Miche Jetté has years of experience playing in a number of Ottawa bands, including Werbo, Jehovah's Wetness, Doc Klatt and the Taters, 7th Fire and Cheeky Monkey. In his newest incarnation, he's known as Flecton Big Sky, a kind of troubadour who's divided his time between Memphis and Chicago, as well as O-town. Flecton's Kelp Records debut, Never Took A Wife, is the result of five years' worth of recordings and includes collaborations with his friends Califone and The Grifters. Shaunna Bednarek emailed Jetté some questions about the record and what's going on in Ottawa outside of Kelp Records and beaver tails.

NEVER TOOK A WIFE IS YOUR KELP RECORDS DEBUT. HAD YOU RELEASED ANYTHING BEFORE THIS? Animals into the wild, the odd ceremonial pigeon and/or dove, as well as the album, Welcome to Japan, by Werbo.

THE ALBUM WAS RECORDED OVER FIVE YEARS IN MEMPHIS, CHICAGO AND OTTAWA. HOW DID THESE CITIES INFLUENCE THEIR RESPECTIVE RECORDINGS? WHAT DO THESE CITIES MEAN TO YOU? There is only one track that was recorded in Ottawa, and it's a live track, so it's more incidental than anything. It's a song ('œTigertooth Says Hurr'?) that I hadn't recorded, yet and I found this live version in my archives that I found represented what happens during my live show. The record didn't really take five years to make. I mean, it's not like I've been toiling in the various studios perfecting them over the last five years. Basically, the story of the record is such: In 2001, I returned to Memphis (where I had lived during 1996/1997) and decided to get in the studio with friends of mine, who some of you may or may not recognize from The Grifters. We cut five songs in the studio (Easley-McCain) and then another two tracks were recorded in my friend Dave's attic. When I returned home, I briefly shopped these songs around to see if there was any interest in putting out an EP. I found no takers, and decided that was fine and shelved the record. For friends and other interested parties, I would make this available in CD-R format as The Memphis Sessions or The Memphis EP. And that was to be the end of that, until I went to Chicago and recorded more songs with more friends. When I put those songs together with the songs from the Memphis sessions, I realized I had a great album on my hands and decided I should put this out there. Chicago and Memphis are great cities that hold many memories, friends and further adventures for me, and I will always consider them as homes away from home.

YOU COLLABORATED WITH CALIFONE DURING THE CHICAGO SESSIONS. HOW DID YOU END UP HOOKING UP WITH THOSE GUYS? I first met Tim [Rutili] and Ben [Massarella] in 1996 while in Chicago on a Grifters tour. We kept in touch over the years and had some discussions about collaborating on something in the future. In September of 2004 our schedules collided and the results of that time make up the first five songs that lead off Never Took A Wife.

HOW IS FLECTON DIFFERENT FROM MICHE? One is more unbalanced than the other.

FLECTON'S BAND IS THE DREAMCATCHERS. WHO ARE THESE GUYS, AND WILL THEY BE JOINING YOU FOR YOUR WAVELENGTH PERFORMANCE? These guys are Tom Werbowetski (drums) and Scott Terry (guitar), who've been a part of many a great Ottawa bands, including, but not limited to Werbo, Av and the Pirates, Ukrainia, The Banditas, South of 78, The Mystic Zealots and others. They will be with me during the Wavelength show.

WAVELENGTH HAS GIVEN A LOT OF LOVE TO THE KELP RECORDS ROSTER, INCLUDING GREENFIELD MAIN, THE ACORN AND RECOILERS. WHAT'S GOING ON IN OTTAWA OUTSIDE OF KELP? To name but a few things or people: Music For Cats, Shawn Scallen (punkottawa.com), Babylon Nightclub, The Million Dollar Marxists, www.amfraser.com, Aloha Room, Songbird Music, The Mighty Eagle Band, Bova Sound, and on and on-- it's all there once you get past all the shawarma shops and coffeehouses.

By Shaunna Bednarek