Jay Farrar

It just doesn't get better than watching Jay play this seminal album. Holy grail show IMO!!

A great concert. I'm a fan of Jim James but the audience could have been a little more equinanimous towards Jay, Anders and Will.

With Ben and Jays perfect, fluid voices, they couldn't go wrong. All the musicians involved in the show are immensely talented and it was an absolute pleasure to listen front row and center. Even better? Waiting to meet them all. It was a perfect night.

Now, I have always been a huge Bright Eyes fan, but last fall I saw Conor Oberst live with his solo band, and I will admit that his new western rock style was somewhat of a flop. Not with Ben Gibbard! Ben and Jay did an amazing job. I went to the show knowing none of their songs from the album "One Fast Move or I'm Gone," but left loving every one. Though he lost all his baby fat, Ben was still a sight to see. I was unfamiliar with Jay, but he blew me out of the water as well. They two make quite the duo. I would definitely go again.

Wonderful good sounding artists but they needed to mix it up a little. Too many mello songs in a row. My party was ready to take a nap! This is coming from a fifty and somethng lady. I noticed when they played a faster upbeat song the audience finally came alive! Just didn't feel any energy whatsoever! Such excellent musicans too! They could improve on stage presence and engage with the audience more!

I wasn't impressed at all with the opening act, I don't remember his name but wish I did so I could avoid him in the future. I think he is in a band called Long Winter, I can only hope he is better with a band. It seemed like a long winter while he was on stage, I was considering going into hibernation. He can play a guitar reasonably well, he's got the 3 chord progression down, but his playing is not inspiring by any means. His songs were aimed at being poetic, but I found them repetitive and boring. The feedback and squelching during his set was offensive to the ear but I enjoyed it more than his music. He seemed more suited to an open mike night somewhere rather than opening for musicians of the caliber of Farrar and Gibbard. The audience was extremely kind and patient with him. I really enjoyed the main show by Farrar, Gibbard and friends. Farrar did an excellent job of adapting Kerouac's words to music. Gibbard has a voice made for story telling, and he melded well with Farrar. The back up band was excellent, putting all they had into the music and having a good time with it. I felt at times that I was privileged to sit in on a jam session. Having covered the bulk of "One Fast Move or I'm Gone", I was curious about what they would do for an encore. They did not disappoint, in fact came back for two. I love smaller venues for events like this, they are intimate and exclusive. The bars were convenient and provided speedy service, but my first beer was warm. The acoustics need improvement here. Not being familiar with the lyrics, I would have appreciated being able to hear them more clearly. The overall sound could have been better, the mixing seemed uneven, the back speakers kept going off and on, not sure if on purpose or faulty equipment.

My brother and I had such a great time. Love the Wonder Ballroom. I was just blown away by the steel guitarist/ keyboarder. Jay and Ben are amazing artists, plain and simple.

They delivered exactely the kind of show you would expect:)

Two v. different voices are a great pairing; wished they harmonized more. Songs are compelling. Band had great presence. Good team-playing considering these guys don't know each other well. Opening act v. fun and entertaining.

Fantastic Show. Short but sweet. A great combination of two very talented artists. They played the entire album - One False Move - Or I'm Gone. Some highlights: Breath Our Iodine - the closing jam emphasized by Mark Spencer's intense and rhythmic organ solo; and Jay Farrar's closing of the first set with his own Voodoo Candle. Ben was in great voice and his inviting personality even rubbed off on the usually intense Farrar... even managing a couple of smiles. I had limited knowledge of Ben Gibbard until this album. Was very impressed and will look into more of his work. Please continue to work together.

they really played hard and with great energy and engagement. just an amazing show, with talented backup too on keyboards and electric guitar from a studio musician, it appeared - who quietly made the show what it was.

Last night was going to be another night with indie boys and I wasn t overly enthused but I did want to see Jay Farrar and I was very interested because they would be performing Farrar s and Ben Gibbard s soundtrack for the documentary of One Fast Move or I m Gone: Kerouac s Big Sur , which is why I decided to make the sacrifice. So violaleeblue and I sat on the Webster Hall bass speaker and two people thanked me for allowing them to join us up there. Apparently it s become our section and you need my permission to sit there. Opening act was John Roderick of The Long Winters. I ve seen him before (Revenge of the Bookeaters show in August 2006) but have no memory of it. In re-reading rtb s review of that show I see that she mentions how funny he is. And he is very funny. And he has a pleasant enough voice and was very personable. He has the indie boy look down pat and like so many of his brethren he has been a guest musician on other indie boy band cds. Those boys (and occasionally girls) like nothing more than to play on each other s albums. He was totally engaged with the audience. He asked for requests and then rejected most of them because he couldn t play them without the band. Roderick did one song unplugged standing on the edge of the stage. I think he mostly wanted to quiet the people in the audience who would not shut up but it was a lovely moment you forget what a great acoustic hall Webster Hall is because everything is now amplified. Jay Farrar (Son Volt) interests me because of his work with Uncle Tupelo. Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) I knew very little about I d heard of the band and kind of forgot that he just married Zooey Deschanel. Farrar and Gibbard traded off vocals and played acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards. Joining them were Mark Spencer (Son Volt) playing phenomenally on keyboards, pedal steel, electric guitar; Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie) on bass; and Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould, The Mountain Goats) on drums. There was little interaction with the audience. Gibbard did speak occasionally but mostly they went right into each song and played the cd. There was a big reaction for Gibbard s version of his collaboration with Styrofoam s (Arne Van Petegem) 2004 Couches in Alleys, which is an open letter to Kerouac. Farrar performed Voodoo Candle from his 2001 solo project. And then it was over. Very quickly. Like over in less than an hour. San Francisco from the cd was included in the encore they didn t even play every song from the album in their set. Included in the encore was Bob Dylan s Absolutely Sweet Marie with Farrar doing a great job on lead vocal and harmonica. Gibbard did a beautiful version of Tom Waits Old Shoes (and Picture Postcards). This was the last show of their tour. I enjoyed the music enough to want to check out the album it was more alt-country than indie but there was a disconnect with hearing Kerouac s words with a pedal steel. It should be jazz, no? But eventually I gave in to it because the music captured very well the melancholy and isolation of the lyrics.

since they only performed this show 6 times and i was able to partake i really loved it, because how often will this happen??! loved both of them. and of course jack kerouac's presence made it much more interesting lol.

Great show. Excellent performances by all. Great backing band too.

Great music. Great venue. PBR available for a reasonable price.

Always enjoy hearing Jay Farrar and his group and this was no disappointment. Further, the new venue, Delmar Hall, is terrific. Great evening of wonderful music.

What a great show...the end of the tour and who knows if they'll ever tour again...such a great show...the boys rocked it and the crowd loved it...and the Paradise was a perfect venue to see Woody's lyrics brought to life...

Not a great venue. This concert should have been at HOB, at least Band came out at 10:30, after an opening act that was hardly bearable. JF, YY and co were great. Just wrong venue.

Sometimes when individual accomplished musicians come together for a cause or respite from their day job groups, the results are disappointing, the personalities don't mesh. Not here. These four talented musicians really demonstrate what can happen when the sum is must greater than the individual parts. There wasn't a whole lot of conversation with the audience, just a steady, consistently interesting set of music put to dusted off Woody Guthrie lyrics. Great harmonies, soaring guitars to a steady beat. The Webster Theatre is not an easy place for a 60 plus year old music lover - crowded, standing room only environment. But the music made it all feel just right.

not being familiar with the new album i was caught off guard by the lack of folk music at the show. jay fararr is certainly the lead member but the sound guy had different ideas. i have been to shows at this venue before and it was just too loud. when they performed the encore each performer played a solo acoustic piece which was great. then they each featured an electric piece and by the end they played a feedback so loud it had people leaving the room. the sound engineer should have his hearing checked. the room holds 1500 people not 15000. if woody guthrie were there he would have spoken to the audience about some of the pieces he was playing. they never mentioned him. he was america's folk music hero and i'm sure after that show his ears were ringing as were mine.

Giving credence to, while redefining the notion of the sum being greater than its parts is the New Multitudes. Alone, each of these musicians is a creative powerhouse, with voices that compel and instrumental talents that awe. Together, they compose a fortress of such depth that one is left slack-jawed with wonder. This fortress, however, does not exclude. Instead, in covering the songs of Woody Guthrie, these musicians filled Webster Hall with reminders of why we love music. I found myself weeping in one song and dancing uncontrollably in another. Guitars, especially in moments when all four men were playing one of their own, filled the venue, penetrating the air and injecting the spirit, turning a crowd full of strangers into a room of fellow travelers for the night.

Jim James hams it up a little too much for my tastes, although My Morning Jacket has a lovely "Mr. Wonderful" song he sang that everyone knew. The show had a strong "guy" atmosphere to it and unless you are down with male bonding, you may not get as much out of their noise rock as this pretentious music enthusiast. Anders Parker's versatile music talents also make

It was a great show, 4 awesome musicians playing Woody Guthrie songs which they had put to music. I hope they expand the tour or do another project together.

Wonderful show! So glad I saw these great artists come together.

New Multitudes Tour was great. Each artist did a solo song from their own band and really brought life to their Woody Guthrie album as a whole. The harmonies the guys played together were incredible. Very glad I went!

have not ben to a show that I didnt know ANY of the music & was blown away - such great vocals on all parts!

This concert was an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience. Jay Farrar and Yim Yames are amazing together. All of the performers are unbelievably talented and creative without any kind of soulless electronic sweetening and pitch intervention. In the tradition of Woody Guthrie -- real honest music from the heart.

My wife and I were so excited for this show. we showed up at 7:30 to wait for the doors to open. The webpage for the event led us to believe that the show would start at around 8:00 pm, but they didn't start until 10:10 pm! We had a babysitter for our daughter and had to leave at 10:30 pm to pick her up at 11:00 pm. We were glad to see the first 3 songs, but had to leave way too early. They sounded great. It was almost worth waiting 2 1/2 hours for 3 songs. Who was the opener again?

Don't miss out on this show if you have a chance to see it!

I consider myself a fan of excellent, serious music and when I first learned of this collaboration of what I considered a dream of Jim James (Yim Yames) and Jay Farrar I was so excited. I knew there was no way I was going to miss out on seeing these guys perform together. You do not want to miss seeing them! Especially musicians of this caliber and the fact that they have kept ticket prices so reasonable. I was front and center at the stage. They played through the album and then each played a solo song (with the others backing them up) and then they each played a song from their individual band. I'm a huge Jim James and Jay Farrar fan and now I have become an Anders Parker fan and a Will Johnson fan! Jim played bass the majority of the time. Will and Anders each played drums on the songs when they weren't performing their own songs and I tell you they ALL can shred and sing! The harmonies were simply incredible. The interpretations of Woody Guthrie's lyrics were awesome and the songs sounded contemporary but like each performers style -- which was very cool! It was fun to see their individual personalities too! They obviously respected each other and enjoyed playing together. Jim was the most outgoing in his usual style -- talking to the audience and being funny and exuberant. Then I had the good fortune of seeing them perform in-store at the Amoeba the next day! So Amazing! I have such respect for each of these musicians and I personally feel that I have now seen and heard the best --

I had a great time at this show. The Mayan is a cool and intimate venue. The band sounded great. They played the record from front to back, with little deviation. The encore allowed each of the four to come out and play one of their own tunes.

I walked away from the show, thinking "why did it have to end". The quality of performace was top notch, but the thing that really stuck was the energy and connection between the band. They looked to be very happy and greatful for where they were, it was contagious.

Great show. Very CSNY-ish. Not a huge fan of Son Volt or Uncle Tupelo but Jay Farrar is a monster. Jim James stole the show for me though.

