One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur

One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur, is a new album featuring original songs composed and performed by Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo fame, and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.The album, with lyrics based on the prose of Jack Kerouac’s landmark 1962 novel , was released on October 20 along with a feature-length documentary of the same title in which both Gibbard and Farrar appear.
Gibbard and Farrar, having never previously met, discovered a mutual kinship in their passion for Kerouac’s work while recording several songs for the documentary, produced by Kerouac Films.

Big Sur, is an evocative account of a time in Jack’s life when he’d “come undone,” both emotionally and spiritually. He escapes to a cabin in Big Sur to confront his inner demons and find a modicum of peace by the sea.

Gibbard stayed in the original cabin Kerouac wrote about, to compose songs for his band’s 2008 Grammy-nominated album, Narrow Stairs. For many years, Jay Farrar’s songwriting has been inspired and influenced by Kerouac’s compositional style.

The film features appearances by writers, poets, actors and musicians including, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Sam Shepard. The album and film was released on October 20, the day before the 40th anniversary of Kerouac's death.

Listen to the complete album or stream their concert from Washington D.C. on 10/27, courtesy of NPR.

Benjamin Gibbard and Jay Farrar's also performed live on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" last Friday, October 23rd, you can watch and listen to the session on the KCRW website.