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RIP Wilco's Jay Bennett
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The most heart breaking part of the aptly titled Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is when Jay Bennett leaves the band and performs a solo concert featuring his Tweedy-less compositions. If you were to ask Bennett, he was the McCartney to Jeff Tweedy's Lennon. But Tweedy clearly didn't agree. And judging by the live performance, most viewers probably didn't either. This, coupled with the recent news that Bennett had sued Tweedy over Wilco royalties makes the announcement of Mr. Bennett's death at the age of 45 all the more tragic. As of press, the cause of death is not known.
Before today, it was easy to write off Jay Bennett as an extremely minor figure in the alt-country pantheon. However, the unfortunate news of his passing should at least merit a closer look. Bennett's post-Wilco albums aren't genius but they aren't awful either. Moreover, look at what Wilco has done since his departure. Ghost is Born had plenty of solid moments but it was nowhere near as coherent as Summerteeth or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: both albums that Bennett played a significant role in creating. While current Wilco guitarist Nels Cline is quite the force to be reckoned with live, his studio output includes the snoozy Sky Blue Sky and the upcoming Wilco (The Album), which upon initial listen sounds to be one of the more forced efforts a band has ever taken to recapture their "sound."
So perhaps Jay Bennett was Paul McCartney after all.
Pay your respects by buying or downloading any of Bennett's Wilco gems: Being There, Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Bennett had plenty of other work out there as well (both with pre-Wilco band Titanic Love Affair and solo) if you want to dig deep, but pound-for-pound, his Wilco contributions are the dollops of gravy on those musical mashed potatoes.
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