Just saw these guys 2 nights ago at the Fillmore in San Francisco, and I loved it. I had expected something more subdued, maybe a "Songwriter-in-the-Round" kind of format. But the band came out blazing and rocked throughout the night--like watching a really great rock'n'roll band (in which everyone takes turns at lead vocals) take on the songs of Woody Guthrie. The energy never dipped, even though there were some quieter, more reflective spaces in the set. I went to see Jay Farrar mainly but ended up with a newfound respect for all of these musicians, including Yim Yames, who was rocking out as hard as anyone on stage. Yames and Farrar did a few of their own songs, but I liked the "new" Woody Guthrie material every bit as much. If you're sitting on the fence about whether to go or not, or if you're only a fan of one of the performers, just go! It's a dynamic, energized show, and I haven't had that much fun in a while. I wish I could see them again, but this is probably a rare opportunity.

Great show at a great venue. Jay was accompanied by Gary hunt on violin and electric guitar. Methamphetamine, Windall, Out of the Picture, Tear Stained Eye were highlights in my humble opinion.

Jay Farrar was playing with Gary Hart at the Turf Club on 11/5/10 and Gary brought a real nashville sound to Jay's music. His guitar playing was more country sounding than any sideman I have ever heard playing with Jay. Gary's fiddle and mandolin skills added a different texture to the songs too. If you are a fan of Jay, go see him on this tour. He takes his songs farther south than they have ever been.

Jay Farrar is always amazing - he is such a talented artist, musician and vocalist. His accompaniment (I'm blanking on the name, but I think he's part of Son Volt, and he did all the other instrumentation at the concert and was back-up vocal) was also great. I had heard the opening act, Allison Moorer, before, and she is very pleasant to listen to. But she provided a very nice surprise, which I won't reveal...

Having seen Jay Farrar many times over the years, I am convinced that he ages like a fine wine. His shows continue to amaze me and are even more enjoyable in a place like the Birchmere. Jay's performance was tremendous and his songs took on even more meaning when performed live. Mark Spencer proves over and over to be the perfect musician to accompany Jay on tour. As always, Jay pulled out an interesting cover in playing Buck Owens' "Girl Made In Japan" as an encore. AWESOME show!!!

I have seen Jay and Co. several times. I am always very impressed with Mark Spencer and this time was no different. Ben Gibbard was great! He is very upbeat and stays positive in spite of Jay's absent persona. The music was good. The drummer and bass were also quite good. After seeing this show I am more of a Ben Gibbard fan and I'm becoming less of a Jay Farrar fan.

Before going to the show, I was a little worried that Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar each wouldn't compliment the other's vocals very well. It worked out way better than I ever could have expected. The lyrics felt very truthful and I loved that it was inspired by Jack Kerouac. It was also a very nice surprise to see Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie on bass, along with two others new to me, Mark Spencer and Jon Wurster.

I have never been to a show at the Varsity before, and I was extremely impressed. It is a beautiful venue with tons of character, and small enough so that no matter where you stood, you got a great view of the stage. I will definitely be back for another concert there soon!! Jay and Ben were amazing. Every time Ben Gibbard opened his mouth I got chills. His voice is so amazing, and I couldn't believe I was actually seeing him live!! Jay's harmonica/blues songs were so cool...it was really neat to see how these two different musicians with two different styles collaborated to come up with something so original and beautiful. Awesome, awesome show.

I was disappointed with this concert. I was led to believe that it would be an indie concert in the Death Cab for Cutie-style (after all, it was Ben Gibbard!), However, I was greeted with a strong country sound and a dead-pan Jay Farrar playing an eardrum-splitting harmonica. While some of the songs weren't that bad--mostly those led by Gibbard--and there were some interesting ornamental instruments played by an older gentleman--electric guitar, synthesizer, and the colorful Hawaiian steel guitar--the concert was just not what I was expecting.

This was a great show! They played every song from their album in addition to some classics from Son Volt.

Great Show. Loved the steel guitar. Would see them again.

Musicians were excellent, sound system was terrible. Farrar and Gibbard played seamlessly, their keyboard player was mindblowing. Too bad not a word of the lyrics could be understood. Speakers for the balcony were out, and only the electric bass made it to the back loud and clear. The rest of the sound was muddy. It should have been a better venue but . . . technology failed us.