Hey, all you college radio listeners and Wilco fans, this article is not for you. Why? That's because you have already heard of Jay Farrar and his new album Sebastopol. This is for everyone else out there that may have never been exposed.
Farrar was a member of the alternative rock/country bands Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, the former being of the same seed as Wilco. Beware, he is such a talented musician that just listening to him sing and strum his guitar, as I had the opportunity to do Monday night at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, is enough to make anybody forget his or her troubles.
Farrar can be judged as a John Denver/Don Henley in terms of melodies and singing or as Michael Stipe of R.E.M. in terms of lyrics. This may be hard to picture, but trust me, it works rather well. The moodiness that is carried in Farrar's voice is something that sets him apart from the rest - his music makes you feel like you're living in a world where time does not exist.
As Farrar's record label, Artemis Records, put it, "Sebastopol finds Farrar pushing himself to discover new musical ideas from within." The new album is still sprinkled with the touch of his signature style, yet he is now writing "with a broad palette." Along with the many beautiful melodies coming from acoustic, electric and sitar-sounding guitars, he is now experimenting more with unusual guitar tunings that is extremely compelling to listen to.
Now that Uncle Tupelo is long gone and Wilco has been dropped from its record label, fans of the alternative rock/country scene may feel like the future of the music genre they hold so dear may be slowly coming to an end. Let me assure them that Jay Farrar will carry the torch and, hopefully, through follow-up projects, make the fire burn brighter than it ever has before.
I urge anyone into indie rock, folk music or the alternative country/rock genre to check out Sebastopol. If you have an opportunity, go check Farrar out live too. My outlook on music has definitely changed since seeing him live, and I think yours will too. In times like these when there are so many hectic and worrisome things going on in the world and even in our own daily lives, it is rare to have an outlet to which you can turn to in order to just chill out. Luckily, Farrar's concert was just that outlet for me.
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