Rocktober 31st!

Jay-O-Lantern. Someone dared me to carve this.

On the last day of Rocktober Elliott Brood gave to me....31 more years of Rocktober!

Elliott Brood - 31 years.mp3
Buy: Mountain Meadows (2009)

I selected this song for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that there are very few song with the number 31 in them. Elliott Brood is a trio based out of Toronto who describe themselves as "death country." Perfect for Halloween. Listen to that evil banjo creek along in the background. Chilling. Burrr.

If you need more Halloween tunes, check out A Truer Sound, where he has posted not one, not two, but three comps of tricks and treats.

Yesterday The Bottle Rockets posed something cryptic on their Facebook/Twitter accounts: "don't wanna jinx it, but, it's lookin' like January may be bringing a surprise you'll probably never expect. We sure didn't. Stay tuned..." To which, of course, people started speculating about an Uncle Tupelo reunion. They replied, "Kids, this is a great time to start spreading rumors..." Holy crap! An Uncle Tupelo reunion would either be incredibly awesome or a colossal alt country disaster. Regardless, if this happens, I want to be there in the front row.

Or, since it was on the Bottle Rockets' sites, it could be a Coffee Creek reunion, which would be equally spectacular. Coffee Creek was a short-lived Uncle Tupelo side project which featured Brian Hanneman of the Bottle Rockets. They had four total shows, all in the basement of Cicero's in St. Louis (where I used to hang out in the late 90s). They played mostly country and punk coves.

Or, none of these reunions could happen and it may just be a cool new album or gig or something. I honestly can't see Farrar and Tweedy getting back together after all these years, but what the fuck do I know.

Since I tortured you with that evil Jay Farrar pumpkin, here are some slightly evil tunes that will get you excited about potential reunions. Next year I'm carving Craig Finn. The Jay-O-Lantern is staring at me through my windows and freaking me out. Time to lose that candle...

Jay Farrar - Lucifer Sam.mp3
From: Stone Steel & Bright Lights (2004, CD out of print, but you can find it digitally everywhere)

Uncle Tupelo - Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down.mp3
From: Live Bootleg, Blue Note, Columbia, Missouri (April 29, 1994)

Coffee Creek - I Wanna Destroy You.mp3
From: Live Bootleg, Cicero's, St. Louis, Missouri (June 11, 1992)

Music and Misery #8 - 7

I've had a miserable week - got zero job offers after two job interviews! Won't be long until I am in the unemployment line. Let's get to the top eight of Forbes most miserable US cities index. Maybe it will make me feel better about having to move into my parent's basement.

8. Buffalo, New York
The second largest city in New York, despite the fact that the population has fallen by more that 50% over the last 50 years. Current population is about 300,000 with a metro area of about 1.2 million. Unemployment rate of 8.63% as of March 2010, which is below the national average of 9.7%. Despite the relatively low unemployment rate, an estimated 28.7% of the population lives below the poverty line, the third worst in the US (and those other two cities are in the misery list top 5). What really makes Buffalo miserable is their craptacular winters. Part of the Snowbelt, Buffalo gets pelted by 2-3 meters (6-9 feet) of snow each year. Buffalo is south of Lake Ontario, and west of Lake Erie, so it can get lake effect snow from either Great Lake. If the wind is right, Buffalo can get a foot of snow, while we in Toronto, 50 miles due north, will only get flurries. Buffalo's sports teams have been nothing to write home about either. The Buffalo Bills have not had a football championship since 1965, and lost four straight Super Bowls from 1990-93. The NHL team, the Buffalo Sabers, has never won a Stanley Cup, and were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round this year.

One great thing about Buffalo: the bars are open until 4:00 a.m. Whoo-Hooo! And their chicken wings rule. Yum! OK, that's two great things.

There are several famous and diverse musicians from Buffalo, notably funk singer Rick James, indie hippie singer Ani DeFranco, alternative singer Natalie Merchant and her former band 10,000 Maniacs, and the jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra. Probably the most famous band from Buffalo is the Goo Goo Dolls.

