Led by singer and guitarist Jay Farrar (b. 26 December 1966, Belleville, Illinois, USA), this contemporary US band has been widely applauded for their irreverent but clearly fond approach to the country tradition. Additionally comprising bass player Jim Boquist, brother and multi-instrumentalist Dave Boquist and drummer Mike Heidorn, the band made its debut in 1995 with Trace, which took as its central influences the Byrds, Louvin Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Farrar and Heidorn were both previously members of Uncle Tupelo, rated by many as a seminal influence on the emergence of the alternative country movement of the 90s (when they split, Farrar's former bandmate Jeff Tweedy went on to form the acclaimed Wilco). Uncle Tupelo were frequently compared to the longer-established Jayhawks, with much of the critical attention surrounding Farrar's lyrics, which drew heavily on his experiences growing up in Illinois, working on a farm and in his mother's second-hand bookshop during his adolescent years. Son Volt seem set on pursuing a similar strategy, judged on the contents of Trace, which featured 11 Farrar originals written in New Orleans where he settled after the break-up of Uncle Tupelo.
The relentlessly gloomy Straightaways, which narrowly missed hitting the US Top 40 in 1997, confirmed Farrar's reputation as the flipside to the goodtime vibe of Tweedy's Wilco, his songs chronicling the small-town angst of modern America. Farrar and his cohorts stuck to the same formula on the following year's Wide Swing Tremolo. Following the album's release, Farrar put Son Volt on hold to launch a solo recording career. He revived the band in 2004 to record a track for the Alejandro Escovedo benefit album Por Vida, but ongoing musical differences between the original members meant Farrar was forced to put together a different line-up for a new recording project. He was joined in the studio by Brad Rice (guitar), Andrew Duplantis (bass), Eric Heywood (pedal steel), and Dave Bryson (drums). The resulting album Okemah And The Melody Of Riot was released in summer 2005.
