Led by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Jay Farrar, Son Volt became one of the leading bands in the alternative country community. Dominated by Farrar's commanding and resonant vocals, his Neil Young-influenced lead guitar work, and a lyrical and melodic palette that took a rueful look at the changing American landscape, Son Volt made a striking debut with 1995's Trace, whose patchwork of contemplative quiet numbers and anthemic rockers would set the template for the group's best work. Farrar put the group on hiatus in 1999, returning with a new lineup but a familiar musical approach on 2005's Okemah and the Melody of Riot. Farrar later experimented with the blues on 2017's Notes of Blue, moved into explicitly political themes on 2019's Union and 2021's Electro Melodier, and paid homage to his friend and mentor Doug Sahm on 2023's Day of the Doug.