Goo Goo Dolls - We are the Normal.mp3
Buy: Superstar Car Wash (1993)

Gurf Morlix is also originally from Buffalo, although he now resides in Austin, TX. I wrote about his tremendous 2009 album Last Exit to Happyland a few months ago, but I am reposting this song because it is so good.

Gurf Morlix (with Patty Griffin) - She's a River.mp3
Buy: Last Exit To Happyland (2009)

7. St. Louis, Missouri
Gateway to the West. Now here is a city I know something about. I lived there from 1995-2001, before moving to Toronto. In that time period everyone I know got mugged or faced an attempted mugging, had their car stolen or broken into, and one friend was actually held up at gun point. Not good. Current population is about 300,000 with a metro area of about 2.9 million. St. Louis has a very weird downtown area in that there is none. After 5 pm the city shuts down, unless there is a baseball game. Apparently some of this has changed since I lived there as St. Louis received the World Leadership Award for urban renewal in 2006. Unemployment is around the national average of 10%. St. Louis ranks among the worst in violent crime, with Morgan Quitno ranking it the second most dangerous city in 2009, behind Camden, NJ (which did not make Forbes misery list due to its population of under 245,000, although it could be counted as part of metro Philadelphia). The FBI lists St. Louis as #1 in per capita total violent crime for 2008, #1 in aggravated assault, #2 in murder and non-negligent manslaughter, and #1 in total property crime. Great.

Here is all that Forbes says about St. Louis: "St. Louis is a baseball town, but what about those Rams? The NFL team has won only six games out of 48 the past three years, the fewest wins in football." Weak Forbes, and lazy. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, and have been consistently one of the best national league baseball teams over the last 15 years. The St. Louis Blues hockey team made the playoffs every year from 1979-2006, an NHL record, although now they are in a rebuilding phase.

The weather in St. Louis has a whole range of misery. The spring and fall can be wonderful, but the humidity in the summer is pure torture. You cannot live in St. Louis without A/C. At LEAST two or three "extreme heat warnings" are issued every summer. Plus, huge thunderstorms often sprout tornadoes. I've been in Toronto eight years can only think of one massive St. Louis-style thunderstorm that has rolled through the area. And St. Louis is far enough north where it will still get significant snowfall in the winter, which causes another layer of misery due to the complete city's inability to remove the snow.

So much amazing music originates from St. Louis. Ragtime pianist Scott Joplin produced some of his most famous works while living in St. Louis in the early 1900s. Soul musicians Ike and Tine Turner and Fontella Bass got their start in East St. Louis, as did jazz innovator Miles Davis. Dozens of famous modern musicians hail from St. Louis, and the city still has a tremendous hip-hop and blues scene. One thing I loved about St. Louis when I lived there was the number of incredible local bands.

Arguably the inventor of rock and roll, Chuck Berry, at age 83, still performs live in St. Louis at Blueberry Hill. In fact, he is performing there on Wed., May 19. Sold out!

Chuck Berry - Too Much Monkey Business.mp3
Buy: The Definitive Collection (2006)

The seminal alt country band Uncle Tupelo was originally from Belleville, Illinois, just on the other side of the Mississippi River from St. Louis, and Uncle Tupelo had most of their early gigs in St. Louis.  Upon the demise of Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy headed north to Chicago and formed Wilco, while Jay Farrar remained in St. Louis and formed Son Volt. 

Son Volt - Windfall.mp3
From: Acoustic Radio Sessions '95-'96 (Bootleg)

And, since its Friday and I haven't done a Jay Farrar Friday in a while, here's a solo track from Mr. Farrar.

Jay Farrar - California.mp3
Buy: Terroir Blues (2003)

Jay Farrar Friday: Covers Edition

Sweet drawing, eh? Its the Nov-Dec 2001 cover of the now defunct roots music magazine No Depression, which is now a thriving on-line community of music enthusiasts. You can find all kinds of cool stuff in their archives. This edition of Jay Farrar Friday is all about the cover tracks. Let's get into the music, shall we?

