I was trying to figure out if I wanted to head out to a WFNM showcase on either Wednesday or Thursday night. I decided to do some research on Instagram. I went looking at all the artists / bands that were playing those two nights (less the individual I had previously seen) and checked out their Spotify accounts. I got to Amy Jay and took a listen to her music. I don't recall exactly which songs I played, but it was most likely her most listened to songs: "Reliance" and "Sorrow." It was an obvious choice, which night I was selecting. It was going to be Thursday night at Bar Lubitsch.
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| Amy Jay at Bar Lubitsch |
Her bandcamp has the following description of her folk lyrics, "like plastic knives—pliable, yet cutting. She is a master of exploring what makes the vulnerable acceptable and embracing nervous laughter in awkward situations."
The New York City based singer did a fun tour of Los Angeles. It looks like she hung out in Los Angeles for almost two weeks and played five sets while out here. Including Bar Lubitsch, she also played Healing Force of the Universe and Hotel Cafe.
Her setlist focused on her recent 2025 album Mnemonics and a couple other tunes. There wasn't a spot on her setlist for the two songs I heard on Spotify, but that didn't really matter. I was immediately swept away by her opening song "How The Mind Can Be A Trap" - the opening track of Mnemonics. She mentioned later on about why she titled her album Mnemonics. "Each track is like a mnemonic device. Things I want to remember that I've learned." That opening track was about not trying to prove yourself to people.
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| Amy Jay at Bar Lubitsch |
What I noticed: A friend who came out to Los Angeles with her could be seen singing to her songs. She played a solo set with an acoustic guitar. She did a couple extreme tuning moments before and after her unreleased song "Everything." It would seem that the 2024 movie The Complete Unknown still has a hold on me, because upon I learned that she was from New York City, I started to think about that scene in the movie where Bob Dylan comes across Joan Baez at an open mic night. Did she toss in the word "taxes" into her song "Joke?" If she did, I love it. She mentioned that the tune was about being a songwriter.
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| Amy Jay at Bar Lubitsch |
The song spotlight goes to "Margins." The song was inspired by when her shadow scared her. There is a music video (watch here) that she explained was inspired by Where the Wild Things Are and the Old Gregg character from The Mighty Boosh UK television series. (I have to admit I had never heard of The Mighty Boosh and had to do an Internet search on that one.) It is a song about the fear that creeps into our lives. It might not control your life, but it is out there in the margins. She's not one of those singer-songwriters who blames their parents for her worries, "And I had a pretty good childhood." Her parents and her upbringing is likely why she understands that fears need to stay in the margins.
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| Amy Jay at Bar Lubitsch |
I really do think though we have inherent worth
Setlist: How The Mind Can Be A Trap, Catskills, Joke, Compassion, Everything, Margins, Back To What's Natural.
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