Friends, I must make a confession. I'm afraid I haven't been dutifully doing my job as a blogger. There's a band I haven't been sharing with you much and I feel really bad about it.

The band is The Sea Navy. They're a local three-piece band and their latest album, Memory Matches, is a 10-track dose of well-polished indie rock. I encourgae you to give the record a listen. Better yet, you can buy the record from the band Saturday night at Neumos when they open for Say Hi and David Bazan ($15, 21+, 9:30 p.m.). If you do buy the album at the show you'll get a cool print of the album artwork as done by Steve Keene, the same guy who created album covers for Pavement (see above for an image of the print).

Earlier this week I caught up with Jay Cox, frontman for The Sea Navy. He was kind enough to answer some questions via email to let Ear Candy readers know more about him and his band.   

Tell me a little bit about how the band started.

I was in a band in Boston for about five years called The Ivory Coast; we put out records on Big Wheel Recreation and  Polyvinyl Records. There were some songs that didn’t fit the band so I just came up with the name The Sea Navy and started recording and playing live.

I moved out here and my first show was with a CD-R of pre-recorded drums. I then went through various versions of a Seattle lineup. The current version has Jordan Cumming on drums and Stuart Fletcher on bass.

I think at times there is a misconception that people who are in bands play music as a their sole profession, what do the guys in the band do for a living aside from make music. Do your day jobs ever overlap with your careers as musicians and are there any hidden talents the guys in the band have that come in handy every now and then?

The three of us have jobs where we sit in front of computers for a majority of the day doing various tasks. We have many hidden talents related to music and other areas. Jordan is a recording wiz and applied a lot of his potions and magic to the record and recording process. Jordan is also in charge of getting the band to and from practice spaces to music venues. Stuart has various tonics and spells for detail, grammar and design (Have you seen the cases our CDs come in? Stuart found those beauties!). We have never been lost on a mountain or out at sea. In the event that these events happen and we survive I we regale in tales of how Stuart killed the Great White (no doubt the band of pirates that hold us captive will be in control of a ship appropriately named “Once Bitten, Twice Shy") and how Jordan used a paper clip and ipod to make a cell phone to call for our rescue.

You're not from Seattle originally, what has your experience as a musician in the music scene here been like compared to other scenes you have been a part of?

I am a Seattle transplant but have been here long enough for my “Willie Bloomquist 4 Ever” tattoo to be a strong regret of mine. Every town has various circles of Jets and Sharks. At some point you get old and realize that trying to dance fight other gangs and snapping your fingers in dark alleys ways is tiresome and not worth it.

What was the process like recording Memory Matches? How long did it take? Where was it recorded? I read it was the first time this Sea Navy lineup recorded together. What was it like recording with this lineup?

The album was recorded at The Tank (Black Diamond, WA) which was a studio run by Tom Pfaeffle. Vocals were done at the Vera Project and various overdubs were done at home. Jordan mixed the whole record at his studio. We took our time recording the record which is something releasing an album on your own affords you. Unfortunately Tom was unable to hear the final version of the CD. The day we got the album back from mastering Tom passed away.

This album is the first (of many) with this lineup of Jordan Cumming on drums and Stuart Fletcher on bass. Being able to have all members input and creative molding during song writing and recording benefited the songs. Jordan and Stuart are amazing musicians (pro gear AND pro attitude) and approach playing and writing at a different angle which is very helpful and informative to me. I have learned a lot from playing with them and I am thankful for their (ongoing) dedication to this project.

Memory Matches is a very concise pop-rock record. Is that something you set out to create intentionally? Do the songs get stretched out a bit live?

While recording we definitely added things like keys and extra guitars that are not replicated live. I like to think that versions on the record and the version performed live vary. The hope is that the live versions have a different energy and a bit more urgency. The sound of the songs was not intentional. Whatever comes out of the creative process I accept. I always fear that the most recent song is going to be the last since you don’t know when the next bout of creativity is going to arrive, if it arrives at all. The songs I write have a specific sound and Jordan and Stuart have been able to mold that into something different and/or enhance what is already there. As far as the songs being “stretched out” – I don’t think a two minute song can be any longer, only shorter!

Two great videos were created for a couple of Memory Matches tracks using footage of the Seattle World's Fair and old baseball games. What inspired the videos. You mentioned MLB.com got ahold of the baseball video. Did you ever get an actual response from them about that video?

Thanks to the power of Twitter the videos were viewed and RT (Re-Twittered) by Mariners pitcher Ryan Roland Smith (@hyphen18) and Major League Baseball (@MLB). I wanted to make a video that was low on cost. Finding Creative Commons footage meant I was able to get some vintage material and use it to my advantage. A local filmmaker Brad Wilke was able to edit them together for us. (Thanks Brad!)

The Sea Navy is playing Neumos Saturday opening for David Bazan and Say Hi. There haven't been any other opening bands on this tour. How did you guys land the spot?

The only other third band on the tour (as far as I know besides us) was in Boston TW Walsh’s new project called The Soft Drugs played. We asked Trey (Dave’s booking agent) and Dave if we could play the show and they said yes. I think I may have to babysit for free for a few months for both Dave and Trey so this show better be fun! Myself and my trusty CD of pre-recorded drums shared the stage with Dave back in 2005 when I opened of the Headphone at Neumos.

There is a pretty cool album cover painting done by Steve Keene (the guy who did the Wowee Zowee cover)  that you're giving away at the show when people buy the record. How did that relationship come about?

Same as the last answer. I asked Steve and he said yes. I am a huge fan of Steve Keene and own many of his paintings. I emailed him the record and told him the idea and he was into it. I wanted something I could use a giveaway or value added that people (even if they didn’t know us, which honestly is almost everyone reading this) would want and think was cool and unique.

Lastly, what's next for the band? When can people see you next?

We already have about 8 new songs and we are actively having talks about how and when we would record them. We may have a Christmas song, we may not. December 5th we are playing the Sunset Tavern for a KEXP Audioasis show (which will be benefiting a local organization). In 2010 we may be playing an Ice Cream establishment. There has also been a passing mention of trying to get out to the East Coast for some shows in Spring/Summer 2010.