![]() ![]() He acknowledged that era, closing with “Chickamauga.” But the set also included “Drown” and “Tear Stained Eye,” both from Son Volt’s 1995 landmark debut album trace. The band’s sound effortlessly pivoted from amped folkies to frustrated punks to the shadow of a lost Glen Campbell hit record.įarrar was an old soul even back in the days when his group Uncle Tupelo crashed on the floor of Milwaukee opening bands. Spencer has become a legitimate foil, with his playing in particular becoming a second voice to Farrar’s songs. ![]() For these musicians, the array of gear was simply a toolbox to get the job done. Picking and choosing from a small music store’s-worth of eye-catching vintage guitars, the band fired off dynamic arrangements that moved from John Horton’s Swiss army knife approach of fuzzy, blistering lead guitar, electric 12-string and slide baritone to Mark Spencer’s keyboards and lap steel guitar. A dedicated fan base means an audience that pays attention and knows the words.īut if that were all Son Volt had, things would have bogged down quickly. If the sober gravitas of his words got lost on a festival rock stage, well that’s where albums, uh-I mean CDs, wait-I mean streaming, come in. “The Ninety-Nine Percent have been taken for a ride … it's a trickle-down world, like you're stuck in cement … Ninety-Nine Percent.” Thursday afternoon at Summerfest’s Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage Son Volt demonstrated how to rock, remain vital and deliver thoughtful lyrics at a time in history when important issues seem to hang in the balance.īacked by a four-piece band who drew from an arsenal of sounds, Farrar’s clear-eyed lyrics left no doubt where he stood. For Son Volt leader Jay Farrar it must have been a special occasion as he sang this opening salvo of optimism sporting a white long-sleeve cowboy shirt as temperature hovered near triple digits, “You can see it everywhere, change is in the air.”
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