Jay Tausig has appeared on various Fruits de Mer projects over the years – reinterpreting songs by the likes of Roy Harper and Todd Rundgren as well as contributing his own synth/progressive rock recordings. He recently released ‘Skating Away’, a five-track lathe-cut EP of his solo versions of a Jethro Tull songs. Jay speaks to Jason Barnard about this EP and his music.
Your acoustic versions show a different side to original releases. What was your vision for presenting that material?
As the frontman of “Minstrels In The Gallery” I was often asked to perform the music of Jethro Tull in smaller situations where the group would not be able to perform, so I set out to learn some material that wasn’t on the group set lists. Recording the songs live and solo, I thought would be a good way to share the arrangements with other musicians, venues, etc.via Youtube. A bonus surprise was that Keith from Fruits De Mer Records had seen the videos as well and approached me about putting together a 5 song ep from those sessions. I re-recorded the songs but I kept the “stripped down version” approach, doing minimal if any overdubs. Keith and I both felt it showed just how strong the tunes are without all the other instruments that are on most of the original versions.
What artists inspired you and why?
There are so many but: Peter Hammill, Roy Harper, Jon Anderson, Klaus Shulze, Ian Anderson, Popol Vuh, Peter Gabriel, Robert Fripp are just a few that immediately come to mind, all for different reasons. The thing they all have in common perhaps is a certain ground breaking, genre busting / defining style uniquely their own. I listen to Jazz, Folk, Classical, Electronic, Prog, Celtic music.
Where are you from and what is the music scene like there?
I’m originally from NYC, but for the last 25 years I have lived in Northern California. The music scene here is pretty diverse and vibrant. There is everything from folk and jazz, to classical, blues or reggae… even some electronic music. Large venues and Small ones, Festivals… always something happening if you know where to look! Hahaha.
Can you give me an overview of your musical journey?
It started in NY, I started gigging and recording at around 16 years old as a singer / guitarist. But I was also interested in Electronic music and Progressive rock, so over the years I started writing songs that were band oriented which led to the formation of the group Lunar Sea, as well as a stint with E-Motive. I moved to California in 1998 and basically made a new start focusing on solo shows, and forming groups such as D’arcana ( we did 3 albums together), Neptune’s Folly and others.
In the beginning I started out wanting to play Drums, but I ended up with guitar instead. But after relocating to California, I bought my first drum set, started building my home studio and I never looked back. I also learned how to play Flute, Cello, Sax, Bass, Sitar, Keyboards and started self producing albums in 2000 or so. Since then I’ve managed to release over 50 original albums and contributed to about as many tribute albums / compilations. A recent collaboration with Astral Magic (Finland) has yielded several releases in the Space Rock / Prog genres.
How do you write generally – do you start with a guitar phrase or lyric?
That depends on the song really. Sometimes it all starts with Drums, sometimes a bass line. Sometimes a guitar or piano riff. Lyrics never come first with me. A vocal melody perhaps, but very rarely lyrics. Those come last, if at all. The vast majority of my original catalog is instrumental. I find that my lyrical output simply can’t keep up with the musical output so I’ve learned to not put pressure on myself to add vocals to everything. Sometimes the music is saying precisely what I need to say / express anyway. But I am doing more “song-craft” these days so there could be more Vocal music down the road.
What material have you released on Fruits de Mer over the years?
I’ve been a part of roughly 20 FDM releases since we started working together. I jumped on board pretty early and the music selections have been quite diverse. I’ve covered CAN, Todd Rundgren, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Amon Duul 2, Steve Hillage, Motorhead, Nick Drake, as well as some original music. FDM has also led to some collaborations with artists such as Rob Gould, Icarus Peel and others.
A collection is in the works on FDM of all the songs I’ve ever recorded for the label! 2023 is shaping up to be a great year! Lots of new releases ready to go.
