Jay Sparrow is a punk and a poet. He was born in the icy, northern Ontario mill town of Thunder Bay yet at times can sing with the warmth and soul of a southern country gospel soloist. Jay toured relentlessly the past few years with his road-weary punk band The Murder City Sparrows but now begins anew as a solitary singer-songwriter. Guthrie meets Rotten with northern roots.

His new self produced E.P. was recorded at a feverish and immediate pace in three days in his spiritual hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. Good Days Gone By was recorded essentially “live off the floor” and speaks heavily of the current state of the union, yet the songs still manage to deliver in uplifting fashion. The overall sentiment he wanted to portray was the simple fact that we are all in it together… a somewhat comforting notion.

This is Jay’s second solo record, a follow-up to The Running, released in 2008, with songs also included in the Sparks Music/EMI compilation Royally Sparked. With pen constantly to paper and guitar in hand Jay is almost finished another record set to be released early next year with production by friend, collaborator and co-conspirator Jimmy Gnecco of NYC band/cult heroes OURS.

Whether playing solo with an acoustic guitar or with his full band, an eight-piece “deep roots orchestra”, Jay Sparrow always delivers with an inspired presence. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.