A huge Jay Spectre thanks has to go out to her.  We also have to thank Louise and Estelle from the Lotus Bleu and all the friendly staff who work there. 

Our next show was in Sackville, New Brunswick and this also turned out to be a doozey.  We were playing at the Bridge Street Cafe located in downtown Sackville.  We were warmly received by all there, young and old, and made a bunch of great friends.  We didn't have a place to stay so we just flat out asked if anyone would put us up.  Luckily, a girl named Ally agreed to let us all stay at her apartment across the street.  After the show we all went out to a local watering hole named Ducky's with a large mass of people from the cafe.  We closed down the bar and headed back to Ally's place to party the rest of the night away.  We made some great friends and are looking forward to going back again.  Thanks to Ally for putting us up and putting up with us. 

The next day we drove to Berwick, Nova Scotia and played at the Union Street Cafe.  We were again treated to a great meal before starting a ripping three set show.  Right before we started James was blown away by the surprise arrival of his friends Alex and Alicia.  They are both Lindsay originals who just happened to be in the Maritimes.  They provided most of the energy and dancing.  They pretty much made the show. 

Well that's about it for now.  I've just received a ham and cheese crepe that looks fantabulous and it needs my undying attention.  Until the next blog.

Last night was by far the craziest moment in the entire history of Jay Spectre.  I'm not even sure if words can describe how incredible last night but for now words will have to do.  That is, until we post some pictures and video.

We were scheduled to play two sets at the Rainbow, a small blues bar in the Market area of Ottawa.  We were playing with a singer/songwriter named Jason who was incredibly talented and played a smashing version of Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." Except it was on the ukulele. 

The show was going alright.  The turnout was less than stellar but we were still pouring our heart and soul into it.  There was less than 20 people and everyone was seated off at the edges of the bar.  All of a sudden a guy runs in wearing a red muscle shirt and starts dancing away.  After a few songs, he leaves.  I thought that it was a little strange. 

It was around one and we were finishing up the last song.  All of a sudden a stream of people come flying into the bar and start dancing their asses off.  The bar literally filled within the span of one James Brown tune.  Next thing I know the stage is just full of people dancing and screaming along.  A whole chorus of voices screaming out "I GOT SOUL!" We start replaying songs that we had played earlier just to keep the party going. 

It turns out one of these guys is a judge on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.  We can't even move the stage is so jammed.  There are about four guys wearing coloured coded muscle shirts and matching glasses.  Girls are dancing all over.  Things only get crazier and weirder as the show goes on.  James gets down on the dancing and generally kept everyone in the party.  At one point I look over and James had bent over to pick up his guitar when the aforementioned judge starts spanking him.  I'm surrounded by the four guys in muscle shirts.  They are pouring beer everywhere.  I keep looking over at Paul and we both laugh.  The bartender brings a plate full of shots.  Jer keeps the beat going with one hand while simultaneously reaching out for his.  Another guy near James leans over to yell something at his friend and dumps half a pint of beer directly into the monitors.  Madness.

We end up playing till about 2:15 or so.  Every danceable tune we could pull off.  The stage is awash in beer, sweat, broken flip flops and an assortment of hats, glasses and necklaces.  None of us can even believe what happened.  The show went from being sub-par to a one-in-a-million experience.  A Jay Spectre dance party fit for a bar named the Rainbow. 

We are all currently resting up for the drive to Montreal in hopes of continuing this crazy ride.  A big thanks to Heather, Jer's sister, and her boyfriend Derek for letting us stay at the their place, coming in at 5 in the morning and probably keeping them awake until nearly day break. 

Pictures and videos to follow soon.....

Busy day for the lads, finishing up some last minute work related stuff, getting all packed up, trying not to forget anything, oil change on the van, getting a decent meal into us and preping our body's for a week of cramped spaces, sleeping on floors and putting way too much stress on our livers.

So, first stop - tonight in Lindsay, Ontario.

Lindsay has quickly become a favourite stop on these little excursions we make.  We love the energy that the kids there bring to our shows.  Vacant Music is doing some good for the community - a few of us are former residents of the town, we know how little there is to do to entertain yourself as a teenager without landing up in the Court Docket.  A place to hang out for the night with some easy going folks who can simply share the love of live music without reservation.

Keep checking back for further updates as we make our way east, here on the Offical Jay Spectre Tour Blog™