Any Muzzle of Bees readers in the Champaign/Urban area this weekend should attend the Jay Bennett Memorial Concert at the Cowboy Monkey in Champaign, IL. As tragic as Bennett’s early departure is, his legacy through Wilco and his own (and under-appreciated) solo work lives on.

On Saturday, September 5th (6pm) Edward Burch, David Vandervelde, Titanic Love Affair, Steve Pride & His Blood Kin, Chris DeMay and more gather to pay musical respects to their friend, mentor, and fellow musician.

To shine a local (Milwaukee) light on the occasion I spoke with Chris DeMay who is performing at this weekend’s tribute and recently fronted a Milwaukee all-star band opening for Roadside Graves. It was honestly something to be seen and heard. I asked DeMay to share with me his connection to Jay Bennet and how they got to know each other. Here goes:

“i met jay about 2001 right around the time of his exit from wilco. my band, west of rome, did some shows with jay and edward before and after the release of “the palace at 4 am.” leading up to west of rome working with him to record “drunk tank decoy.” that song was recorded one night in the studio when jay and i were working on overdubs for drunk tank decoy. i had a new song i wanted to demo and jay was like, “let’s do it now.” he encouraged me to record a solo record without my band, a “nebraska” type effort. we always spoke in musical references.”

Below, download two tracks. Frst, “Cowboys and Indians” was “recorded by Jay in ’04–you can hear his voice on the beginning of the track” and the second, “You Shared You” was recorded for the “Dill Scallion” soundtrack that was “learned and recorded this song in about 20 minutes.” Enjoy!

MP3: Chris DeMay – “Cowboys and Indians”
MP3: West of Rome (with Jay Bennett & Edward Burch) – “You Shared You”

It’s still hard to believe that Jay Bennett’s gone. In the month since his passing, I’ve been on a regular diet of both his solo work as well as his immeasurable contributions to my favorite band. Lately, I’ve been playing Jeff Tweedy & Jay Bennett’s take on Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In The End” from Old Town School of Folk Music Fest in Chicago (July 25, 1999). It may be one of the best songs ever written as far as I’m concerned.

MP3: Jeff Tweedy + Jay Bennett – “True Love Will Find You In The End” (Daniel Johnston)

Welcome to the 10th podcast/download I’m co-hosting with Ryan Schleicher at 91.7 WMSE. We dedicate this week’s podcast in tribute to Jay Bennett, who recently passed away, and whose musical lineage and contributions we will always remember.

Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast: Volume 10:

Wilco – “Cars Can’t Escape” / Jay Bennett – “Another Town Another Ride Another Window” / Jay Bennett – “Without The Benefit Of Sight” / The Low Anthem – “(Don’t) Tremble” / John Sieger – “Remember Me” / DeYarmond Edison – “Dead Anchor” / Justin Vernon – “Hazelton” / Megafaun – “The Fade” / Strand of Oaks – “Lawns Breed Songs” / Donovan Quinn & The 13th Month – “They’re Going to Pick Us Apart” / Steve Earle – “Delta Momma Blues” / Steve Earle – “Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold” / White Antelope – “It Ain’t Me Babe” / The Felice Brothers – “Katie Dear”

Download/Stream: Muzzle of Bees + 91.7 WMSE Podcast: Volume 10

This is sad to watch and type out. Jay wrote and produced some of my absolute favorite songs on some of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands. We’ll keep him in our hearts.

Video: Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett of Wilco stopped by the Austin Music Network
Video: Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy “Cars Can’t Escape” I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Video: Wilco performs California Stars from Sessions on W. 54th
Video: Wilco performs Kingpin 5/29/99 Calaveras, CA
Video: Wilco – Austin City Limits 8-6-99
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Previously: Jay Bennett :: Whatever Happened I Apologize
Previously: Jay Bennett – The Magnificent Defeat

Myspace: Jay Bennett
MP3: Jay Bennett – “I Don’t Have The Time”
MP3: Jay Bennett – “Talk and Talk and Talk”

Today former Wilco member, turned soloist, Jay Bennett digitally releases Whatever Happened I Apologize. Excitement aside, it’s pretty nice that this release comes absolutely free. Head over to Rock Proper to download your copy today. “Rock Proper is an online music distributor providing free, high quality, album-length downloads with the legal consent of their creators.”

“It is stark, stripped down, and acoustic based—more so than any other record I have made. I really wanted to capture the simpler and more emotional nature of the songwriting, and I knew that the only way I could do this was to put it together quickly, with no second-guessing, and no heavy deliberating about minor details. Consequently I would have to learn to embrace the resultant imperfections—and I have. All of the vocals are done live to my own acoustic guitar accompaniment, so it has some “warts,” but, in my effort to not forsake integrity for technical perfection, the album ended up feeling more honest, immediate, naked, and cohesive to me. I am very proud of presenting myself without my typical voluminous bells and whistles. I am left wondering why I haven’t done this more often in the past.” – Jay Bennett

Myspace: Jay Bennett

Find more MP3′s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic

A couple times a year I dust off my DVD copy of Wilco’s I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. The scene below features the since removed Jay Bennett at the piano and Jeff Tweedy gently strumming an acoustic, navigating an initial take on “Cars Can’t Escape,” a known beauty to anyone who’s crossed paths with it. I can’t wait to see these guys this weekend in their hometown at Lollapalooza.

Wilco – “Cars Can’t Escape”

Myspace: Wilco