Local Reno band the Bindlestiffs opened the final night of the Extradition Music Festival last Sunday at Hawkins Ampitheater. I had not heard the band before and was pleasantly surprised by their sound. They had a spoon player, how rad is that?
Hellbound Glory took the stage next and played a blistering set. It was weird to see Hellbound Glory playing in the daytime; usually I catch them late late at night in a small dark room that smells of PBR and cigarettes.
Jay Farrar and Mark Spencer took the stage and played a beautiful set. It was great not to have to travel 4 hours to hear Jay play. The set list was fairly mellow and pulled heavily from Jay's two most recent releases: the compilation he did with Ben Gibbard, One Fast Move or I'm Gone Music from Kerouak's 'Big Sur' and Son Volt's America Central Dust.
I would have liked to hear some older Son Volt tunes or perhaps even some of Jay's older solo material off of Sebastopol or Terroir Blues interspersed with the newer material, but it was nice to hear a bunch of new tunes live for the first time.
Jay is a gifted songwriter and it had been too long since I had seen him perform a live solo show. The nuances of his voice are sometimes lost when he plays with the full band and power of Son Volt behind him. What a delight to hear a stripped down set where the gentle power of his lyrics could resonate with the audience.
What a great festival Extradition, thank you for the tickets!
I can't wait to see who you bring to town next.
*Photo Credits shared with L.K.S.
