Who is Jay Joslyn? Local music fans may better know this under-the-radar solo artist from his contributions as drummer of area folk fixture Ugly Brothers, or singer (sometimes into a telephone receiver) of oddball alternative outfit Migo. However, the member of two always-active Milwaukee acts has also made time to sire a solo project under his own name.
As we wait for his other bands to issue their first proper releases, Milwaukee Record is happy to host Joslyn’s forthcoming EP (due out Friday, July 18), Here! I Live Here!
While just a third the length of the singer-songwriter’s year-old full-length album, There’s A Shake In My Hands And A Song In My Head, the sub-10-minute follow-up features a lovelorn Joslyn at his best. The mature-beyond-his-years effort finds the project’s namesake exposing his innermost flaws and fears in an upbeat and accessible manner, with gentle nods to the likes of flyover state folk counterparts Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova. Some of his Ugly Brothers cronies pitch in harmonies and musical accompaniment. The only blemish we can find in regard to Here! I Live Here! is the EP’s painfully brief run time.
Jay Joslyn will play a triple-header Friday, July 18. He’ll perform solo at a house show at Cartoon Jazz Cafe as part of a bill that also features Ugly Brothers, Animals In Human Attire, and Migo. The show starts at 8 p.m. The EP will be available for download at Joslyn’s Bandcamp page this weekend.