Jay Mathes

Blog

  • Thoughts on Who I Am

    I thought I’d share with you a message that I sent to one of my newest YouTube subscribers. She was asking me about my background in music, how I got started, and how I got in to music. I think my message came off as a little angry, though that wasn’t the case at all. I just wanted to clearly convey that – at least for me – a none-music “job” was never an option:

    No! Of course I didn’t just decide to “go in to music”!!! I feel in my bones that I was created to write. I can’t help but do it, because it’s a part of the fabric of who I was made to be. Some people think it’s weird when I talk about it like this, but I feel that writing songs is as necessary to me as breath itself.
    I’ve been writing music since I was a little kid, and I’ve been given opportunities to hone that gift. The end goal? Full-time music – recording, performing, and writing. How close am I? Probably not very, but I’m chasing the dream none-the-less.
    I’m putting all of my eggs in to one basket, and everybody I know knows it, too. I have a new record coming out (hopefully soon) with my band, called The City (http://thecitymusic.com)
    So thanks for listening! You’re a part of turning my dream in to substance.
    -Jay

  • Staying Calm: It’s Only a Game

    My brother plays on the varsity basketball team at Glenbard East High School. He’s a guard, in case you were wondering. After attending nearly all of his weekend games this past season, I can honestly say that I get more heated while watching his games than while doing just about anything else. I swear, it’s probably one of the most stressful things in my life!

    Multiple times this season I have unsuccessfully restrained myself from being one of those obnoxious fans who yells at the refs about this or that call. Tonight – senior night – I approached the game with a greater resolve to stay calm, collected, and in my seat. Failure.
    (I stood up after a player on Naperville North fouled out – their best player – and I waved him goodbye, as he made his way to the bench. No yelling, I should add.)
    This was the last time that my brother dressed for basketball on his home court. This was also the only game this season that he fouled out – and this even before reaching the 2-minute mark, in the fourth quarter.
    Playing that last game has to be tough. It’s something that I’ve never experienced, though. Trying to objectify it, as an outsider, I hope that these experiences in life remind kids (and me) that few things last forever in this world, and it’s stupid to waste our time on the things that don’t. We are meant to live in the midst of the eternal reality – that there is more to life than what meets the eye.
    After tonight, my challenge to myself is to live with more awareness about the longevity of the work that I’m doing – whether it be washing a few dishes or trading futures.
    And to you, my question is: what *does* matter in this life?