There are times when it is difficult to look at a band without thinking of what might have been, and Son Volt is undoubtedly one of them. When the wildly influential alt.country group Uncle Tupelo disbanded into two camps, Son Volt was one resulting act. The other was Wilco. In 1995, the Jay Farrar-led Son Volt released their debut album Trace, one of the best albums of the 1990's bar none. At the time, it seemed that Farrar had trumped Jeff Tweedy's Wilco, whose debut A.M. is probably the weakest offering in their catalog. In the decade since, Tweedy has proven far more musically adventurous, while Farrar has essentially churned out diluted and inferior versions of the wonderful Trace.

Fans of Son Volt were thrilled to hear that the original lineup were regrouping in 2004 after a nearly five year hiatus. Unfortunately, a dispute over songwriting and performing royalties intervened, so Farrar (owner of the Son Volt name) resurrected the group in name and catalog only, as no other original members are currently touring with the band. Son Volt v2 has released two albums, Okemah and the Melody of Riot (2005) and new album The Search (2007). Both have received positive press and have also lured back much of the fan base that dwindled away during Farrar's erratic solo years. Allmusic lauds the new record for "washes of organ and piano" and for being "a potent reminder of why Farrar was and is one of the watershed artists of the alt-country movement."

Regardless of one's feelings about Son Volt's path, it should be a truly enjoyable spring evening to hear Farrar sing classics like "Tear Stained Eye" and "Windfall" tonight. The band plays Stubb's with support from Detroit's The High Strung, an NPR favorite who traffic in "60's psych-pop with raw garage-punk" according to KEXP.

Enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show:

Congratulations, Chris!

[Son Volt official site]
[Son Volt MySpace]

Son Volt w/ The High Strung
Friday, May 4th
Stubb's Outdoor [map]
Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm
$24.50 [tickets]

Image via Son Volt's MySpace page. Photographer uncredited.