Jay Farrar

Biography

Jay Stuart Farrar (born December 26, 1966) is an American songwriter and musician based in St. Louis. A member of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001. Beyond being a songwriter, Farrar plays guitar, piano, harmonica, and sings.

Uncle Tupelo

Farrar formed Uncle Tupelo with Jeff Tweedy and Mike Heidorn in 1987 after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville Records, before signing with Sire Records and expanding to being a five-piece. Shortly after the release of the band's major label debut album Anodyne, Farrar announced his decision to leave the band owing to a soured relationship with his co-songwriter Tweedy. Uncle Tupelo is often mentioned as one of the originators of the alt-country genre of music or subgenre of country music which combines country, folk, and/or bluegrass with punk rock, alt-rock, indie rock, or other genres.

Son Volt

After the dissolution of Uncle Tupelo in 1994, Farrar formed the rock group Son Volt, whose original lineup released three albums in the late 1990s, before undergoing a hiatus in 1999. In 1999, Farrar was invited to participate in the tribute album for Moby Grape co-founder Skip Spence, who was terminally ill with cancer. The album, More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album (Birdman, 1999), was an album of cover versions of the songs on Spence's only solo album, Oar (Columbia, 1999). In 2005, the band re-formed with a different lineup and has released seven additional albums.

Other

In 1995, Farrar collaborated with Kelly Willis on the song "Rex's Blues", which appeared on Red Hot + Bothered, an AIDS benefit album produced by the Red Hot Organization. As a solo artist, he has released two full-length albums, two EPs, one film score, and various live recordings. His full-length albums are Sebastopol×Sebastopol25 September 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Feel Free3:142Clear Day Thunder2:433Voodoo Candle3:534Barstow3:555Damn Shame2:366Damaged Son3:257Prelude (Make It Alright)1:368Dead Promises2:129Feed Kill Chain3:2010Make It Alright5:0311Fortissimo Wah0:3812Drain3:3613Different Eyes3:1214Outside the Door3:5615Equilibrium0:4916Direction2:2017Vitamins4:05 (2001) and Terroir Blues×Terroir Blues24 June 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 23 tracks1No Rolling Back3:052Space Junk I0:533Hard Is the Fall2:324Fool King's Crown2:235Space Junk II0:356Hanging on to You2:517Cahokian4:348Heart on the Ground4:219Out on the Road4:5810All of Your Might3:4811Space Junk III0:3812California4:2113Walk You Down2:2114Space Junk IV0:3615Dent County3:5316Fish Fingers Norway2:1017Space Junk V0:3118Hanging on to You II2:4419Hard Is the Fall II2:3120Jam0:4221Heart on the Ground II4:4022No Rolling Back II3:1423Space Junk VI0:56 (2003), the first released on the independent record label Artemis Records and the second released on his own label, Transmit Sound.
An EP of songs from the Sebastopol sessions, entitled ThirdShiftGrottoSlack×ThirdShiftGrottoSlack2002 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Greenwich Time1:422Damn Shame (Memphis remix)2:343Station to Station2:384Kind of Madness3:155Dues3:36 was released in 2002. His score for the independent film The Slaughter Rule (2002, directors Alex and Andrew Smith) was released in 2003 on the independent record label Bloodshot Records. Farrar formed his own independent record label in 2003, Transmit Sound (formerly called "Act/Resist Records"). In 2004, Farrar released a six-song live acoustic EP entitled Live EP×Live EP2004 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Driving the View4:042Punch Drunk2:503Hard Is the Fall2:394California5:295Tear Stained Eye4:196Windfall3:25. Also 2004 marked the release of the live CD/DVD Stone, Steel & Bright Lights.
Farrar worked closely with keyboardist Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips during the recording of Sebastopol. Eric Heywood, Mark Spencer from the Blood Oranges, and the rock group Canyon have often accompanied Farrar in his solo recordings and performances. Spencer is now a full-time member of Son Volt. In 2006, Farrar announced the formation of a new band, Gob Iron, with Varnaline's Anders Parker. The songs which would make up their debut album were recorded in autumn 2004, while Farrar was in the process of recording a new Son Volt album. In April 2019, Parker and Farrar released a 7-inch single using the Gob Iron moniker.
Farrar collaborated with Ben Gibbard (of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie) to create all of the music for the soundtrack for the 2009 documentary film One Fast Move or I'm Gone, about Jack Kerouac's time spent at Big Sur. The soundtrack was released on October 20, 2009. In 2012, Farrar along with Will Johnson, Yim Yames, and Anders Parker collaborated on the Woody Guthrie archive project, New Multitudes.

Style

His musical style ranges from sparse, unaccompanied folk music to full rock and roll band arrangements comparable to Neil Young or Dinosaur Jr. His solo recordings also often include sound experiments, reminiscent of psychedelia, with a distinct Eastern bent. One of the hallmarks of his sound is the use of alternate tunings on the guitar. His love for Woody Guthrie inspired a custom guitar made by Creston Lea of Burlington, Vermont. The guitar was made from artifacts Farrar gathered from the site of Guthrie's childhood home.