Recent Journal Entries:

[6.27.06] hi, how are you?

happy hump day to you!

if anyone can remember the catchy little explanation for what hump day is again, please let me know. my grandma used to tell me a joke that had to do with hump day, but i was too little to remember it. i just know that it was funny.

paris hilton is on larry king live right now, but i decided not to give them their ratings, so i changed the channel to 'planet earth', which is way more relevant anyways. don't you think? i hope so. why do people care about paris hilton so much, anyways? the only reason the news channels cover that shit is because too many people care about it and think it's news.

moving on...

i posted a song by a lady named malvina reynolds (written in 1962). some of you might have heard it on the show 'weeds' (on showtime). i come from a town filled with little boxes and ticky tacky, and most people come out just the same. don't tell myspace... it will be our little secret!

anyways, i hope everyone is enjoying the middle of their week, wherever everyone may be.

over and out,

jon

[6.23.07] a night to remember

went home and played at summer solstice festival with matt. it was a blast. it was so nice to see everyone again. thanks for coming out! i opened the night up for meiko, sally jaye, and jay nash as they toured through from los angeles on their way to nyc. they rocked. it was great to see jay again.

after the show we all went to a good friend's place, joe g, the main man himself. he set up a nice fire for us in his backyard, and we passed the guitar around sharing songs and stories. sally, meiko, and jay tore it up. even my good friend dave kellan came by to play us a toon. such a source of talent around that fire. such a lovely night. it's nights like those i hold close to my memory.

jr

[6.13.07] what the daac!?

hey,

matt and i just got back from grand rapids. i've lived in michigan for almost 19 years and i've never been to grand rapids! it's a pretty cool place, and we met some pretty cool people. matt also showed me the beauty of gummy sharks.

we arrived a little late, but made sure we had enough time to check out vertigo. it's a local record shop that has a huge selection of vinyl and other great stuff. i'm a sucker for good record shops. i couldn't help but buy a $10 original pressing of the beatles ''sgt. pepper'' album. and how fitting, seeing as it was the 40th anniversary of ''sgt. pepper'' last week.

in case you live in grand rapids, you can now pick up my 2006 release 'still yes' at vertigo, on division avenue.

afterwards, we walked down to the daac. the daac is the 'division avenue arts cooperative', and a pretty rad place at that. it was campfire night at the daac, so the room was filled with flashlights and the smell of s'mores. mmmm.

the show was a blast; the crowd intimate and kind. i think matt even smiled. i can't wait to get back.

big show next week in my hometown, opening for jay nash and friends. if you're around, please come out and say 'hello'.

happy wednesday,

jon

[4.18.07] music addicts anonymous (maa)

hiya.

i recently realized i have an addiction.

there is this amazing record store down the street from me, called 'flat, black, and circular', and if you live in the lansing area and have never been, shame on you. it's run by good people, and even better, they have just about anything you want to hear. it's only second to 'amoeba' in my eyes.

because of its locale, i walk past it nearly everyday. i get tempted to go up there while convincing myself i'm only browsing, but i'm not sure how i trick myself into believing that.

i thought i'd mention what i've recently picked up there:
»  the lemonheads; car button cloth
»  gram parsons; grievous angel (vinyl)
»  kool keith; the lost masters (vinyl)
»  r.e.m.; monster
»  electronic; twisted tenderness
»  chris whitley; din of ecstacy
»  kings of leon; because of the times
»  modest mouse; we were dead before the ship even sank
»  the police; live!
»  josh ritter; the animal years
»  mc lars; the graduate
»  suzanne vega; self titled (vinyl)
»  roy orbison; the very best of
»  peter gabriel; shaking the tree
»  jim croce; photographs & memories
»  the smiths; the queen is dead
»  freedy johnston; this perfect world

friends, as you can see i have an addiction. i think i picked up most of these records within 2 or 3 trips to 'flat-black'. does anyone else have this problem?

consider this an AA meeting for music addicts, or rather, a 'MA meeting'. don't make me feel alone here...share your compulsive record buying quirks. let me know what you've been listening to these days.

be well,

jon

[11.29.06] a thought

"When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which I fill, and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of space of which I am ignorant, and which knows me not, I am frightened, and am astonished being here rather than there, why now rather than then."

- Pascal

why now rather than then?

[11.03.06] new song, more zen, less msg

hey there,

fall has enveloped us here in michigan with brisk winds and chapped lips. i've resorted to staying indoors with a good book, in which i've encountered plenty of lately (books that is).

posted up a new song, if you have not already noticed. called 'love won't let you down', written in a dollhouse with the ever talented jay nash. check him out in my top 8. buy his records. it's taken live from an uncommon ground solo performance in chicago, earlier in october.

these last few months have been some of the most awkward, upsetting, discouraging and yet productive months i've possibly ever had. a learning exploration of the self. it's like a new years resolution made in november. sometimes space provides clarity. oft i am consumed by daily ritual, and this sebatical from the outside has provided lots of insight. it's good to be alive again.

recent discussions with new model records forecasts another album on the horizon. and new developments on the radio front: 'still yes' is charting at over 70 stations cross-country. check it out at www.jonrajewski.com for more details and station listings.

a few more shows approaching here in november, then breaking away for awhile to begin the next full length record. my favorite time of the year in michigan is approaching and i trust it will be full of energy and inspiration for more to come. it's been a pleasure typing here.

W

[8.31.06] interview with the verge

jon is interviewed in this month's issue of the verge. read it here.