Originally recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1975, this track is part of the bonus material on the reissue of Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne. Edit: a Swedish reader pointed out that Joe Ely plays guitar and sings lead on this track. I should have noted that in the first place. Thanks for the reminder! Yee-Haw!

Uncle Tupelo - Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?.mp3
Buy: Anodyne (1993, reissued 2003)

Farrar dives into psychedelic rock covering the late, great Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd.

Jay Farrar - Lucifer Sam.mp3
From: Stone, Steel & Bright Lights (2004, CD out of print)

Kelly Willis duets with Farrar on this Townes Van Zandt classic.

Son Volt - Rex's Blues.mp3
Buy: A Retrospective: 1995-2000 (2005)

This is more of a reworking than a cover, but I don't care because I love this track. Farrar teams with Anders Parker to reconfigure a bunch of folks songs under the moniker Gob Iron. This track is originally by Reverand J.M. Gates, who probably first wrote this song in the mid-1920s.

Gob Iron - Death's Black Train.mp3
Buy: Death Songs for the Living (2006)

Jay Farrar Friday

Son Volt's latest album American Central Dust came out on Tuesday, July 7. I haven't fully digested this one yet, but it sounds like Jay and the boys are playing some great country-folk. Lots of pedal steel and classic country guitar on this one. Me likey. They are on tour right now, specifically in Snowbird, Utah, today. But the only Canadian date is in Vancouver (July 21)! I've never seen Son Volt live, and it doesn't look like I will get this this year either. You can follow them on their tour blog.

Son Volt - Roll On.mp3
Buy: American Central Dust (2009)

Here's killer instrumental from Uncle Tupelo. This track is from their third album, which was recorded live and produced by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. The liners notes list the song as being co-written by J. Farrar and J. Tweedy.

Uncle Tupelo - Sandusky.mp3
Buy: March 16-20, 1992 (1992, reissued 2003)

This track is from a Jay Farrar live album which I found on eMusic. It was recorded in September and October of 2003 while Farrar was on tour with the backing band Canyon. The album comes with an 11-track live DVD, which was recored at Slim's in San Francisco.

Jay Farrar - Like a Hurricane.mp3
Buy (eMusic): Stone, Steel & Bright Lights (2004)
The CD/DVD combo can be found new at Amazon.ca, but Amazon.com only has used copies or expensive imports.

Jay Farrar Friday

When I first started this blog nearly a year ago, I had grand visions of having a "Jay Farrar Friday" every few weeks. To date, I have had two "Jay Farrar Fridays." I get easily distracted and forgetful. Two things reignited my desire to post about Jay Farrar this week. One, on Wednesday night I had a dream I was a guitar tech for Farrar and that he was playing a small acoustic show in Toronto. This was clearly a dream as I know nothing about playing, much less tuning, a guitar. And, I have actually never seen Farrar or Son Volt in concert. Blasphemy, I know. I suck.

The second thing that got me excited about all things Farrar is that the blogger at A Truer Sound (a lyric from "Windfall") posted some sweet Uncle Tupelo bootlegs. The first, Not Forever, Just For Now, is the original demo tape from 1989 that presumably got Uncle Tupelo their first record deal (read the CD cover art and see how Uncle Tupelo rates the beers). The second is a 1988 demo tape called Live & Otherwise, consisting of live recordings and studio demos. Finally, we have Colorblind & Rhymeless, their very first demo from 1987. I could go on and on about how awesome all three of these are, but just do yourself and favor and download all three.

This track is from the Not Forever, Just For Now demo, and it clearly shows the power of mixing country music with rock, something that Uncle Tupelo excelled at. This track would eventually be the lead track on Uncle Tupelo's debut album, No Depression.

Uncle Tupelo - Graveyard Shift.mp3
From: Not Forever, Just For Now (1989 Demo)

Next, here's a track that was originally off of Son Volt's opus, Trace. This track was a minor hit in 1995, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. I distinctly remember hearing it on the radio when I lived in St. Louis (current home of Jay Farrar and friends). This version is off of a bootleg called Acoustic Radio Sessions '95-'96, which you can find on various torrents.

