Deeper roots
Jason Isbell pushes songwriting beyond trappings of pop country
Jason Isbell’s a country person, but he’s never thought of himself as a country singer.
That’s a tricky path to walk, especially with his Southern drawl, recent CMA nod and being married to a celebrated fiddle player. On the phone in Fargo, he’s also quick to point out his teachers’ country roots. George Jones, Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton are just a few artists who’ve informed Isbell’s songwriting and have pushed him to dig deeper than the typical trappings of pop country.
The Muscle Shoals student and Alabama native, now 38, dissects Southerness rather than perpetuate a love for big trucks, back roads and neverending weekends. The former DriveBy Trucker found his groove tackling sensitive subjects from his own sobriety to acknowledging racial privilege.
Isbell isn’t likely destined for radio notoriety, but his 2017 effort “The Nashville Sound” continues a renewed tradition of roots and Americana performers who carve out a niche with thoughtful insight and endless touring. It’s the Grammy winner’s sixth solo effort, and he shares the billing with his backing band, The 400 Unit.
Here’s a few highlights from my interview with Isbell.
Q: You’re no stranger to Oklahoma. You played a soldout show last month at Cain’s Ballroom. Does Tulsa or that venue in particular stick out to you?
Jason Isbell: Oh yeah, we love playing that place. There aren’t a lot of great dance halls left like that. It’s definitely an honor to play that room, and I love the fact that they’ve had different kinds of music there for a long time. They’ve been having really loud rock shows at Cain’s for decades. My wife (Amanda Shires) played in the Texas Playboys when she was a teenager. Part of our set that night, we covered a Bob Wills tune. That music is important to us for sure. The promoter said he didn’t know if most of the people in the crowd even knew what a Bob Wills song was anymore because they’re so young.
Q: You’re returning to The Criterion after your visit last year. Do you like it there, too?
Isbell: Yeah, we had a great time there, too. I like playing in Oklahoma. It’s a place rich with musical history. People like John Fullbright, John Moreland and lots of other good music is still coming out of Oklahoma.
Q: I noticed your tweet about Walter Becker’s passing. Did you used to have a Steely Dan cover band?
Isbell: Yeah, me and some of my friends when we were teenagers. It was mostly rehearsal. We might’ve played one gig. We spent most of our time really pouring over those songs and trying to learn how to play them. It was really great developmentally as a musician. They had a way of making pop and rock music that was influenced by jazz, but it wasn’t jazz rock fusion by any means. It was something very different. It taught me a lot about music theory and lyrics, too. It’s very sophisticated music as far as rock ‘n’ roll goes.
Q: Congratulations on the recent CMA nomination for Album of the Year. As an independent artist, what’s it like to get attention like this?
Isbell: It’s a good thing. We don’t have any kind of big label behind us pushing for these kinds of things. I think it happens probably because a lot of people in the industry really like the album. That’s flattering, and we’re grateful for it. I never set out to be that type of an artist. I’ve never thought of myself as a country singer. I’m a country person. I definitely have a lot of respect for country singers throughout history. ... I think we’ll be on tour when the award show happens. I think we’ll be in Germany.
Q: I really enjoyed “If We Were Vampires” off your latest album because of the way it talks about love. Did you always envision singing that song with your wife?
Isbell: If things were the other way around, and we all lived forever it’d be hard to find any motivation to do anything. I think it’s hard to write a love song and say something that hasn’t been said before. You have to try really hard to find perspective. I think that song comes at a relationship from a different angle than the one we’re used to, and it doesn’t deal with that initial spark of a relationship. It deals with something deeper and something that lasts longer.
I wrote it somewhat about our relationship because that’s where I draw my experience from . ... (Amanda’s) a great harmony singer, so I’m glad she was there to do it.
Q: You’re playing six nights at the Ryman Auditorium in October. Was it your original intention to feature a female opener each night?
Isbell: We didn’t set out to do that in the first place. We’re just trying to find really good openers. Most of what I’m interested in musically right now is coming from females. The hard part was really making it work with everyone’s schedule. We had a long list of potential openers for those shows and finally worked it out with six that I really think are going to be great.
Q: What are some female-led acts you’re listening to lately?
Isbell: I like St. Vincent a whole lot. I like that new song (“New York”), and the video that goes along with it. Annie Clark’s a great guitar player. Margo Price, we know her really well. She works really hard and has good music. Kacey Musgraves is very talented and puts on a great show. Some of Miranda Lambert’s songs are very much Americana-type songs, especially the ones she writes on her own. Those sound like the music I make. ... There’s tons of them.
Q: Last time we spoke you’d just celebrated your daughter’s first birthday. How’s she taken to life on the road?
Isbell: Oh, she likes it. I think she likes it more now even. It was hard to tell if she liked it or not back then because she didn’t say much. She gets a lot of attention on tour. ... I think she’s having a good time. She sleeps well and seems to be healthy, knock on wood. We take that as a good sign.