Artist: Jale, Album: Dreamcake, Song: Not Happy

Jale originated as an all girl rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia.  They were art school students, Jennifer Pierce, Alyson MacLeod, Laura Stein, and Eve Hartling.  The name Jale was formed using the first letters of the band members' first names.  The band formed during the early nineties, emerging from the same scene that spawned artists like Sloan, Thrush Hermit (see blog 9/5/10), Eric's Trip, Hardship Post (see blog 3/24/11), Plumtree (see blog 12/13/10) and Super Friendz (see blog 2/25/11).  Some of their earliest gigs were opening for Sloan.  They were the first of two Canadian bands to sign with Sub Pop out of Seattle.  Eric's Trip was the first.  They released their full length debut in 1994, entitled, Dreamcake.  Not Happy is the lead off track from their debut and it captures the essence of all girl rock during the grunge era.  Jale was right up there with bands like Veruca Salt, The Breeders, Liz Phair, Juliana Hatfield and fellow Canadians, Cub. You can hear the song, Not Happy, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndn7xYHvpdI).  The band would follow this album up with an EP before releasing their final album in 1996.  They did go through some line up changes throughout the years and members Pierce, Stein along with new drummer, Mike Belitsky, would later form a new band called The Vees.  You can purchase Jale's album, Dreamcake, on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!