Jay Reatard tribute goes down at Lenny’s Sat., Sept. 4

Locals pay homage to fallen punk icon

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Jay Day takes over Lenny’s Sat., Sept. 4, with a tribute to the late Memphis punk icon Jay Reatard. Several bands, including Customers, Sarin McHugh and the Everymen and Hip to Death are playing a handful of Jay Reatard covers along with some original numbers as well.

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There’s also a pre-Jay Day happening show at Criminal Records on Thurs., Sept. 2, with Hip to Death and Mourdella previewing their Jay Reatard covers.

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HTD singer and guitarist, and Jay Day founder John Breedlove set up the show as a personal homage to a fallen hero, and took a few minutes to answer some questions about the show...

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Chad Radford: Why did you organize Jay Day?

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John Breedlove: When I fell in love with my wife Kasey I put a few Jay Reatard songs on a mix CD for her. I know it sounds cheesy but she became an instant fan and bought us tickets to his show at Lenny’s, and then for the final show at The Earl in December shortly before his death. Jay was a really nice guy and his music has been an influence on our band Hip To Death. With the loss of Corndogorama this year Kasey had some big ideas to fill the void. We couldn’t seem to get over the loss of Jay to the music world, so our answer was found. A tribute show. One that would enlist the talents of friends and fans to help keep his memory alive. We chose Lenny’s as the venue for two reasons: One, it was the first venue where we saw him perform. Two, Lenny’s is working hard to stay in the game. They deserve a bone... A steak dinner. Ultimately, the purpose of this festival is to create a positive event for the community. Maybe by honoring his memory we will also let others know that they mean something to this scene too, and that you don’t have to follow that dark road down. It has been very exciting to see Jay’s supporters step up — we know who truly cared about him.