Remebering Jay Bennett (1963-2009)

“I’m still waiting for songs to be written/ Songs that you’ll never hear” – “Drinking On Your Dime” from The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Jay Bennett & Edward Burch)

Download “It Hurts” from The Palace 1919

I knew Jay Bennett through his music. My introduction to him was through Wilco. When Jay performed, he put his full heart into his energetic performances. He was known for his impassioned presence and versatile musical expertise on stage. Beyond the live shows, he was known for his studio production and engineering skills.

Today I am listening to my Wilco and Jay Bennett CDs, watching old documentaries and performances taped from TV shows, and remembering a man whose musical output has profoundly effected, inspired, and awed me.

“We’ll find a way regardless/ To make some sense out of this mess” – “Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again)” from Summerteeth (Wilco)

The first Wilco album for which Bennett joined the band was Being There, with 2-discs of music that is a transition from the band’s alt country roots into the use of layers of studio sounds. The album retains the folk influence of the band while Bennett’s multi-instrumental work adds new levels of production for the band.

Summerteeth, Wilco’s fourth album, saw an increase in production and Bennett’s role. Both Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett provided many more overdubs than previous Wilco albums had utilized. Bennett performed many of the additional keyboards, organs, and guitars.

“Them’s got ears, let them hear/ Them’s got eyes, let them see/ Turn your eyes to the Lord of the skies// Take this airline place/ It’ll take you home again/ To your home behind the skies” – “Airline to Heaven” from Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (Billy Bragg & Wilco, with lyrics from Woody Guthrie)

Around the same time Summerteeth was recorded, Wilco was invited to participate in a unique project. Nora Guthrie had commissioned Billy Bragg to create music for previously unheard Woody Guthrie lyrics. Bragg, in turn, asked Wilco to participate. Over the course of the 2 albums of Guthrie-Bragg-Wilco collaborations, the band (and Bennett) gained more attention and notoriety.

There is a great documentary that was made of the Mermaid Avenue session, entitled Man in the Sand. In contrast to Bennett’s much publicized presentation in the Wilco documentary I’m Trying to Break Your Heart, he is seen as the more amiable member of the band in The Man in the Sand. Bennett gets along well with and is appreciated by Billy Bragg and Nora Guthrie.

“Tall buildings shake/ Voices escape singing sad sad songs/ Tuned to chords strung down your cheeks/ Bitter melodies turning your orbit around” – “Jesus, etc.” from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Wilco)

As Wilco began recording their next album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Bennett’s role in the band increased. In addition to the multiple instruments he juggled for the band, he also took on recording responsibilities and amplified co-writing duties with Tweedy. It was during this time that he also began to grow distant from the rest of the band. As much as the documentary I’m Trying to Break Your Heart captures the process of making an album and dealing with the changes the 21st century brought to the music industry, the film also documents Bennett’s departure from Wilco.

Wilco fans may not agree on which album is the best in the band’s catalog, but the three albums that are most often cited as their masterpieces are the ones on which Jay Bennett participated – Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

“There’s no need to feel ashamed/ No point assigning blame/ Because we both hurt sometimes I know” – “It Hurts” from The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Jay Bennett & Edward Burch)

After Bennett left Wilco, the band was dropped from their label and in search of a way to release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Bennett continued recording music. With another fellow Chicago musician, Edward Burch, he crafted his first post-Wilco album, The Palace at 4am (Part 1). By the time that album was completed and ready to release, Wilco had signed with Nonesuch Records. In an odd turn of events, both YHF and The Palace ended up being released on the exact same day. While the Wilco album has garnered a lot of press, The Palace at 4am (Part 1) is nearly as strong of an album and, unfortunately, underappreciated.

For me, this time period brought 2 of the most memorable live shows I’ve ever experienced. First, Wilco toured a few times leading up to the release of YHF. For one show, they played an auditorium on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. After the band finished their first set, the then-four-piece group came back on stage and performed the first disc of Being There in its entirety as their first encore. It was amazing to hear them work from “Misunderstood” to “Far, Far Away” and on through each track of the disc. As they sang “Monday,” which includes references to Bennett and his former band Titanic Love Affair, the members awkwardly glanced at each other as they sang the chorus, “Get me outta TLA.”

Not long after that show, Jay Bennett & Edward Burch toured in support of The Palace. In contrast to Wilco’s show, the twosome played a small bar in Denver. My friends and I got to the show early and helped the musicians unload their car and carry in their guitars. As they set up for the show and waited the crowd to show up, we were able to hang out with them and ask Bennett questions about his career. That was followed by an intimate and powerful acoustic set of songs.

“Now I know the reason why/ There will be no church tonight” – “No Church Tonight” from The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Jay Bennett & Edward Burch, with lyrics from Woody Guthrie)

On Sunday, May 24th, Jay Bennett passed away in sleep.

“Though the love might die, memories keep it living/ Although it hurts sometimes, I’m happy for what I was given” – “Forgiven” from The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Jay Bennett & Edward Burch)

Today, I have listened to those 3 fateful Wilco albums and every Jay Bennett solo album. I started with The Palace at 4am (Part 1). I was overcome with sadness. But as I listened to his music, heard his voice, and relived the moments and memories (more than this article holds) I have of Jay Bennett, a small melancholic smile is beginning to take its place on my face. Listening to all this music, I am reminded of the joy that has been brought into my life. From Wilco to his solo albums to David Vandervelde (whom I first saw playing drums for Bennett at SXSW in 2006) to all of the Rock Proper albums recorded at Bennett’s Pieholden Studios – my life has been better because of this man.

He will be missed.

“I know where, when now/ I know who and how/ I don’t know why/ I just don’t know why” – “It Hurts” from The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Jay Bennett & Edward Burch)

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Comments

[Edward Burch]

Thanks for the kind words about Jay. We miss him dearly.

Just a note, his pre-Wilco band was not Tantric Love Affair (though I know Jay would have loved the typo); it was Titanic Love Affair (taken from the Billy Bragg lyric: "Our titanic love affair sails on the morning tide").

best,
Edward

[The Wheel's Still In Spin]

Edward,

Thanks for spotting my mistake. That typo's making me laugh quite a bit right now.