Jason Isbell

All Music Guide:

After spending six years with Southern rock outfit Drive-By Truckers, singer/guitarist Jason Isbell left the group in 2007 to pursue a solo career. Isbell had already honed his songwriting skills during his tenure with the Truckers, and he funneled those talents into Sirens of the Ditch, a bluesy, punk-infused lesson in guitar tones and Southern swagger that marked his solo debut in summer 2007. Backed by a new band dubbed the 400 Unit, Isbell took his songs on the road and soon began penning another album, which he recorded with the 400 Unit in 2008. Released the following year, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit was another step away from his work with Drive-By Truckers, relying as much on sad, melancholic country ballads as the familiar Muscle Shoals sound.

After performing more than 200 shows annually for several years running, Isbell took a breather in 2010 and returned home to northern Alabama. The area had been hit hard by the recent economic downturn, prompting Isbell to write a new batch of songs about the war vets, barflies, and out-of-luck characters who populated the area. The result was Here We Rest, which was released in spring 2011 to critical acclaim. Isbell followed it a year later in 2012 with a live set, Live From Alabama, recorded at the WorkPlay Theater in Birmingham, AL and at the Crossroads in Huntsville, AL.

Wikipedia:

Jason Isbell (born February 1, 1979) is a singer, songwriter, self proclaimed Cracker Barrel connoisseur, and guitarist from Greenhill, Alabama, near Muscle Shoals.

Background [edit]

An eighth-generation Alabamian, his family settled in the state prior to Statehood (1819). His great-great-grandmother, Mrs. William C. Isbell, was named Alabama but called Bamma. His ninth- and tenth-great-grandfathers, Zachariah Isbell Sr. and Jr., fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War and Zachariah Sr. was one of the founders of Tennessee.

Almost all of Isbell's family, except his parents, were musicians, and his father was an avid music listener. After some work as a songwriter, in 2001, Isbell joined the rock band Drive-By Truckers while they toured in support of their album Southern Rock Opera. Isbell recorded and wrote with the Truckers for their next three albums, and for most of this time was married to Shonna Tucker, who joined the band as a bassist after Isbell. The two later divorced.

On April 5, 2007, Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of Drive-By Truckers. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the band's official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support Drive-By Truckers as well as Jason's solo efforts.

Jason Isbell released his first solo album, Sirens of the Ditch, on July 10, 2007.

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit's eponymous album was released on February 17, 2009, on Lightning Rod Records. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is Isbell's second solo release and his first release with his band The 400 Unit. Matt Pence of Centro-Matic serves as co-producer, drummer and engineer.

Isbell and the 400 Unit released their second album, Here We Rest, on April 12, 2011, on Lightning Rod Records. The album was produced and recorded by the band themselves.

In the Spring 2012, Isbell supported singer-songwriter Ryan Adams on the latter's acoustic European tour.

Emergence of the 400 Unit [edit]

The "400 Unit" was the former colloquial name of the psychiatric ward of Florence, Alabama's Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, which is now named the Behavioral Health Center, or One North, and is located on the hospital's first floor. [1]

Isbell's current band, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, is primarily made up of other Alabama musicians. The lineup is currently:

Guitar Equipment [edit]

Guitars [edit]

Amps [edit]

Other Gear [edit]

Sources [edit]

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/12/jason-isbell-southern-rock-music-food.html