Son Volt at First Tap

Every month the folks at Moose's Tooth celebrate the first tap of the month. Thursday night they did so with the help of Alt.Country/Americana royalty. I've mentioned Son Volt before as royalty when I saw them at the Fillmore in San Francisco just before jumping on a plane and returning to Alaska. So it wasn't my first time seeing them, but believe it or not in my nearly 5 years of living in Anchorage, this was my first time attending a first tap event. Local singer/songwriter Jared Woods opened the night with some sensitive songwriter songs...to which a friend who hadn't heard Son Volt before leaned over and asked if this is what Son Volt sounded like. I've seen Jared Woods several times in several different venues and combinations, but Thursday was the first time I didn't enjoy his schtick. It's common practice for bands that come to Alaska to book local talent to open for them. And I'm happy to see when Wilco (featured on the front page of Wikipedia today) plays in Anchorage in July, The Whipsaws are the opening act.
Once Son Volt took the stage, they hit hard and kept punching. Several classic Son Volt songs as well as a good mix of songs from The Search. It didn't seem like there was the same level of energy on stage in the Beartooth as there was at the Fillmore last year, but it may have been the difference between leaning against the legendary stage and being seated in a booth at the back of the theater pub. All in all, it was a great show and showed again that if musicians however big show up in Anchorage, the crowds will follow.

Coming to Anchorage This Summer?

Maybe you are or maybe you aren't, but here are a few people who are:

June 5th Moose's Tooth First Tap (but at Beartooth Theatre) - Son Volt (more info)

June 21st Moose's Tooth Solstice Show - Third Eye Blind (more info)

July 26th Moose's Tooth 12th Anniversary Show - Wilco (more info)

Royalty in the Smithsonian: Son Volt @ The Fillmore: March 30, 2007

My last California concert for who knows how long was at the Smithsonian of California music. Magnolia Electric Co. opened for Son Volt. I thought they were great, but I'm not sure the beauty of their songs was there live...or maybe it was just the night. I was glad to be front and center when Jay Farrar graced the crowd with his presence. In most alt.country/americana circles he's royalty. Going back to the days of Uncle Tupelo where he teamed with Jeff Tweedy and John Stirratt both now of Wilco, Farrar has been a pioneer in this generation of music. Uncle Tupelo is one of the bands that you can credit for splitting the mainstream up in the early 90's. Along with grunge, there was this other alt music happening with the Jayhawks, Pavement, and Uncle Tupelo at that time.
Son Volt is to Jay Farrar what Wilco is to Jeff Tweedy, and both men show they are happy and in complete control. Son Volt played loud and long. I didn't catch how long they played or how many songs, but it was definitely longer than your average rock show. There was stuff from the first Son Volt album Trace, and stuff from the latest release The Search and everything between. During one of two encores, Farrar jumped on keys to play the piano lick for "Slow Hearse", and it added to the magic of the song. What makes Son Volt special is the ability they have to jump between a rock song and a folky alt.country song. The guitar tech certainly got his fill of changing guitars from acoustic to electric, to Gretsch to Epiphone and back again. He got his money's worth when he joined the band on stage to play guitar in the finale. If you get a chance to see Son Volt, I recommend you take advantage of the opportunity to see a great solid rock band. And if you have a chance to see a show at the Fillmore, do it. Get there early and wander around the halls.