Flying Solo

How long does it take a musician to find his voice? In the case of Mark Olson, perhaps two decades. More than twenty years after releasing his first record with The Jayhawks, Olson returns with The Salvation Blues, his first proper solo album.

The Salvation Blues finds a middle ground between the roots rock pioneered by The Jayhawks and the sparser home recordings that Olson, singer-songwriter Victoria Williams, and multi-instrumentalist Razz Russell created as The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers. The album balances deep folk roots with polished arrangements, thanks in part to producer Ben Vaughn.

“I’ve never been a rock guy,” Olson says. “I never listened to Led Zeppelin and The Who. I always loved folk music, and it moved me. I finally got the balance of folk and rock. I wish I did it when I was twenty-four, but I had to wait until I was forty-four.”

Deeply introspective, but true to its title, the album grew out of two rootless years Olson spent wandering from country to country, crashing with friends and family, playing gigs, and recording demos, as he came to terms with his divorce from Williams. “I believe there is a dark side of life,” Olson explains, “but it’s more interesting to write about raising oneself from that.”

The album also boasts contributions from Olson’s former Jayhawks writing partner Gary Louris, who plays on three tracks and cowrote the show-stopping “Poor Michael’s Boat.” The two recently toured together and have completed an album, which they plan to release next year.

Olson says he will continue his work with both Louris and Williams, but for the moment he is set on going solo. “I need to do that now. . . . I have to do it on my own.” Available June 15 on Hacktone Records.

Bill Snyder writes about music for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.