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MAY/09 - PIKES!!!
The Northern Pikes will be playing some select dates in Canada this summer - check out gig listings for where and when!!!
MARCH 2/09 - JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING CONTEST FINALIST!!! Jay's song, "Jesus Is Gonna Help Me", was just chosen as a Finalist in the Gospel/Inspirational category of the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. This is a worldwide songwriting contest, and Jay is very excited and grateful that his song has been chosen for this honour!!! SXSW AND FOLK ALLIANCE!!!
Jay had a great time in Austin at South By Southwest and in Memphis at the International Folk Alliance Conference - his Performance Alley show in Memphis was broadcast live across North America on Sirius Satellite Radio on XM15 The Village!! Jay is also preparing to record his new album, to be released later this year, and will be playing some dates in Canada this summer with The Northern Pikes - good things happening!!!
"the album sounds like a cross between Gram Parsons and Ian Tyson. Semko's approach to country music is hip, informed as it is with an affectionate irony and a big grin." Robert Reid- The Kitchener/Waterloo Record "It feels like a memoir from Semko to himself- and if we're privy to his inner thoughts, then we're all the luckier for it." Craig Silliphant- Planet S "a fun country-rock album, roots music akin to what Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds used to do in their infamous New Wave group Rockpile." Robert Merserau- Fredericton Telegraph Journal "a soulful, sweet offering that shares similarities with Buck Owens." David McPherson- Exclaim
About Jay
"I think everything happens for a reason- the road we travel isn't always the one we would have chosen, but sometimes we just have to put it in God's hands and let it take us where it will".
"International Superstar" is the third studio album from Jay Semko, and his sixth solo release.This is the story of how it came to be....
Jay began his music career in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as singer/songwriter/bassist with Canadian pop icons the Northern Pikes. The Pikes earned 4 Gold records and 1 Platinum through radio and video airplay, and their non-stop touring made many friends for them across North America and beyond. Some of the hit singles Jay wrote and recorded with the Pikes include "Teenland", "Things I Do For Money", "Wait For Me", and "Girl With A Problem", as well as many others. Jay recieved 2 awards from the Canadian Music Publishers Association for his songwriting, and the Pikes were nominated for 8 Juno Awards through their career.
In 1993 the Pikes began a 6 year hiatus and Jay was approached by Oscar and Emmy-winning("Thirty Something", "Crash") writer/producer/director Paul Haggis to write music for a TV movie pilot entitled "Due South". After writing the theme song, Jay went on to co-compose the music score for the history-making series (first Canadian-made production to premiere on prime-time US TV- CBS). Jay was nominated twice for Best Music Score In A Dramatic Series(Gemini Awards), and 66 episodes of "Due South" were produced. 2 Soundtrack albums were released, and "Due South", as the most successful Canadian TV series ever created, is currently in syndication around the world. In addition to "Due South", Jay has written music scores and had songs placed in many other award-winning TV series, documentaries and films.
Jay's first solo album, "Mouse", was originally released in 1995. As Jay's first recording outside of the Pikes, it ventured into some new musical territory- pedal steel, twangy telecasters and a folksier, more western feel. "Strawberry Girl" and "Times Change" both cracked the Top 40 in Canada, and music videos for the songs received extensive airplay on CMT. Jay toured across Canada with his band while still composing for "Due South" and other shows- he was a busy guy.
It took 10 years for Jay to release a second solo record- not that he wasn't doing anything during that time- Jay continued his composing work, produced other artists, and in 2000 the Pikes reformed and hit the road again upon the release of their "Hits and Assorted Secrets"album.
In 2005 Jay was approached by Canadian filmmaker and friend Marshall Ward, about being the subject of a documentary dealing with the songwriting and recording process. It was entitled "Love Will Set You Free", from the song of the same name, and was the catalyst that got Jay back in the studio recording his own music.
A 3-song EP of the same name was released that year, which was followed by a 10-song acoustic album of traditional Christmas music. This led to the recording of "Redberry", Jay's second full-length solo album, in 2006. It delved further into Jay's love of folk/country music, and airplay across Canada and Europe re-established him as one of this country's finest songwriters. Jay began to perform again as a solo acoustic artist, and in March 2007 Jay was recorded with a full band by the CBC at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum Theatre for "Canada Live". This was released as a full album in January of 2008, and was the precursor to Jay's newest studio album, "International Superstar".
In Jay's words: " I had been struggling with a big problem for a long time, and I finally had to deal with it... after a couple of setbacks I finally started to get it together. I went through a pretty dark chapter of my life, but as the fog cleared, I started writing a lot of new songs- most of them were dealing with what I'd been through- it was a good way to get things out, but they were coming from a pretty sad place. For a while I thought this was going to be the theme of the new album, but as time went on, I started to feel better about things- in fact , I was feeling better than I'd felt for years! Out of the blue, I got it in my mind that I should take a trip to Nashville- I'd played there with the Pikes a few times, but didn't really know the town. I went down with no expectations, and got together with a few different songwriters to see what it would be like to co-write with different people- I've always been a pretty solitary writer, but I wanted to try something different. Lo and behold, I had a blast! It was like- why did I never do this before?? I made some great friends, and we came up with what I think are some of the funnest tunes I've ever done... out of the one of the toughest periods of my life comes the happiest sounding record I've ever done!! I did write a few of the songs on my own- you'll get the title track - I could talk all day about the songs, but I think when people hear this album, they're going to hear music from a guy that's now in a pretty good place- I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be where I'm at- every day is a blessing, and I'm enjoying being on the road more than I ever have!!"
Jay has recorded with such notables as Garth Hudson(The Band), John Sebastian(Lovin' Spoonful), the late Stan Celeste(Jackson Browne, CS&N), Bob Egan(Wilco, Blue Rodeo), Margo Timmins(Cowboy Junkies), Crystal Taliefero(Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen), Ashley MacIsaac and Serena Ryder. Jay has also shared the bill with such artists as David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Bruce Hornsby, Peter Frampton, kd Lang, Tom Cochrane, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many, many others.
You can find Jay here:
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