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
Hello Hangover
Jaya the Cat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting on the red-eye out of Boston
Fly me 33,000 feet up above the problems
Drinking bloody maries in an isle seat
With the rest of the late night zombies, singing:
Hello hangover, how're you doing my old friend
Maybe you will sit and have a drink and talk things through, man
If you call me tomorrow, well, I'll see what I can do
Somewhere on the highway between Hamburg and Cologne
windshield whipers making time with the radio
There ain't nothing more in this world that I could ever need
You just leave last night behind you
And you raise your voice and sing:
Hello hangover, how're you doing my old friend
Maybe you will sit and have a drink and talk things through, man
Cause I don't have time today to waste on you
If you call me tomorrow, well, I'll see what I can do
Hello hangover, how're you doing my old friend
Maybe you will sit and have a drink and talk things through, man
Cause I don't have time today to waste on you
If you call me tomorrow, well, I'll see what I can do
These lyrics tell the story of someone who is dealing with the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking. The first verse paints a picture of the singer at an airport bar, waiting to catch a flight out of Boston. They are drinking a bloody mary, surrounded by other late-night travelers who are also nursing hangovers. The chorus, addressed directly to the hangover, conveys a sense of familiarity and resignation. The singer acknowledges the presence of the hangover as an old friend, but they don't have time to deal with it right now. Instead, they offer to talk things through over a drink tomorrow.
The second verse finds the singer on a highway somewhere between Hamburg and Cologne, listening to the radio and watching the windshield wipers. Despite the physical discomfort of the hangover, they seem to have found a sense of contentment in the simplicity of the moment. Once again, the chorus acknowledges the presence of the hangover, but also expresses a desire to move forward and leave it behind.
Overall, the lyrics capture the bittersweet nature of the hangover experience. On one hand, there is a sense of camaraderie in sharing the pain of a night of excess with others. On the other hand, there is a sense of regret and longing for a way to make it all go away. The singer seems to have accepted the hangover as an inevitable part of their lifestyle, but also acknowledges that there are limits to how much they can tolerate.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting at the terminal bar, wasting my spare change
I am sitting at the airport bar, spending my extra money on drinks
Waiting on the red-eye out of Boston
I am waiting for the late night flight from Boston
Fly me 33,000 feet up above the problems
I am hoping that flying at high altitude will help me forget my troubles
Drinking bloody maries in an isle seat
I am drinking a popular cocktail while seated in the aisle of the plane
With the rest of the late night zombies, singing:
I am surrounded by other passengers who are also exhausted and singing with me
Hello hangover, how're you doing my old friend
I am addressing my hangover as an old friend
Maybe you will sit and have a drink and talk things through, man
I am hoping that by drinking with my hangover, I can come to terms with my problems
Cause I don't have time today to waste on you
I cannot afford to waste time dealing with my hangover today
If you call me tomorrow, well, I'll see what I can do
I may be able to deal with my hangover tomorrow if it calls me
Somewhere on the highway between Hamburg and Cologne
I am traveling between two cities on a highway
windshield whipers making time with the radio
The sound of the windshield wipers is in sync with the music on the radio
There ain't nothing more in this world that I could ever need
I feel content and do not need anything else in my life
You just leave last night behind you
I am trying to move on from the past and forget about last night
And you raise your voice and sing:
I express my emotions through singing
Contributed by Isabelle F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.