Bye-bye Glass Ceiling
An interview with Jay Bennett and Edward Burch
"There was definitely a glass ceiling in place with Wilco," Jay Bennett said of the band he spent nearly six years in. "It was in place when I joined, for sure. While I was in the band, I pushed up against that glass ceiling, maybe even made it bulge at some points, but it was just always going to be there, no matter what."
Bennett spoke to me while on the road promoting his latest project, a collaboration with Edward Burch called The Palace at 4am (Part 1) (Undertow Records) that is without a doubt one of the best albums of 2002. Its classic pop songwriting, gorgeous instrumental passages and striking group vocals would make it stand out regardless of Bennett's former band. But, of course, The Palace at 4am has inevitably been released under the long shadow cast by Wilco's latest, the monumental Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which Bennett played on and engineered before leaving the band last summer.
As a result of all of the business problems and internal reshuffling that Wilco has gone through in the last year, YHF has become infamous among music fans as an example of major label short-sightedness. Now, with the album finally out on Nonesuch, the band seems (ironically) poised to find an even larger audience. But they'll be doing so without Bennett, the multi-instrumentalist who played a large part in shaping the sound of Wilco's three finest records, Being There, Summerteeth and YHF.
"I learned a lot in Wilco—emotionally, musically, communication-wise—and I met a lot of great people, both within the band and all over the world," Bennett reflected amiably as he and Burch pulled into Nashville. "But ultimately, the band kept me from exploring what it is that I am really capable of."
What Bennett is capable of is in full bloom on The Palace at 4am. Indeed, the record seems to be practically bursting at the seams with exciting ideas, studio wizardry and a sheer love of making music. It will remind listeners of almost all the great pop music of the last 30 years—from the Byrdsy opener "Puzzle Heart", to the dead-on Elvis Costello and the Attractions sound of "Whispers or Screams", all the way to the dusky, Big Star-like balladry of "Like A Photograph." Fans of the baroque lushness of Summerteeth (a record Bennett admitted he "really took the bull by the horns with") will recognize a lot of the sounds here. The Palace at 4am is stuffed with what sounds like a life-long love affair with music.
"I like good pop music, plain and simple," Bennett said. "I don't even know what that means, really. I know what it doesn't mean, though." He cites the early Bee Gees, Neil Young and John Lennon as primary influences. "I grew up in the '70s, when bands cared about things like good song arrangements and good group harmonies. You hardly ever hear stuff like that anymore, at least in a rock context. Hopefully some of that comes across on our record." Occasionally, the discerning listener will be able to pick out specific references to songs and artists Bennett and Burch admire, like the Neil Young quote on "CTM", or the drum beat lifted from Costello's "New Lace Sleeves" that forms the backbone of "Fireworks." "That sort of reference is the kind of thing that starts off as a joke, but ends up sticking to the song," Bennett said.
Though Bennett's is certainly the name that will draw most listeners to The Palace at 4am, the album is definitely a collaboration. Edward Burch met Bennett over ten years ago in Champagne, Illinois. "We started writing and recording together right away," said Burch. "But there were always other commitments that kept us from finishing things up." Burch shares songwriting and vocal duties with Bennett on the album, his vulnerable, Rick Danko-esque voice providing an effective counterpoint to his partner's lower, darker tones.
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"Collaborating is just much more fun," Bennett said of his current musical partnership. "To be sure, there are certain things you prefer to do in isolation—the stuff you do in the studio can be kind of tedious sometimes." But overall, the duo agrees that having another musician to bounce ideas off of is a preferable situation. "Last night, the soundman was having trouble, and I was getting frustrated," Bennett related. "But then we did 'Little White Cottage' [one of Burch's vocal showcases on The Palace at 4am], and I could just look over at Ed and say 'that was the most beautiful version of that song you've ever done.' That makes collaborating totally worth it."
Bennett is certainly wasting none of the time his resignation from Wilco has bought him; he has a mind-boggling number of projects in the works, including production work with a Canadian group called Staggered Crossing ("really good soulful pop"), an album with Burch's other group the Kennett Brothers and some recording with Shari Rich (who co-wrote the first song on The Palace, "Puzzle Heart"), just to name a few. "I like having a day job," he remarked. "I like getting up at a certain time, working with bands in my studio, and then having time to myself at night."
Despite these projects, his work with Burch remains his highest priority. "I spent almost seven years [in Wilco] giving in to demands on my time—whether it was touring, producing or finishing records. Now, I just want to focus on what I've got going with Ed." The duo recorded basic tracks for over 30 songs during the sessions for their record. They hope to complete the remaining tracks that were left unfinished for a planned second installment of The Palace at 4am due later this year.
With all the press attention Wilco is currently getting, hopefully some of it will trickle down to Bennett and Burch's project. "We're getting a good response so far," Bennett said of the tour. "People are listening, really listening, and paying attention, and that's cool. It's really all you can ask for."
Tyler Wilcox
May 2002
Special thanks to Melissa Adams at PressGang for setting up this interview.