Founded through a mutual love of 60’s and 70’s dub and punk by three friends namely Geoff Lagadec - (vocals / guitar) ; Dave Smith - (guitar / vocals) and Ben Murphy - (bass).
Jaya The Cat create songs ranging from booze fueled anthems to chilled out dance tracks to outright political commentary.
With a current line up including Jordi ‘Pockets’ Nieuwenburg on guitar, Jeroen Kok on bass, and Onverwagt on keyboards.
Following the 2001 release of their debut album Basement Style ( Gold Circle Records ), Jaya The Cat were joined by ex-Shadows Fall drummer David ‘The Germ’ Germain and began a steady touring schedule of stages across the United States and Europe, playing major clubs and festivals such as Lowlands in Holland, Pukkelpop in Belgium, and the Warped Tour in the US. Their music has also been featured in numerous skate, surf and snowboard videos.
Summer 2003 saw their sophomore release, First Beer of a New Day ‘’ (4tune Records).
Although both albums met with positive critical success and they had gathered a loyal worldwide following, personal differences saw the departure of Smith and Murphy that fall, which effectively left the band in limbo. After a freezing music-less winter working shitty jobs in Boston, Lagadec and Germain met up and decided to look for new members. Temporarily joined for a spring European tour by dutch musicians Jan Jaap Onverwagt (Green Lizard) and Alejandro Londoño, they took a 3 month sublet on an apartment in Amsterdam with the plan of regrouping and figuring out what the hell to do with themselves. Three months turned into three years.
In the interim, the band has continued to grow, playing hundreds of live shows to an ever expanding audience, as well as adding keyboards, samples, percussion and a tiki bar to their onstage act. An average Jaya the Cat concert usually becomes more of a party than a performance, with the audience singing, dancing and drinking right along with the band.
September 7th 2007, saw the European release of their third studio album entitled More Late Night Transmissions with... on I Scream Records. Drawing on their experiences, More Late Night Transmissions with... delivers 13 tracks filled with seedy bars, cheap hotels, dysfunctional love affairs and political disillusionment. Punk rock, reggae, ska and pop, glued in their own unique style.
More Late Night Transmissions with... was released on the 10th of May in the US by I Scream Records USA.
Discography:
* CD ‘Basement Style’ (Gold Circle Records 2000)
* CD ‘First ‘Beer Of A New Day’ (4Tune Records 2002)
* CD/LP ‘Ernesto’s Burning’ (Music Machine Records 2004)
* CD More Late Night Transmissions with... (I Scream Records 2007)
* CD Single ‘Closing Time’ (I Scream Records 2007)
* CD Single 'Good Morning' (I Scream Records 2008)
* CD More Late Night Transmissions with... (I Scream Records 2009)
Web links:
Jaya The Cat Official Site
Facebook Fan Page
Myspace page
Purevolume
Car Crash
Jaya The Cat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause if you get in their way you get burned
And if your looking for justice don't bother
'Cause in the eyes of the court your just another fuckin problem
Produce an eye witness, and their just gonna contest that its a conflict of interest
Either way you walk out empty handed
There ain't no free rides in the land of the stranded
You get no love from the system when your poor
Bad luck why fuck is it coming after me?
Car crash in the middle of the street
Bad luck what the fuck are you gonna say?
When there's four fucking cops all up in your face
What ever happened to and justice for all?
Man that ain't nothing but a joke now
Clotheslined by the long arm of the law
By some asshole in a black robe thinking that he's god
And if you try to present a defense
He'll just laugh and charge you with contempt
System set up to further the rich
It ain't justice, it's just big business
And if you want to get ahead man I hope you got connections
'Cause a poor man don't get far in the Babylon system
The lyrics of Jaya The Cat’s song Car Crash speak about the injustices and corruption in the political and legal systems. The song starts by questioning the purpose of the police force, who are supposed to protect and serve the citizens, yet they often abuse their power and harm them. The justice system is also criticized for being biased towards the rich, and the poor who cannot afford a good lawyer are left without any hope for a fair trial. The lyrics also express frustration and disappointment towards the court, with lines such as “in the eyes of the court your just another fuckin problem”. The song also touches upon the theme of bad luck, with the singer experiencing a car crash and being confronted by four cops. The song's message appears to be that life is unfair, especially if you are poor and powerless, and it criticizes the lack of justice and equality in society.
Line by Line Meaning
What ever happened to protect and serve
In what ways can we rely on law enforcement and the justice system?
'Cause if you get in their way you get burned
If you challenge authority they will retaliate against you
And if your looking for justice don't bother
Don't expect fairness in the court system
'Cause in the eyes of the court your just another fuckin problem
The court system sees individuals as inconveniences rather than people with rights
Produce an eye witness, and their just gonna contest that its a conflict of interest
They will challenge any evidence presented against them
Either way you walk out empty handed
You're not going to get what you want regardless of what you do
There ain't no free rides in the land of the stranded
Nothing comes easy in a society that does not provide equal opportunities for everyone
You get no love from the system when your poor
The poor are marginalized and neglected by the government
They just keep takin' what they want and keep comin back for more
The government takes from those who cannot defend themselves and will continue to do so
Bad luck why fuck is it coming after me?
Why do I seem to be the target of negative circumstances?
Car crash in the middle of the street
A literal car accident that happens unexpectedly
Bad luck what the fuck are you gonna say?
What explanation do I have for this misfortune?
When there's four fucking cops all up in your face
When authority figures are aggressively confronting you
What ever happened to and justice for all?
What happened to the promise of fairness in society?
Man that ain't nothing but a joke now
Fairness is not a reality in today's world
Clotheslined by the long arm of the law
Being violently and unjustly apprehended by law enforcement
By some asshole in a black robe thinking that he's god
A judge who abuses their power and thinks they are untouchable
And if you try to present a defense
If you try to defend yourself in court
He'll just laugh and charge you with contempt
The judge will dismiss your defense and punish you for it
System set up to further the rich
The justice system benefits those with wealth and power
It ain't justice, it's just big business
Justice is not served, it's a method to make money for those in power
And if you want to get ahead man I hope you got connections
In order to succeed in this society, it's not what you know, it's who you know
'Cause a poor man don't get far in the Babylon system
The system is designed to keep the poor and disadvantaged from achieving success
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEOFFREY GERALD LAGADEC, BENJAMIN JOSEPH MURPHY, DAVID MITCHELL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D Powell
fuck yea