Son Volt - 'Drown' from Conan O'Brien - April 4, 1996

From my VHS archives comes this recording of Son Volt playing live on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in April 1996. I believe this might be Son Volt's first national TV appear, promoting the Trace album which had been released in Autumn 1995. I haven't found this particular performance elsewhere on YouTube, so this may be something of a rarity.

Sadly, I didn't always get a great signal for my local NBC station and I was using a lesser quality VCR by this point (one which recorded only in mono). So we're stuck here with an image with plenty of ghosting and a mono soundtrack. But the sound is still decent and the image is still watchable, so I figured it was worth sharing regardless. Enjoy!

[OzarkAlchemy]

Today....Oct. 21, 2021 and this is still better than the wannabes getting airtime on Country radio today.

[freetoyota]

Dave Boquist taught me how to play bass guitar a year or so back. Amazing man.

[trinalaios]

One of the best songs - and albums - of the 90s

[ms]

The production on the album was awesome. The guitars were so raw and up front. Love it.

[ftm]

A seminal album. One of my all-time favorites. And it was recorded two miles from where I currently live - Northfield, MN.

[trinalaios]

“When in doubt, move on, no need to sort it out” - greatest lyric of many great ones outta these guys

[jkanyae]

My old high school > college band used to cover this song back in 1996 - such an incredible song! So tasteful, the tones out of the Vox are killer, man...thanks for uploading!

[westernartglass]

The Boquist Boys father was Harry Boquist--clarinet and saxophone genius during the big band era. They grew up next to a dairy farm and had access to the woods in between Carroll's farm and Rosemount High School--petrified forest, cow pies and the perfect percolation for Son Volt. Surreal happenstance....

[jeff]

Heard this on 88.5 WXPN in Philadelphia today

[TheNaturalust]

Jay sure knows how to squeeze a great tone out of a Vox AC amp.

[CriticalThinker]

love this song, hadn't heard it since the 90's. forgotten gem

[druchumley]

How did I miss these guys in the 90s? I should have paid more attention...

[kerinhealey]

Heard this song randomly in the background at a restaurant and thought "Hey--the 90's!" Came to YT and found this. Thanks! Man, the 90's had the best music....

[mcparlandt]

Thanks for effort

Sound/Vid fine to these ol SV fans.

[squeakeththewheel]

Son Volt has a new album coming out! I pre-ordered it. Feb. 4 2019

[williamdunn]

Wow we were all so much younger 26 years ago…this was always my favorite song of theirs. I used to be way into Alternative and now I only listen to Hip Hop and SuperPop but wow this really made me close TikTok for a sec and think about what was and who we used to be. The world just sucks now; oh yea, we’re causing it!! Lmfao smdh

[eldobledee]

I’ll die on this hill: Wilco has done nothing, ever, that fucking kicks like this song. Not close.

[Cap]

Country music with Marshall amplifiers, cryptic lyrics; that pretty much personifies alt-country.

[keithwright]

I used to listen to this in a graveyard and it was all right.

[theirritatedirishman]

Any decent Les Paul type guitar be it a Junior or Standard through a correctly working old AC30 will sound like this. Same as Gary Moore used EV speakers with an old Marshall and Vintage Les Paul, then Slash comes along and it was a Marshall JCM800 and Les Paul with 25 Watt Green Backs and 30 Watt Black backs on the neck Pickup and people say he has Gary’s tone. Difference is Slash was pushing the speakers into distortion and Gary’s amp, Vintage Les Paul and fingers were speaking. Aside from that yes great tune and sound. Worked a gig like I have millions of times and these guys played. I was totally hoping I’d hear more from them. Have these guys faded for good?
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