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
Mistake
Jaya the Cat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was crushing in a corner when she came up to me
Lit her cigarette, she sat down, we talked for a while
Said she was looking for someone to waste some time with
Time was all we had so we spent it like spare change
Emptied out our pockets at the bars by the fairway
Had a pretty good run before the end
Got out before it caught up, man
They say that you can never look back
But I didn't wanna anyway
You know, that when I said I loved you
Well, I musta been drunk
Because you're no one that I'd ever love
And when I exorcize my devils you're the first one gone
No use in looking for an answer, now to what went wrong
And she said "hey, hey, you know it's alright, man, some things - they just turn out that way"
fifty cent beers in at the corner store
in a one room apartment on the 13th floor
Sleep all day until the night creeps in thru the open window to call us again
Responsibility got knifed in the back, dumped in an alley and left for dead
But thru all the mistakes and the beautiful lies
That we told ourselves while we were blacking out
Somehow we made our way out, but sometimes I miss it still
You know you can't raise the dead, so raise your glass instead
That's just the way it is
You know, that when I said I loved you
Well, I musta been drunk
Because you're no one that I'd ever love
And when I exorcize my devils you're the first one gone
No use in looking for an answer, now to what went wrong
And she said "hey, hey, you know it's alright, man, some things - they just turn out that way"
And she said "hey, hey, cause in the end it's just a mistake that we had to make"
And she said "sometimes things just turn out that way"
Sometimes things just turn out that way
The song 'Mistake' by Jaya The Cat is a reflection on a failed relationship and the lifestyle choices that led to it. The song starts with the singer recalling how he met his lover at a trance party. They spent their time together like spare change, drinking and partying until it all fell apart. The lyrics seem to suggest that they had a good run before the end, but in the end, it all caught up with them. The black and whites of reality fade into grey, and the singer decides not to look back because it's a futile exercise.
The chorus of the song talks about the drunken declaration of love, and how it was all just a mistake. The singer must have been drunk to say that he loved someone like that. The relationship failed, and the partner is the first to go when the singer exorcises his demons. There's no point in looking for answers now; it's just the way things turn out sometimes.
The second verse of the song is suggestive of the fact that the relationship was intense, but also unhealthy. The lovers drank excessively, and responsibility was "knifed in the back, dumped in an alley and left for dead." Despite their beautiful lies, they managed to make their way out, but sometimes the singer misses it. He knows he can't bring back the dead, so he raises a glass instead. The chorus repeats, and the partner reassures the singer that it's okay, and sometimes things just turn out that way.
Overall, 'Mistake' is a song that conveys the regret and nostalgia that follows a failed relationship. The lyrics are introspective, and the singer takes responsibility for his mistakes. The song also highlights the pitfalls of excessive drinking and partying, portraying it as a lifestyle that can take a toll on one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I met her downtown at a trance party
I encountered her downtown, at a party featuring trance music
I was crushing in a corner when she came up to me
I was feeling dejected and upset when she approached me
Lit her cigarette, she sat down, we talked for a while
She lit a cigarette, took a seat, and conversed with me for some time
Said she was looking for someone to waste some time with
She expressed her desire to find a partner for a meaningless, idle pastime
Time was all we had so we spent it like spare change
We only had time, so we used it recklessly, as if it were expendable income
Emptied out our pockets at the bars by the fairway
We spent all of our money at the bars located near the fairway
Had a pretty good run before the end
We had a decent period of enjoyment before things came to an end
Got out before it caught up, man
We left before the negative consequences of our actions could catch up to us
And as the black and whites faded into grey
As the situation became more ambiguous and uncertain
They say that you can never look back
It's commonly believed that one should not dwell on past events
But I didn't wanna anyway
But I didn't have any desire to do so
You know, that when I said I loved you
You should know that the time when I expressed love for you
Well, I musta been drunk
I was likely under the influence of alcohol
Because you're no one that I'd ever love
Because you are not someone who I would truly love
And when I exorcize my devils you're the first one gone
Whenever I confront my inner demons, thoughts of you are the first to disappear
No use in looking for an answer, now to what went wrong
It's not worth attempting to find an explanation for what occurred
And she said "hey, hey, you know it's alright, man, some things - they just turn out that way"
She reassured me that certain things are beyond our control and must be accepted as they are
fifty cent beers in at the corner store
Cheap beer sold at the nearby corner store
in a one room apartment on the 13th floor
Residing in a small apartment located on the 13th floor of a building
Sleep all day until the night creeps in thru the open window to call us again
Spending the entire day sleeping and only coming to life once the nighttime arrives
Responsibility got knifed in the back, dumped in an alley and left for dead
Responsibility was abandoned and neglected until it became irrelevant and essentially dead
But thru all the mistakes and the beautiful lies
Despite all of the errors and the deceitful words that were spoken
That we told ourselves while we were blacking out
The lies that we believed while we were intoxicated and not in full control of our actions
Somehow we made our way out, but sometimes I miss it still
Somehow we managed to escape those situations, but there are moments when I miss those carefree times
You know you can't raise the dead, so raise your glass instead
You cannot bring back what is gone forever, so celebrate the present instead
And she said "hey, hey, cause in the end it's just a mistake that we had to make"
She pointed out that in the grand scheme of things, our errors are simply things that we were meant to do
And she said "sometimes things just turn out that way"
She emphasized that at times, events occur unexpectedly and beyond our control
Sometimes things just turn out that way
Occasionally events happen without any apparent reason or explanation
Contributed by Parker H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.