Jay Reatard

James Lee Lindsey Jr. (May 1, 1980 – January 13, 2010), known professionally as Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee.

He was signed to Matador Records.

He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Reatards and Lost Sounds.

Lindsey was born in Lilbourn, Missouri, in 1980.

He and his family moved to Memphis when he was 8 years old, since his father struggled to find employment in his hometown.

His recording career began at age 15, when a homemade demo tape he sent to Goner Records caught the ear of former Oblivian and Goner Records' owner Eric Friedl.

Lindsey heard Friedl and the Oblivians bandmates earlier that year when they returned home to Memphis as the opening act for Rocket from the Crypt.

Lindsey became enamored of their sloppy, lo-fi music and set forth creating his own brand of heavily distorted garage rock.

Friedl was impressed by Lindsey's demos and signed him to his label, later commenting, "I loved the racket so we did the record, and I've been a fan of everything he's done since. He's a pretty amazing kid."

Lindsey named his first project the Reatards, which at the time included only himself as a member, and adopted an Oblivians-influenced surname, calling himself Jay Reatard.

The Reatards' first release on Goner was the 7-inch EP Get Real Stupid, featuring Lindsey on guitar, vocals, and beating on a bucket to provide a percussive rhythm.

Around this time Greg Cartwright, a member of The Oblivians, briefly played drums for Lindsey.

He also played shows and recorded with Lindsey on Lindsey's first (self-released) cassette, Fuck Elvis, Here's The Reatards (No-Fi Records), with recording assistance from Jack Yarber, another Oblivian.

For Lindsey's second vinyl release he recruited a backing band consisting of bassist Steve Albundy and drummer Elvis Wong.

The Reatards' first LP as a trio was 1998's Teenage Hate on Goner Records.

It was followed by a second LP, Grown Up Fucked Up on eMpTy Records (US), and a number of singles.

The Reatards' first European tour came in 1998, when Lindsey was 18.

The band recorded an album's worth of material after only one practice session in 1998, releasing a self-titled LP in 2001.

After one live performance, the band disbanded, the members returning to their respective solo commitments.

While Lindsey was still a member of both the Reatards and the Lost Sounds, he joined a side project called the Final Solutions.

Lindsey's association with the future members of the Final Solutions began while he was still a teenager.

Fighting problems at home, Lindsey opted to take up residence with members of a local band called the Jackmonkeys.

While he was rooming with the band, he was conscripted to play drums for them at a battle of the bands which was being held at the school's cafeteria.

With Lindsey on drums, the band, under the moniker "the High and Mightys," performed a set of Oblivians covers, earning instant hate in the competition (FS bassist Tommy Trouble's band, the Squirrels earned third place).

After separating for a number of years, the group reformed under the name the Final Solutions and began touring and releasing albums.

In 2001, Lindsey began recording music with Alicja Trout and Rich Crook as the Lost Sounds, a side project which would ultimately usurp the Reatards as Lindsey's primary musical venture.

With alternating male and female vocals, as well as prominently-employed synthesizers, the Lost Sounds were a departure from the guitar-driven garage rock of the Reatards, and had a sound more akin to the early punk rock of The Screamers, a synthesizer-heavy punk band that Lindsey had been exposed to by Elvis Wong shortly after the recording of the Reatards' first LP.

Lindsey once claimed that his time in the Lost Sounds "was and is more fun than anything else I have ever done."

In 2004, Lindsey, together with his ex-girlfriend, Alix Brown of Atlanta rock band the Lids, formed Shattered Records, an independent record label that released mainly limited edition vinyl.

Shattered Records released records for a number of lo-fi punk and rock bands, including: Kajun SS, Jack Oblivian, Tokyo Electron, The Reatards, Final Solutions, Terror Visions, Angry Angles, Carbonas, Rat Traps, Digital Leather, and the Knaughty Knights.

Yet despite Lindsey's enthusiasm for the band, the Lost Sounds bitterly broke up in 2005.

Lindsey was a prolific songwriter, often acting as a member and contributing compositions to two or more bands concurrently.

One of Lindsey's first side projects was the Bad Times, a one-off band which included Eric Friedl and King Louie Bankston.

By 2005, both the Reatards and the Lost Sounds had broken up, and Lindsey focused his attention on a handful of side projects, working with and releasing material as Terror Visions and Destruction Unit.

Together with Brown, and alternating between drummers Paul Artigues from Die Rotzz and Ryan Rousseau ('Elvis Wong') from Tokyo Electron, the band began touring the U.S. in the Fall of 2006.

Before the band had even released its second single, Lindsey and Brown began a short European tour.

The Angry Angles disbanded after releasing a number of vinyl singles.

In 2007, Lindsey put Shattered Records on hold while he promoted his solo records.

Then in 2009, Lindsey revived the label with the "Shattered Record Club" and the announcement of his final solo album, Watch Me Fall.

Out of this partnership came another musical endeavor for Lindsey, the Angry Angles.