[direwolf74]

Just came across this fantastic article from No Depression, written in 2015 just after the release of Isbell's 5th album Something More Than Free. It basically covers his entire life story, including his 5 year stint with Drive-By Truckers, his bout with alcoholism, and his subsequent sobriety and solo career. It's an excellent read. I had no idea that Ryan Adams was one of the key people who helped him get sober.

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[potsie]

Isbell joined his former DBT mates Hood and Cooley on stage yesterday at an Americana awards nomination event. They played "Outfit" and looked like they had fun doing it. The few times that they have been together over the past 10 years they have appeared to have an easy chemistry about them. I would love to see Isbell re-unite with them one day for a DBT album or tour (preferably both!).

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[edgoffin]

Great article -- would be curious to hear a Ryan Adams produced Isbell record.

That's the second time in the past few months that Jason has joined DBT -- Patterson also smiled his way through that earlier performance. Really comes down to too many songwriters, would be hard to only get 3 songs from Jason every two years, or a few less songs from Patterson and Cooley.

I thought Jason's first solo album was OK, with Dress Blues a real standout, next two with 400 Unit progressively better. Southeastern blew me away, easily in my top 5 albums of all time. Something More Than Free didn't quite reach the same level, but it suffered from being a really good album that followed an amazing album IMO. I like the first two tracks off the up coming release. I also managed to get his RSD release Live from Welcome to 1979, which if you're a fan of his guitar work in jaw dropping.

DBT maybe suffered from being a bit too prolific after Jason left -- Brighter Than Creation, Go-Go-Boots, The Big To-Do, and English Ocean seemed to come one after another. They could have maybe used a more firm producer to tighten up those releases, though all have some very high high points. Amazing, Patterson also had a solo album in that cycle (which I really liked). American Band seemed to also come very quick in the album cycle, but I think it's possibly their most solid end-to-end album.

My main fear with DBT is they never seem to quite hit that level of commercial success needed versus critical reception. Jason's "graduated" to playing mid-sized to larger soft seat theaters, where life as a touring musician is a bit less difficult. DBT have generally stayed one rung down, and as a result on the road for long stretches of time. Great opportunities to see them as a fan, but I respect that it's physically, personally, and financially challenging.

[potsie]

My main fear with DBT is they never seem to quite hit that level of commercial success needed versus critical reception. Jason's "graduated" to playing mid-sized to larger soft seat theaters, where life as a touring musician is a bit less difficult. DBT have generally stayed one rung down, and as a result on the road for long stretches of time. Great opportunities to see them as a fan, but I respect that it's physically, personally, and financially challenging.

This is where I think Isbell joining them for an album and tour would be beneficial. It would probably be a lateral move for his career but I think it would create a lot more attention for DBT. For sure he was the "George Harrison" to Hood and Cooley's "Lennon and McCartney" when it came to trying to get songs on DBT albums, but for one more album together, with the three of them bringing their best four songs to the table, it could be a beautiful thing. And that wall of sound when the three of them are on stage together is amazing.

Not reaching that next rung on the ladder, as you've alluded to, can be a band killer. At some point you are all of sudden 40 years old and waking up with a guitar pedal jammed into your back in the back of an Econoline Van is no longer do-able. You've never reached the level that allows you to have your own room in a hotel and to travel comfortably and plays less dates while still earning a living. I think this situation applies to many great Canadian bands in the 1990's that just couldn't get over the hump like the Hip did. Traveling Canada's vast geography where you might have 7 hours from Fredericton to Montreal or from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg for your next gig can be daunting. My hope is that DBT are earning a decent living from what they're doing and that they are out for long stretches on the road simply due to their love of playing live music.

[direwolf74]

Not reaching that next rung on the ladder, as you've alluded to, can be a band killer. At some point you are all of sudden 40 years old and waking up with a guitar pedal jammed into your back in the back of an Econoline Van is no longer do-able. You've never reached the level that allows you to have your own room in a hotel and to travel comfortably and plays less dates while still earning a living. I think this situation applies to many great Canadian bands in the 1990's that just couldn't get over the hump like the Hip did. Traveling Canada's vast geography where you might have 7 hours from Fredericton to Montreal or from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg for your next gig can be daunting. My hope is that DBT are earning a decent living from what they're doing and that they are out for long stretches on the road simply due to their love of playing live music.

In recent interviews with Patterson Hood, he's talked a bit about how they've reached a pretty comfortable level now as far as making a living and touring. They graduated from a van to a bus sometime around 2006/'07, and they mostly play theaters these days (especially in the U.S.) They've also made frequent appearances on late night shows like Colbert, Fallon, Conan etc... and their albums and shows receive a lot of attention from the press. They're not superstars by any means, but I get the impression that they're doing just fine financially.

[direwolf74]

Great interview with Isbell here:

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Can't wait to pick up the new record on Friday. It's now streaming on NPR, and it's amazing. I'm three listens in and I think this might be the best thing he's done yet.

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[Ry222]

The album is great! "If We Were Vampires" is a hauntingly beautiful ballad about marriage and our mortality. It definitely deserves some recognition.

I'm not a DBT fan but I see from Twitter that Robby Baker is a big fan of Isbell - do the Hip and Isbell have some notable history together?

[potsie]

I love this record. Isbell just keeps improving as a songwriter. In the press for the album I think he overstated a "return to rock" as there are maybe only three "rockers" on the album. However, electric guitar does certainly feature more prominently on the songs than it did on the last two albums.

I've always self-identified as someone who hates country music despite having a love of many bands and singers (like Cash, Blue Rodeo, Dylan, Wilco, Neil Young, early MMJ, DBT, Neko Case, etc) that have dipped their toes in the country music genre (or have both feet firmly planted there). However, if Isbell is reaching for the sky on this one and is on a mission to make this the new "Nashville Sound", I'm soon going to be a country music fan.

[direwolf74]

Excellent interview with Jason and his wife, fellow musician Amanda Shires. Some really interesting stuff about the current political climate and music's place in it:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/12/18/569098685/naming-the-beast-jason-isbell-and-amanda-shires-on-speaking-up-in-2017?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=2047">https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/ ... ntent=2047</a><!-- m -->

[direwolf74]

For those who like a bit of politics mixed in with their rock n' roll, here's a great interview with Jason from Pod Save America, discussing the latest insanity happening in the U.S.

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