![]() If drummer Patterson was hitting the cowbell on that one, which always stands out to me on the recording from the band’s debut, Trace, bit frankly it was so loud at this point that my earplugs were leaking and clarity was slipping away. As he quickly slipped back into his chair to warm up his organ, Farrar kicked off “Drown,” eliciting yelps of joy from the crowd. ![]() Spencer proved his multi-instrumentalist bona fides for “Routes,” standing up from his keyboard to strap on the song’s third guitar, adding all those bent notes and taking the guitar solo on this solid rocker. “Bandages & Scars” was another rocker, one with “Woody Guthrie’s words ringing” in all our heads. They followed that with another from the latest album, “Lucky Ones,” with Farrar back into more of an acoustic mode, while the organ drenched track left room for a warm, emotional guitar solo from Horton. Then, moving back to his electric guitar, Farrar led the band into the big rock chords of “The Globe,” as the volume coming out of the PA seemed to be getting louder with each song. Although they’d already played a couple new ones, Farrar announced that they were going to turn the focus to Electro Melodier, and then turned in a lovely performance of the disc’s opening track, “Reverie.” “Sinking Down” was a return to more of a stomping rocker, with drummer Matt Patterson kicking the beat, and Horton delivering a hot slide guitar solo during the break, followed by “Devil May Care,” with a similar feel.īy way of introducing “Hearts and Minds,” Farrar invited the crowd to “grab a partner for a Cincinnati two-step,” before honoring the songs country dance feel, with Spencer’s keyboard creating an accordion vibe, as he sang harmony vocals. “Diamonds and Cigarettes,” another from the new one, followed with harmony vocals that could never have matched those of Laura Cantrell on the album. Mark Spencer’s organ swells set the tone for “Back Against the Wall,” with bassist Andrew DuPlantis adding harmony vocals to Farrar’s on the chorus.įarrar moved from his hollow-body electric to a plug-in guitar with more of an acoustic sound for “The Picture,” and strapped on a harmonica rack for “The Reason,” Horton’s electric guitar adding fluid runs and fills. Newest member, guitarist John Horton, fresh from the Bottle Rockets leaned into that second numbers guiding riff, and hit it hard again when it cycled back around, but Farrar led the band through the crunchy chord changes to end the song just as things were starting the heat up. The band it the stage shortly after 9:30 and launched immediately in “The 99,” Farrar’s treatise on the “trickle down” economy for the “Union” album, but wasted little time between song before launching into that big bluesy groove of “Arkey Blue.” Farrar carries himself like a man on a mission, eager to get down to business, and his band matches his tone and temperament. Miller backed only by a second guitarist who played excellent pedal steel. Son Volt was preceded by a 40-minute set from country singer/songwriter and Rounder recording artist, John R. The recently renovated Ludlow Garage is actually a basement venue in the Clifton neighborhood just down the street from that landmark Skyline Chili restaurant, and while it is a unique L-shaped space, offered good sound and nice sightlines unless you were too far back where seats were available. Since moving to Ohio, I’ve had numerous opportunities to catch Jeff Tweedy and his Wilco mates live, most recently just a few weeks back at the WonderBus festival in Columbus, but this is the first time I’ve seen able Jay Farrar’s Son Volt, since the band’s early days, and I was anxious to hear the band play tracks for their latest release, Electro Melodier. Louis from late ’83 thru the middle of ’08 and wrote semi-professionally about music for many of those years – contributing to the two largest publications that followed the music scene, The Riverfront Times and Post-Dispatch, as well as a local music fanzine, The Spotlight – I had numerous opportunities and the privilege to watch Uncle Tupelo grow to gain national acclaim, to attend their final weekend stand at Mississippi Nights, and then as both Son Volt and Wilco rose from its ashes. Son Volt: Ludlow Garage Cincinnati, OH Saturday, September 18, 2021Īs someone who lived in St.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |