new guy:"Why did Son Volt break up?"

ChiDavid78
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Post by ChiDavid78 »

If the SV guys mvoed on to better jobs, I can't blame them as they need to make money. But as Jay is going now, I like. I hope the next one is more of a rocker because the live shows with Canyon showed he is great at the electric guitar and its much more enjoyable to see him electric than just him and Mark.

tele
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Post by tele »

Do you think if SV was touring and one of the other guys got offered a job in the Rolling Stones ( more $$, better travel , more everything) that they would have turned it down out of some sense of being loyal??? At SV's level it is a business, this is what pays his mortgage and feeds the kids.

Not everyone is going to like his solo stuff ( I love all his work) but some people wish the Beatles kept writing "I want to hold your hand" instead of Sgt Pepper....how many people were upset by the direction of YHF from Wilco...taking a chance takes balls

For what it is worth I can see your point about Jay's "communication issues". From reading some of the things people have said that have met him, he can either come across as extremely shy and introverted or very distant ( I read some things that reminded me of Dylan in the "Don't look back" film...great music but the guy was a prick to everyone around him)

From a relative newbie perspective, he comes across as a deep thinking artist that cares about the work more than marketing it ( of course he has to..it is a business) . I don't know if I would approach him if given the chance....he does not seem too eager to recieve praise and that probably leaves a lot of really ethuisastic fans feeling disappointed with his cool reaction to compliments ......just my opinion....sorry for rambling

I Am Who Am
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Post by I Am Who Am »

I don't see any difference between what Jay has done and, say two friends who start a garage together and , after three years, one has a big clientele and decides to up and start his own garage and take his clients with him, leaving the other schmuck who maybe didn't have as much skill, to fail.


It's the American way, perhaps, but I can hear Farrar lyrics about the greedy bastard mechanic who betrayed his best friend for a pot o' gold and a chance to do his own thing....It'll be on the next EP, I'm a-hoping.

keith21
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Post by keith21 »

god, i didn't think we'd resort to personal attacks but whatever man. this argument of business vs. art (which i foolishly fell into) is as old and tired as anything. music is art, which can lead to money being made, but to deny its emotion is foolish. if you dont like jay, i dont see why youre on this board. jay is not a saint (i could have done without kind of madness, for instance, and the damn shame remix), but he is an artist doing his own thing.
Jay is a lot like Neil Young I think. You don't want to hear Crazy Horse all the time and if you did, they would've broken up in '76. And of course, this hurts the people involved sometimes, but Neil can't play with someone that isn't carrying the vibe of the song.

tillotson505
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Post by tillotson505 »

'I Am' has convinced me.

Jay Farrar was the second gunman in Dallas. AND he's obviously a communist.

flip
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Re: quit defending st. jay

Post by flip »

I Am Who Am wrote:Yes, Jay has a right to lay off employees indefinitely (even his good friends), and to dump on them, keep them hanging on, whatever, but that doesn't make it right... You weenies need to quit defending St. Jay for his hypocritical and two-timing behavior.
Dude, you're sentiments are thoroughly misguided. I agree with you that Jay's best work was with UT and SV, but stop attacking him for simply making a career choice. Are you implying that because Jay started Son Volt, that he was obligated to keep the band together forever? That's ludicrous. Hypocritical? You're the one who is ostensibly a fan (or a troll looking for attention) but yet, attacking his character on his website. If you don't like Jay's solo work, fine. But leave the other stuff out. He's just a squirrel looking for a nut, like the rest of us.

I Am Who Am
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quit defending st. jay

Post by I Am Who Am »

If you think Jay Farrar, Inc., is only about art, then you are as naive as a little girl. What the hell is he doing if not selling records and T-Shirts and concert tickets, and Marketing himself on Austin City Limits???? What the hell is this message board but another marketing tool? Yes, Jay has a right to lay off employees indefinitely (even his good friends), and to dump on them, keep them hanging on, whatever, but that doesn't make it right. It's the same kind of behavior that if done by the Republican CEO of a widget company he would hypocritically denounce in his songs. You weenies need to quit defending St. Jay for his hypocritical and two-timing behavior.

keith21
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Post by keith21 »

Of course music (MTV, car commercials, whatever) is a business, but i don't think SV saw their band as a business. I'm not a fan of Jay or SV because he writes commercially viable music and markets it well. I think most fans on this board would agree that they like the fact that Jay writes to express feelings and ideas. This sounds so basic and simplistic to say but you're challenging music as art so I guess I need to explain it.
Anyway, if it is just business, then Jay doesn't owe his business partners/employees anything. If he can support himself without having to deal with a major label and band, then it's business decision to do so. Equity and productivity can't coincide completely.

Sticky
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Post by Sticky »

It's just my opinion, but SonVolt broke up because Jay wanted to do his solo thing. It's pretty much that simple. We're not talking about high school kids, they're grown men pushing forty. The Boquist's are very talented guys, they can work anywhere. And if Mike still wanted to play, he'd be playing. He's had plenty of offers and opportunities.

Dream job? Hardly. Unless driving a van from Salt Lake City to Denver in the middle of the night on next to no sleep is a "dream job". Bands are very hard work, it's hours and hours and hours of tedium, then an hour or so of fun. I don't know anybody who has that as a "dream".


Everybody's entitled to an opinion. Nobody has to like everything Jay does. Jay would be the first one to tell you that.

peace
Last edited by Sticky on Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I Am Who Am
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Post by I Am Who Am »

Music is as much a business as anything else. Why do you think these guys have managers, PR machines, lables, copyrights, advertising? Why do you think RIAA is so bent on busting Napster, etc.? Not a business? What do you call Acuff-Rose? Charity? Didn't Led Zepplin (sic) just get a mint for selling the rights to one of their songs to a car company? Some would say that's good business. What would you call it? Once you start signing contracts with record companies, etc., it's a business, no matter how romantic you want it to be. I guess Rolling Stone Magazine isn't a business either. Or MTV?

little onion
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Post by little onion »

i thought i read about one of the boquist boys being in another band a while back. i think they might have opened up for one of the golden smog shows in minneapolis a few months ago. maybe someone from the twin cities has more info and the name of the band. i think they're staying busy.

keith21
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Post by keith21 »

well I suppose if I Am sees Son Volt as a business, I guess Jay is a lowlife, laying off his friends. But Son Volt was never a business, it was (is) a band, bands can't play all the time. This argument seems to ignore pretty much every other band that has ever played together, no one ever has a financial obligation to play with another person. It's not like they signed a contract with eachother or anything. Jesus Christ, the SV guys are big boys, they can't work for a living? They are a great band but neither Jay or they owe you music.
And btw, TB is amazing.
Also, hi everyone, I'm keith, this is my first post. been watching a while but couldn't keep my mouth shut on this.

freeuntilcaught
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Post by freeuntilcaught »

Jay is a lowlife? Why waste your time on Jayfarrar.net then? Come on people...stand up and be counted here. This is starting to remind me of the Metro article fight that ensued a few months ago. He sure didn't last long.

Tell us you are one of the forlorn and wayward Son Volt boys and then you carry some clout. Otherwise you have no idea what you are talking about.


'when in doubt, move on
no need to sort it out'

barstool
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Post by barstool »

Thanks for getting "Silly Love Songs" stuck in my head, I Am Who Am...

Appreciate that.. :evil:

I Am Who Am
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Post by I Am Who Am »

One last thing...

Like it or not, the band was a business, it was the bandmembers' dream job. What Jay did was basically lay them off, for four years so far, without any idea when and if they would ever be re-employed again. A clean break would have been less cruel than keeping their hopes up for four years. And don't give me any of the tempermental artist shit. How would you like it if you were laid off of your dream job for four years, but continued to read in the paper that well, maybe you would be rehired someday, maybe...? In the meantime you work putting up alumninum siding, waiting year after year for some word about your future with the company. Put yourself in the band's shoes. Jay's a lowlife.

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