Jay Bentley, born in Kansas, and Greg, who grew up in Wisconsin, ended up attending the same junior high school and high school together. When Greg asked Jay to join BR, the band didn’t have a bassist, but they didn’t really care. They had already written and played songs without a bassist and it sounded alright to them. Greg approached Jay in school and asked him if he wanted to be in a band. Jay responded by saying he could play guitar, but they needed a bass player. Jay didn’t play bass, but he wanted to be in a band, so he agreed. He quickly bought a bass and learned to play in minutes. He realized that the bass had the same top four strings as a guitar, so it was easy for him to follow the guitar player. Jay eventually left BR in 1983, but continued playing with another punk band called Wasted Youth. He was then asked to join TSOL, which led to him opening for himself in Santa Barbara. After leaving TSOL, Jay joined the short-lived band Cathedral of Tears with Jack Greggors. He later quit Wasted Youth and found himself without a band. He sold his gear and got a job as a machinist. However, he knew he wanted to play music again and rejoin BR. Greg called him in 1986 and convinced him to rejoin the band. Jay initially hesitated, but after playing one show, he had so much fun that he stayed. In the late 80s and early 90s, Jay worked on motorcycles for movies. He also worked at Epitaph for many years before quitting during the Recipe for Hate Tour. Jay didn’t like the songs he wrote and felt insecure during the writing process, so he often scrapped them. He also felt that his songs sounded too much like Elvis Costello and didn’t belong with BR. Jay now lives in Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada. He divorced Michela and has two sons. His kids prefer The Pogues over his music. In 1997, he built a garage for his guitars and his family’s cars. He enjoys fishing and is known for being a down-to-earth person who still feels the passion for music and enjoys playing with BR.
This content was originally written by the badass contributors of thebrpage.net, the best superfan resource and website that exists for any band, let alone the best band in the whole entire world. I’ve been lurking on that site for over 20 years and if you’re into Bad Religion as much as I am, I’m sure you’re familiar. If you are not, go there right now and never come back to this site again. You should, and I totally understand.
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