Indie Music Blog, Live Sessions, and Daily MP3 Downloads.
There is a great piece in the NY Times about Les Paul, so I won’t add much commentary. The man pretty much invented the solid body electric guitar and the 4 track recorder, tools that changed the course of music history. I’m going to just listen to a shitload of music today and thank Les Paul for his influence.
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I’m sick of Michael Jackson coverage. I didn’t want to post anything about his passing, but HearYa Live Session producer, Steve Shirk, is off in Cambodia or Laos or some such humid location and made time to send me a great link. A group of producers are sharing memories from days working with Michael and I found it fascinating. Much better than the shit on television. There’s no denying that the man was a genius. Here is a snippet from one of the members of the online forum:
One morning MJ came in with a new song he had written overnight. We called in a guitar player, and Michael sang every note of every chord to him. “here’s the first chord first note, second note, third note. Here’s the second chord first note, second note, third note”, etc., etc. We then witnessed him giving the most heartfelt and profound vocal performance, live in the control room through an SM57.
He would sing us an entire string arrangement, every part. Steve Porcaro once told me he witnessed MJ doing that with the string section in the room. Had it all in his head, harmony and everything. Not just little eight bar loop ideas. he would actually sing the entire arrangement into a micro-cassette recorder complete with stops and fills.
At one point Michael was angry at one of the producers on the project because he was treating everyone terribly. Rather than create a scene or fire the guy, Michael called him to his office/lounge and one of the security guys threw a pie in his face. No further action was needed . . .
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I said I didn’t want to know the results of Jay’s autopsy, but I just read the headline over here.
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I’ve been holding out on dropping the RIP post for Ex-Wilco band member Jay Bennett, but I’ve been watching the blog community mourn. If you haven’t heard, Jay Bennett died in his sleep on Sunday. I think most humans have a morbid curiosity to understand one’s cause of death, especially when they perish before their time. Jay was only 45.
I’ve always felt pity for Jay Bennett. I know I that I shouldn’t because he was a brilliant musician and his influence in transcending Wilco’s music beyond alt-country and into something more beautiful is indelible. Their album Summerteeth was his second with the band and marked a paradigm shift in their sound. It still stands as my favorite Wilco album and one of my favorites of all time.
Jay doesn’t deserve my pity. His accomplishments deserve celebration. But still, after watching the 2002 Wilco documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, he was painted as the bad guy. Ostracized for disagreeing with Jeff Tweedy on Wilco’s creative direction, his departure was bittersweet. Wilco went on to flourish and Jay went off quietly to produce solo albums that never found an audience. Recently, Jay sued Jeff Tweedy for royalties he said he was owed for the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the ensuing documentary.‚ When someone mentions his name, I immediately think “the guy that was kicked out of Wilco.”
And I suppose that’s the reason I don’t want to hear the results of Jay Bennett’s autopsy. This week I’m revisiting Wilco albums where Jay’s influence is palpable. I’m going to appreciate his contributions, relive some great memories I’ve had with these CD’s and, most importantly, rebuild his character in my mind’s eye. His passing is tragic and if the cause death is determined to be something other than natural causes, it won’t be how I remember him. Hasn’t his legacy been tarnished enough?
Free Album Download: Jay Bennett – Whatever Happened I Apologize.
Video: Wilco – Cars Can’t Escape (from I Am Trying To Break Your Heart)
[Help cover funeral expenses with burial insurance]
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