View source for Jay Farrar

{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}

{{BLP sources|date=November 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Jay Farrar
| image             = Jay Farrar (freeloosedirt).jpg
| caption           = Farrar performing at the [[El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles)|El Rey Theatre]] in April 2007
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Jay Stuart Farrar<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/310921894 |title=All of Your Might |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref>
| alias             = Cane Skretteburg
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1966|12|26}}
| birth_place       = [[Belleville, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|harmonica}}
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Alternative rock]]|[[alternative country]]|[[blues rock]]}}
| years_active      = 1984–present
| label             = {{flatlist|
* Giant/Rockville
* [[Sire Records|Sire]]
* [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]]
* [[Artemis Records|Artemis]]
* Act/Resist
* [[Legacy Recordings|Legacy]]
}}
| associated_acts   = [[Uncle Tupelo]], [[Son Volt]], [[Gob Iron]]
| website           = {{url|jayfarrar.net}}
}}

'''Jay Stuart Farrar''' (born December 26, 1966) is an American songwriter and musician based in [[St. Louis]]. A member of two critically acclaimed music groups, [[Uncle Tupelo]] and [[Son Volt]], he began his solo music career in 2001. Beyond being a songwriter, Farrar plays guitar, piano, harmonica, and sings.

==Uncle Tupelo==
Farrar formed [[Uncle Tupelo]] with [[Jeff Tweedy]] and [[Mike Heidorn]] in 1987 after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primatives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville Records, before signing with [[Sire Records]] and expanding to being a five-piece. Shortly after the release of the band's major label debut album [[Anodyne (album)|''Anodyne'']], Farrar announced his decision to leave the band owing to a soured relationship with his co-songwriter Tweedy. Uncle Tupelo is often mentioned as one of the originators of the [[Alternative country|alt-country]] genre of music or subgenre of country music which combines country, folk, and/or bluegrass with punk rock, alt-rock, indie rock, or other genres.

==Son Volt==
{{see also|Son Volt#Discography}}
After the dissolution of Uncle Tupelo in 1994, Farrar formed the rock group [[Son Volt]], whose original lineup released three albums in the late 1990s, before undergoing a hiatus in 1999. In 1999, Farrar was invited to participate in the [[tribute album]] for [[Moby Grape]] co-founder [[Skip Spence]], who was terminally ill with cancer. The album, ''[[More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album]]'' ([[Birdman Records|Birdman]], 1999), was an album of [[cover version]]s of the songs on Spence's only solo album, ''[[Oar (Skip Spence album)|Oar]]'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]], 1999). In 2005, the band re-formed with a different lineup and has released seven additional albums.

==Other==
{{see also|Jay Farrar discography}}
In 1995, Farrar collaborated with Kelly Willis on the song "Rex's Blues", which appeared on [[Red Hot + Bothered]], an [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] benefit album produced by the [[Red Hot Organization]]. As a solo artist, he has released two full-length albums, two EPs, one film score, and various live recordings. His full-length albums are ''[[Sebastopol (album)|Sebastopol]]'' (2001) and ''[[Terroir Blues]]'' (2003), the first released on the [[independent record label]] Artemis Records and the second released on his own label, Transmit Sound.

An EP of songs from the ''Sebastopol'' sessions, entitled ''ThirdShiftGrottoSlack'' was released in 2002. His score for the [[independent film]] ''The Slaughter Rule'' (2002, directors Alex and Andrew Smith) was released in 2003 on the independent record label Bloodshot Records. Farrar formed his own independent record label in 2003, '''Transmit Sound''' (formerly called "Act/Resist Records"). In 2004, Farrar released a six-song live acoustic EP entitled ''Live EP''. Also 2004 marked the release of the live CD/DVD ''[[Stone, Steel & Bright Lights]]''.

Farrar worked closely with keyboardist [[Steven Drozd]] of [[The Flaming Lips]] during the recording of ''Sebastopol''. Eric Heywood, [[Mark Spencer (guitarist)|Mark Spencer]] from the [[Blood Oranges (band)|Blood Oranges]], and the rock group [[Canyon (indie rock band)|Canyon]] have often accompanied Farrar in his solo recordings and performances. Spencer is now a full-time member of Son Volt. In 2006, Farrar announced the formation of a new band, [[Gob Iron]], with Varnaline's Anders Parker. The songs which would make up their debut album were recorded in autumn 2004, while Farrar was in the process of recording a new Son Volt album. In April 2019, Parker and Farrar released a [[single (music)|7-inch single]] using the Gob Iron moniker.

Farrar collaborated with [[Ben Gibbard]] (of the indie rock band [[Death Cab for Cutie]]) to create all of the music for the soundtrack for the 2009 documentary film ''One Fast Move or I'm Gone'', about [[Jack Kerouac]]'s time spent at [[Big Sur]]. The [[One Fast Move or I'm Gone|soundtrack]] was released on October 20, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267721/death-cabs-ben-gibbard-jay-farrar-team-up-for-kerouac-soundtrack|title="Death Cab's Ben Gibbard, Jay Farrar Team Up For Kerouac Soundtrack"|author=Michael D. Ayers|website=Billboard.com|access-date=13 August 2009}}</ref> In 2012, Farrar along with [[Will Johnson (musician)|Will&nbsp;Johnson]], [[Jim James|Yim&nbsp;Yames]], and [[Anders Parker]] collaborated on the [[Woody Guthrie]] archive project, ''[[New Multitudes]]''.

==Style==
His musical style ranges from sparse, unaccompanied [[folk music]] to full [[rock and roll]] band arrangements comparable to [[Neil Young]] or [[Dinosaur Jr.]] His solo recordings also often include sound experiments, reminiscent of psychedelia, with a distinct [[Eastern world|Eastern]] bent. One of the hallmarks of his sound is the use of alternate tunings on the [[guitar]]. His love for [[Woody Guthrie]] inspired a custom guitar made by [[Creston Electric Instruments|Creston Lea]] of [[Burlington, Vermont]]. The guitar was made from artifacts Farrar gathered from the site of Guthrie's childhood home.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/artist.asp?xid=204&c=148 Jay Farrar reviews at the Country Standard Time website]

{{Jay Farrar}}
{{Uncle Tupelo}}
{{Son Volt}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrar, Jay}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American rock guitarists]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Illinois]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:People from Belleville, Illinois]]
[[Category:Son Volt members]]
[[Category:Uncle Tupelo members]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Illinois]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:Dutch East India Trading artists]]
[[Category:Sire Records artists]]
[[Category:Warner Records artists]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Illinois]]
[[Category:Belleville High School-West alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:Gob Iron members]]