I got acknowledged by Jay Reatard twice in my life. Two times in the same night, as a matter of fact. The first was admittedly awkward. I saw Jay walk by before the show (at Harpers Ferry, October 2) so I said to him as he passed, “Hey Jay, I love you man.” I didn’t really notice his reaction, because he kept walking, but some people close to me have said that he smirked. The other meeting occured a short time later; Jay was chilling near the front of the stage so I said “Hey Jay, your last record is really awesome.” He responded! He said, “Thanks, man.” Of course, I was a creep, but whatever!
For the rest of the week I plan to make posts solely about the fallen garage legend. Yes, he was a bit of an asshole, but he was our asshole lol. I’m sure he’s freaking out Jesus and and some wimpy angels in Heaven right now.
Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard, who broke out last year thanks to Watch Me Fall, has died at the age of 29, Reatard’s label Matador Records confirmed. According to Memphis’ Commercial Appeal, Reatard was found dead in his Memphis home at 3:30 am this morning and reportedly died in his sleep. “We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist,” Matador Records said in a statement. “We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.” Watch Reatard perform “Blood Visions” last month in Atlanta in the video above.
“Since 1998’s Teenage Hate, Memphian Jay “Reatard” Lindsey, 29, has spit enough pissed-off, low-fi garage punk to become DIY royalty,” Will Hermes wrote in his three-and-a-half star review of Watch Me Fall. “There’s also choral sugar, dub effects, sweet guitar cascades and mad hooks. On the majestic closer, alongside a sad cello, he insists, ‘There is no sun.’ With sound this blazingly bright, who needs it?”
In 2008, Beck recruited Reatard to record a cover of Modern Guilt’s “Gamma Ray” for the B side of that song’s single. For last year’s Record Store Day, Reatard’s “Hang Them All” was featured on a split 7” with Sonic Youth’s “No Garage.” Reatard also recently opened for the Pixies during their run of Doolittle concerts. On their Facebook page, the Pixies wrote “We want to express our condolences to the friends and family of Jay Reatard, on his sudden passing today.”
– Rolling Stone
RIP Jay, you are immortal through your music, some of the best damn rock and roll my ears have had the privilege of hearing.
Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard, who broke out last year thanks to Watch Me Fall, has died at the age of 29, Reatard’s label Matador Records confirmed. According to Memphis’ Commercial Appeal, Reatard was found dead in his Memphis home at 3:30 am this morning and reportedly died in his sleep. “We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist,” Matador Records said in a statement. “We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.”
I’m really stunned. The last two times I saw Jay, he put on an unbelievable show. I’ve been checking daily to see if he was going to be coming back to the area soon, but now I’ll never be able to watch him perform again. That’s tragic, because he was probably the most interesting musician to read about (via his own Facebook statuses, tweets, or on other websites) and listen to. Just on Monday he threatened to kill kids because they slashed his tires. He was just that kind of guy.
1. “Gateway Drug” – B- 2. “Don’t Let Your Enemies Become Friends” – C- 3. “Good Graces, Bad Influence” – C+
Comments: I liken this band to Head Automatica, with evident styles in pop-punk and power-pop. Like HA, the Spill Canvas manages to (mostly) stay outside the obnoxious zone that so many bands of today tend to fall in. HA is a lot catchier, but this definitely is comparable.
I admit not as fabulous as the classic, “Bobby Is A lover,” but I just heard this one so, I decided to share this great music with y’all whom couldn’t possibly discover such fine art on your own. Gaye Blades = Music to poppy for the Black Lips catalog. RIP Bobby Ubangi!
