A couple of weeks ago, I saw Son Volt with a couple of friends at The Troc in Philadelphia. One of the guys I went with is a huge music fan and a guitar player but life's responsibilities (and four kids) had kept him from hearing much new music over the last 15 years. But he loved Son Volt... and it was then I knew he needed a Jay Farrar primer. Trawling the catalogs of Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo was a real joy... there's so many songs written and sung by Jay Farrar that feel like lost classics. It must be that voice - Farrar sings with the gravitas of someone twice his age. That worldview can sometimes be unrelenting as his concert demeanor can best be desribed as stoic and dour, but the second half of the show ("Tear Stained Eye", "Life Worth Livin", "2000 Light Years From Home", "Windfall" and "Chickamauga") made it all worthwhile. But would it kill him to crack a smile?
I initially had 72 songs that I whittled down to these 25... and that meant leaving off "Anodyne", "Life Worth Livin", "Whiskey Bottle", "Effigy", "Too Early" and many others. But I freakin' love this mix - and I'm offering a copy to the first five readers that send an email to tkidsean@aol.com with their favorite Jay Farrar song in the message line.
Searching For A Truer Sound
1. Windfall (Trace)
2. Tear Stained Eye (Trace)
3. Blue Eyes (Commemorativo – Gram Parsons Tribute)
4. Sin City (B-Side of “I Got Drunk” single – written by Gram Parsons)
5. Still Be Around (Still Feel Gone)
6. Lookin’ For A Way Out (Acoustic – B side from “Sauget Wind”)
7. No Depression (No Depression)
8. Slate (Anodyne)
9. True To Life (Still Feel Gone)
10. Chickamauga (Anodyne)
11. Route (Trace)
12. Drown (Trace)
13. Caryatid Easy (Straightaways)
14. Graveyard Shift (No Depression)
15. Loose String (Trace)
16. Give Back The Key to My Heart (Anodyne – written by Doug Sahm)
17. The Picture (The Search)
18. I Wanna Destroy You (B-Side of “Gun” single – written by Robyn Hitchcock)
19. Bandages & Scars (Okemah and The Melody of Riot)
20. Back Into Your World (Straightaways)
21. Driving The View (Straightaways)
22. Flow (Wide Swing Tremolo)
23. Atomic Power (March 16-20, 1992)
24. Grindstone (March 16-20, 1992)
25. Criminals (March 16-20, 1992)
2. Tear Stained Eye (Trace)
3. Blue Eyes (Commemorativo – Gram Parsons Tribute)
4. Sin City (B-Side of “I Got Drunk” single – written by Gram Parsons)
5. Still Be Around (Still Feel Gone)
6. Lookin’ For A Way Out (Acoustic – B side from “Sauget Wind”)
7. No Depression (No Depression)
8. Slate (Anodyne)
9. True To Life (Still Feel Gone)
10. Chickamauga (Anodyne)
11. Route (Trace)
12. Drown (Trace)
13. Caryatid Easy (Straightaways)
14. Graveyard Shift (No Depression)
15. Loose String (Trace)
16. Give Back The Key to My Heart (Anodyne – written by Doug Sahm)
17. The Picture (The Search)
18. I Wanna Destroy You (B-Side of “Gun” single – written by Robyn Hitchcock)
19. Bandages & Scars (Okemah and The Melody of Riot)
20. Back Into Your World (Straightaways)
21. Driving The View (Straightaways)
22. Flow (Wide Swing Tremolo)
23. Atomic Power (March 16-20, 1992)
24. Grindstone (March 16-20, 1992)
25. Criminals (March 16-20, 1992)
1 comment:
Okay, okay. You've convinced me. I'll go see Son Volt at Sonar next Wednesday.
BTW, Teek, just saw on Pollstar that Jesse Malin will be doing a free show in B'more in conjunction with WTMD on August 3rd. FYI.
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