jaymay - by Marie Helene
salad in plain D

Jaymay’s “little EP that could” contains 3 songs that pack a sonorous wallop. This little sister keeps a firm grasp on her guitar while she allows her voice to meander through some complex song-scapes. Her voice is all this: flowers, scissors at the heads of those flowers, refreshingly bearing no comparison to any other book on the shelf so someone, please, buy her dinner.

You seem to have it all figured out. What’s the secret?

I'm not telling.

What is it like growing up with 5 siblings?

It's awesome.   One masters the art of sharing.  For Christmas there'd be one big gift under the tree and it was always whatever the oldest wanted (Turbo Graphix 16, for example).

How did having an “English teaching Dad” affect your relationship with words?

In 5th grade we had to memorize a poem and recite it to the class. Most kids memorized a poem by Shel Silverstein.  I memorized "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" by W.B. Yeats.  So, not at all.

Do you think Salinger is revered because he is talented, or because he is reclusive?

I think he is reclusive because he's talented.  I think he is revered because he is successfully reclusive.

Do you sing because you want to or because you have to?

I sing so someone will buy me dinner.  I have to eat.

Who/what do you think about when you sing?

I think about the song and the song is usually about a boy.  I think about boys.

Your shows at the Living Room are intimate and still. Have you had any problems with hearing a little too much of the audience/hecklers?

Sometimes I think it's the other way around.  Maybe sometimes the hecklers are hearing a little too much of me.

What song have you written that you are most proud of and why?

Dylan wrote “Like a Rolling Stone” when he was 24.  I think he still considers that to be his best song.  When I turned 24 I was like, oh shit! I gotta write my best song too.  Then I wrote “Sea Green, See Blue” or rather, it wrote itself over the course of three days.  I got this funny feeling after I wrote it, like I knew it was my best.  Now I gotta go write something better.

If you decided to trash the whole music thing, what job would you like to try?

Professional, revered recluse.

Who are your heroes, musically or otherwise?

Dylan.

What is the best song to hear while falling asleep?

Dylan's “Ballad in plain d.” 
In your case, “Salad in plain d.”

What do you think about 5 minutes before falling asleep?

Boys and words to go along with them.

Song you wish you wrote:

There are albums I wish I wrote.  Like Astral weeks and desire.

What else, Jaymay?

Oh, nothing.