As a long-time Son Volt fan, I’m not entirely sure why singer, songwriter and guitarist Jay Farrar has taken the band that played Saturday night on Summerfest’s Potawatomi Stage out on the road as “Son Volt.” He’s assembled an entirely new cast of characters for this reformed version of one of two bands to emerge from the ashes of the legendary Uncle Tupelo (the other, of course, is Wilco).
After releasing three fine LPs, Son Volt was shelved as Farrar released a couple solo records that flittered between mellow and plodding. His earliest solo gigs made Son Volt’s generally low-key stage presence seem like a three-ring circus.
While Saturday night’s show was a good one -- despite some sketchy sound -- with Farrar and his four-piece band (bass, drums, guitar and keyboards) rocking harder than the first incarnation of Son Volt, this fan’s desire to hear music from “Trace,” “Straightaways” and “Wide Swing Tremolo” went unfed except for “Drown” and “Tear Stained Eye” from the 1995 debut.
Instead, the bulk of the show came from 2005’s “Okemah and the Melody of Riot” and “The Search,” released in March. This Son Volt -- comprising former Meat Puppets rhythms section Dave Bryson and Andrew Duplantis, guitarist Chris Masterson and keyboardist Derry DeBorja -- has ratcheted up the rock and toned down the country. The stage presence, however, isn’t much improved (maybe their energy was sapped by their long-sleeved shirts on a sizzling Milwaukee summer night).
Although the venue wasn't packed solid, there was a respectable crowd with lots of fans (you could tell by the number of people singing along with all the songs).
Son Volt version 2.0 arguably reaches the heights of the original version, but is different. So, keeping the name remains a mystery, except that it allows Farrar to move back into a band setting without having to reintroduce himself.
But there’s no denying Farrar’s ability to mix country, rock and folk into his own alluring concoction; a unique flavor that derives heavily from his distinctive mumble of a voice. If you like it, you likely love it.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
