Farrar has gone from alt-country to rock
Singer-songwriter Jay Farrar will perform at the original Tipitina's, 501
Napoleon, New Orleans, LA Wednesday, February 20th. Farrar is best known
as founding member, singer, and songwriter for stalwart rock outfits Uncle
Tupelo and Son Volt. Jay Farrar and high school friend Jeff Tweedy started
Uncle Tupelo in the mid-80s in St. Louis. In 1994, Farrar left the band
to create Son Volt with Uncle Tupelo drummer Mike Heidorn and brothers Jim
and Dave Boquist. Along with alt-country band Wilco (formed by Tweedy),
Son Volt helped to develop the new, alternative genre known as No Depression
in the late '90s. Influenced by the '60s country rock of artists such as
Gram Parsons, the No Depression bands updated a retrospective style with
modern influences, an artistic maneuver that drew popular interest and critical
acclaim. No Depression has become an umbrella term for a multi-generational
set of artists operating on the fringes of the country genre, including
veteran trailblazers like Lucinda Williams, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Johnny
Cash, as well as newcomers like Gillian Welch, Richard Buckner, the Bottle
Rockets, and Blue Mountain. Son Volt released 3 records between 1995 and
1998 including Trace, Straightaways, and Wide String Tremolo. Farrar's first
solo effort Sebastopol (Fellow Guard/Artemis), finds him mining new sonic
territory while maintaining the unique songwriting integrity of his earlier
work. Though the new songs are still very much marked by his signature style,
he is writing with a broader palette. Synthesizers, pianos, sitar-like guitars
and rhythms that fall outside the standard 4/4 time are all employed to
give his world view new digs. Musical friends Gillian Welch, Jon Wurster
(Superchunk), and Steven Drodze (Flaming Lips) support Farrar on his first
solo effort. His live show is a combination of deftly crafted songs and
solid rock'n'roll. Brian Henneman, lead singer/songwriter of the Bottle
Rockets, will open the show. Based in Festus, Missouri, the Bottle Rockets
are one of the leading lights of the 1990s roots-rock revival, thanks to
a sound that bypasses the punk heritage in favor of a redneck fusion of
Southern boogie, country-folk, and crunching rock & roll. |
