SHIFTING STYLES
Son Volt’s Jay Farrar enjoys exploring different genres
After more than two decades of making music, Jay Farrar enjoys changing it up.
And it’s all done by trial and error.
“There is a process,” he says of his music. “You sort of learn what works and what doesn’t over time. In terms of the ultimate tuning I use to come up with the creative part of this recording, I looked to blues icons and heroes. I wanted to take it on as a challenge.”
And the influence can be heard on the latest album, “Notes of Blue.”
Farrar is the founder and mastermind behind the alt-country band Son Volt.
Since forming the band in 1994, Farrar and crew have been indie darlings.
In 1999, Farrar took a hiatus from the group and later returned with a new lineup.
Joining Farrar in the current lineup is Andrew Duplantis, Jacob Edwards, Chris Frame and Mark Spencer.
Farrar says that with the blues as inspiration, he began to write for a few months.
He would listen to blues and visit with blues artists to get the tunings down.
“The way I write is that I don’t have a huge surplus of songs,” he says. “This album has two that are available as bonus songs. Usually, I’m writing only 10 or 12 songs.”
Although Farrar likes to keep his output slim, he says there have been times when he’s written more than normal.
“This is where the process of figuring out what works and what doesn’t comes into play,” he says. “I have to think everything out first.”
Farrar says that with the latest couple of Son Volt recordings, he wanted to focus on a style.
Blues is the latest, and 2013’s “Honky Tonk” focused on honky-tonk music.
“I was playing pedal steel guitar and immersed in country music,” he says of the 2013 album. “This time around, I went with a friend to blues festivals, and writing songs along the way. It’s always a challenge learning something new and trying to make it your own.”
Farrar says he’s exploring what direction he wants to take next.
“Music can make a difference and I want to see how these new songs shake out,” he says. “Once I get back recording this summer, I will have a better idea of where the next album will go.”