The first time I met Jay was at a songwriter’s in the round gig in Harvard Square. He, myself and a mutual friend Mark Whitaker were to perform upstairs at Tommy Doyle’s (RIP) on the bigger stage, but due to the crowd wanting to watch whatever was on TV (I actually think it was an election night…great night for a gig, right?) we were moved into the basement for a riveting crowd of about 4 people. But, we made the most of it, traded stories and swapped songs back and forth. Played on each other’s tunes and I remember leaving that gig feeling like a million bucks rather than the $7 that I took home as payment for playing. Jay left a mark on me with how he was able to command a crowd of even 4 people who just so happened to stumble down the stairway and wound up staying to hear what we had to sing about. A big part of that was because of his distinct ability to overpower you with his voice, his charm and his songs.
There is a super, super fine line in country music these days. A tough line to walk between kitschy, pop crap and honest to goodness heartfelt songs…ok maybe its not that tough to pull the good stuff from the bargain bin of hellish “something bout a truck, red solo cup” garbage, but more and more you may find yourself wondering what you might come up with when you take the plunge into something new.
Jay Bragg has cut his teeth down to the gums and deep into the roots to get to where he is today. A hard won and never give up attitude have defined Jay for the past 4 or so years when he decided to pack it up and move to Nashville and well before that here in New England. Since that time finding his niche at local honky tonks, playing his damn heart out and landing an opening spot for one of his heroes on a big tour in the process. What he represents for me personally is that hard work and dedication to your craft. Walking a line between entertainer and songwriter, being able to maintain an ability to draw crowds to love you down on Broadway, but not compromising what you set out to do with your music and pay homage to the classics while cutting your own path…well that’s something Jay has driven home again and again.
Check out the new video for his tune “Leaning on the Liquor” and if you haven’t given his debut record “Honky Tonk Dream” a listen, well we suggest you get your dancing shoes on and put it on the old turntable…or Spotify.