Mixing It Up

Jay Farrar just recently turned 30. But you’d swear the singer-songwriter-guitarist was an old-timer when you listen to his band, Son Volt. It’s rootsy, tradition-minded blend of folk, country and rock is not exactly hip--and thank goodness.

Doing what comes naturally, the quartet creates an intoxicating, haunting weariness that swirls around listeners like a cloud of dust. Acoustic instruments foster a mood tinged with bittersweet melancholy. All the while, Farrar’s nasally drone--a love-it-or-hate-it voice--makes you want to cry in your beer.

Son Volt, which also features drummer Mike Heidorn, bassist Jim Boquist and his brother Dave Boquist on mandolin, banjo, steel guitar, Dobro and fiddle, will appear tonight at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.

The versatile group offers a mix of gritty realism and dreamy impressionism, and its new album, “Straightaways,” mourns pieces of our country’s decaying landscape, particularly in Middle America. Ranging from the demolition of a historical landmark on Route 66 (“Way Down Watson”) to a tragic story of murder and redemption (“Been Set Free”), the 10-song collection offers plenty of heavy, wistful imagery.

What inspires such a forlorn vision?

“Most of what I wrote for both of our albums came from what I saw and experienced on the road,” Farrar said from a recent tour stop in Tempe, Ariz. “You see so much out there that’s literally crumbling . . . a way of life, or traditional parts of America that just keep disappearing. It’s really very disturbing.”

Son Volt was born from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, another influential progressive country-rock band that disbanded in 1994 after releasing several indie records and its major-label debut, “Anodyne” (Reprise).

Heidorn and Farrar were original members of that band, but Heidorn left in ’92 to do newspaper production work and Farrar exited when creative tensions with singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy (who has since formed the worthwhile band Wilco) led to the breakup.

Farrar’s fascination with earthy subjects can be traced to the flat farmland of Belleville, Ill., where he grew up the youngest of four brothers. Dad worked hard on a Mississippi River dredge, and Mom owned a used-book store in town.

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Relaxing together as a family and sharing the joy of music were big parts of their simple but fulfilling everyday life. Early on, Farrar listened to the folk records of the Clancy Brothers, Woody Guthrie, the Dillards and Leadbelly.

“A lot of my inspiration came from my family,” he said. “My dad played guitar and the accordion, and he also collected all kinds of instruments. My mom played guitar too, and she has this great record collection. Plus, working at her bookstore for a while turned me on to Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck and William Faulkner.”

Before long, Farrar got hooked on the classic country of George Jones, Merle Haggard, Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family and Hank Williams Sr.--sounds and styles that inform Son Volt today.

“I do look back to old country, folk and blues for inspiration, in more of an educational sense, and bring elements of that into what we’re doing today,” said Farrar, who lives in St. Louis, where he roots ferociously for the pro hockey’s Blues. “I do hope it doesn’t sound nostalgic, though.”

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Some music writers have categorized the rootsy, country-bred sound of the Bottle Rockets, Jayhawks, Wilco, Son Volt and others as the “Americana movement in rock.”

For Farrar, that description doesn’t cover it. “To me, Son Volt is a rock ‘n’ roll band, and that leaves things open to interpretation and let’s us do whatever we feel like doing,” he said. “I mean, even early rock had country influences. Look at the Beatles . . . they played this odd Buck Owens cover. And the Stones too.”

Farrar’s love of country runs deep, but it’s limited to the old-school stuff. The Nashville-based, cookie-cutter country of late makes his blood boil. “Our kind of progressive-country is a reaction against what Nashville’s been doing for the past 20 years,” he said. “Now, because of those slick, homogenized sounds, everyone’s idea of what country is can be a negative thing. And that’s too bad, until you find out that all this great country music existed a long time ago.”

Though Son Volt’s sound on the new album varies little from its ’95 debut, “Trace,” a more raw yet relaxed vibe has emerged.

“We were more confident while recording “Straightaways,” and I think it allowed us to be more intuitive and spontaneous,” Farrar explained. “We knew we could make a record that worked, and that wasn’t the case with our first. Then, we hadn’t been playing together that long, so there was this element of danger and uncertainty.”

Farrar has also become more at ease in the spotlight. Well, sort of. “I’ve been doing it long enough now that I’ve become acclimated to the weirdness of having all these people stare or yell or throw stuff at you,” he said. “I guess it’s actually become a way of life now. But on nights when we really click . . . and the crowd gets into it, I can almost forget where I am.”

* Son Volt and Vernaline perform at 8 p.m. today at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. $21.50-23.50 (714) 496-8930.