biographical info
Leaving home, coming back and longing to hit the road again. That’s what folk-rock troubadour JAY PEA has been doing a lot in recent years. As he gears up for the launch of his album this fall, he looks back at the intense traveling cycle that has inspired his music.
“This album was mainly written on the road, parts in Saskatchewan, parts in South America, parts in Montreal, wherever I’ve felt the need to stop and make sense of what was happening to me”.
Before entering college, JAY PEA took off to San Francisco with his brother and ended up a year later in Maple Creek, Sask., where he was greeted by a cowboy family who taught him the basics of country gospel, lasso throwing and grueling farmwork.
Upon his return in Montreal, JAY PEA found like-minded musicians and worked on his first EP, Tower of Slow, a collection of acoustic ballads that earned him a spot at the Pop Montreal festival and got people spreading the word.
The artwork in Jay Pea’s album is a creation of Jack Dylan, a prolific young illustrator whose street posters have become an urban landmark for Montreal concert-goers.
Now back from a long musical journey in Senegal, JAY PEA has teamed up with a touring band that features former Stills guitarist Greg Paquet.
“I’m very excited to take these songs on the road, cause I think that’s where they belong.”
JAY PEA’s debut album, Arrivals and Departures will be released this fall on Foxtail Music/Outside. JAY PEA is preparing a national tour.
lineup
Guillaume Chartrain Bassist
Jay Pea
influences
Iron and Wine
Leonard Cohen
Neil Young
Neko Case
Van Morrisson