Son Volt - Drown.mp3
From: Acoustic Radio Sessions '95-'96

This final track is from a promotional EP that Son Volt put out in 1997, before the release of Straightaways. This track did not make the final album cut.

Son Volt - Tulsa County.mp3
From: Switchback EP (1997, out of print)


Son Volt has a new album coming out on July 6 called American Central Dust, and it is currently streaming on the Son Volt website. It sounds fantastic!

Jay Farrar Friday (2)

What a week! Who needs a soul cleansing Jay Farrar bender? I do!

For background on Jay Farrar, see Jay Farrar Friday (1).

From Uncle Tupelo's first record, the title coming from the Carter family classic. This album combines rock, punk, and country, and describes the desperateness of growing up broke, bored, and disillusioned in the rural Midwest. This landmark album launched a new chapter in Americana music.

There's nothing left now but broken pieces
Of one man's broken will to care

Uncle Tupelo - Life Worth Livin'.mp3
Buy: No Depression (1990, reissued in 2003)

Son Volt's third album may not be the critical "masterpiece" that many critics labeled Trace, but I find myself going back to this album more than I go back to Trace. Many other Son Volt fans have said the same thing.

The blues have shone and kidnapped your heart
Didn't think it would happen, but now I know you better

Son Volt - Son Volt - Hanging Blue Side.mp3
Buy: Wide Swing Tremolo (1998)

This track is from Farrar's second solo album. It is a coming home song referencing a rural county in southeastern Missouri.

Always kept a common thread
To bind together when apart
You're back in Dent County

Jay Farrar - Dent County.mp3
Buy: Terroir Blues (2003), no longer available on Amazon, but you can find it on iTunes and eMusic.

This track is originally off of The Search (2007), but this acoustic version was offered as an iTunes exclusive bonus track. I hate iTunes exclusives, and I know it something that the record label makes the artist do, but it really stiffs the real fans. Gorgeous background vocals from Shannon McNally.

Still out there with the coffee stains and puttin' miles on shoes
Can't escape the smell of cigarettes, still livin' out these American late-night blues

Son Volt - Highways And Cigarettes (acoustic).mp3 (2007)

Jay Farrar Friday

This is the first in a series of posts where I will start to explore and celebrate the musical career of Jay Farrar. For the last two decades Farrar has been at the forefront of the Americana/Alt Country musical genre. Starting with his seminal band Uncle Tupleo in the early 1990s, which essentially launched the modern alt country musical movement, to the more traditional folk/country band Son Volt, to his solo recordings, and his many side projects. Let's start with some basics.

From Uncle Tupelo's first record, the title coming from the Carter family classic. This album combines rock, punk, and country, and describes the desperateness of growing up broke, bored, and disillusioned in the rural Midwest. This landmark album launched a new chapter in Americana music.

A long way from happiness, in a three-hour-away town.
Whiskey bottle over Jesus, not forever, just for now.

Uncle Tupelo - Whiskey Bottle.mp3
Buy: No Depression (1990, reissued in 2003)

Son Volt's first album was released shortly after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. It was a minor commercial success, and the track "Drown" got some radio air time on modern rock and college stations (I remember hearing it on St. Louis radio). It was praised by many critics as one of the best releases of 1995, and many consider it a classic Americana record.

Catching an all-night station somewhere in Louisiana.
It sounds like 1963, but for now it sounds like heaven.

Son Volt - Windfall.mp3
Buy: Trace (1995)

This track is from Farrar's latest version of Son Volt (2.0 if you will), where none of the other original members who recorded Trace are still in the band. However, this record is more in the style of the 1995 recordings than anything he has done since. In my opinion, the below track is song of the year for 2007.

Now it's another weekend and I'm lonely at home.
Late night TV evangelist drone.
I'm healthy now but I really don't know if I'll ever be free.

Son Volt - Methamphetamine.mp3
Buy: The Search (2007)