Son Volt’s stronger than ever with its new lineup
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, March 22, 2007
When Jay Farrar put together an entirely new lineup for his band, Son Volt, the group emerged on the 2005 CD “Okemah and the Melody of Riot” sounding much like the original group that had released three studio albums in the mid-1990s.
The consistency was interesting because Farrar even then saw distinct differences in the makeup of the two lineups.
“The guys in the (current) band have come from perhaps a more varied background,” Farrar said in a recent phone interview. “So that does present more surprises as well as allows things to evolve in a different direction more easily than the earlier incarnation.”
Son Volt performs Tuesday in Seattle.
This time, on the new Son Volt CD, “The Search,” it’s easy to hear the difference between the two editions of Son Volt.
Where “Okemah” stuck mainly to the hearty guitar-based mix of folk, country, punk and Neil Young-ish rock that had defined the first three Son Volt CDs, “The Search” is the most diverse Son Volt CD yet.
Several songs still stick to the signature Son Volt sound, but “The Search” stretches notably on others.
Nowhere is that more obvious than on the CD’s lead single, “The Picture,” which adds buoyant horns to its brisk guitar rock sound. The down-tempo ballad “Underground Dream” makes use of the synthesizer lines of Derry deBorja to bring a touch of elegance to the song, while the ghostly ballad “Adrenaline and Heresy” features Farrar on piano, an instrument he said he is beginning to use more and more.
Farrar, who first gained notice in the late 1980s co-fronting the groundbreaking alternative country band Uncle Tupelo (with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy), had originally planned for “Okemah and the Melody of Riot” to be recorded by the original Son Volt lineup of guitarist Dave Boquist, bassist Jim Boquist and drummer Mike Heidorn (who had been Uncle Tupelo’s original drummer).
But just before recording sessions for “Okemah” were set to begin, the reunion fell apart, Farrar said, because of some last-minute demands from the Boquist brothers.
Farrar didn’t let this sidetrack the project. He quickly recruited drummer Dave Bryson, bassist Andrew Duplantis and guitarist Brad Rice to make the CD.
The new Son Volt had never played live as a group before the recording, and Farrar said the quality and diversity of “The Search,” is partly a result of having toured for two years with the new lineup (which, by the time the “Okemah” tour started, had added keyboardist deBorja).
“Certainly I think what is reflected on this record is the coalescence of the band and the fact that we spent a lot of time together and got to know each other, both personally and musically, better than we had on the first record,” Farrar said. “I think that band dynamic, which is a good dynamic, is reflected on this recording.”
Farrar was feeling so creative that “The Search” sessions actually yielded 22 songs. There are plans to include the remaining songs on a deluxe edition of the CD.
