Jason Isbell

July 27, 2015

Jason Isbell’s “Something More Than Free” Inches Out Alan Jackson for #1 Album

Along with his multiple Americana Music Awards, and many accolades from critics declaring him one of the best songwriters of this generation, Jason Isbell is now the owner of the #1 album in all of country music according to Billboard. Isbell’s album Something More Than Free—released by Isbell’s Southeastern Records via Thirty Tigers—pulled off a last-minute rally to best Alan Jackson’s latest.

Alan Jackson, Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free

July 26, 2015

Jason Isbell & Alan Jackson in a Dogfight for #1, and Country Music is the Victor

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In one corner you have the wily veteran who’s sold more than 80 million records worldwide and racked up untold awards and accolades during his quarter century career. In the other corner you have the scrappy young upstart who after years of paying dues on the club circuit can now sell out three consecutive nights at The Ryman Auditorium in 30 minutes and is on the tip of everyone’s tongue as the name of one of the best songwriters around.

Aaron Watson, Alan Jackson, Ashley Monroe, Blackberry Smoke, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson

July 20, 2015

Sturgill Simpson Announces 2nd Leg of “Living The Dream” Tour

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Okay all you Texas, Rocky Mountain, and West Coast Sturgill Simpson fans that were bitching you had no tour dates on the left side of the Mississippi, the Sturgill Simpson train is going to be coming your direction hard and heavy, so stretch out your ticket ordering fingers because he’s just announced a new slew of dates and many of the shows will be selling out fast.

Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell, Living The Dream, Ryman, Sturgill Simpson

July 16, 2015

Album Review – Jason Isbell’s “Something More Than Free”

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In the natural world they’re referred to as apex predators and alpha males. They’re the ones that rule the roost and crest the food chain. They’re the specimens of natural design that exhibit the ideal mix of physical abilities and/or favorable disposition to become the creatures all others are measured by.

Amanda Shires, Drive By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Review, Something More Than Free

July 8, 2015

Song Review – Jason Isbell’s “Something More Than Free”

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In the crumbling ruins of America’s agrarian landscape, men and women move like ghosts as they watch the legacies of their forebearers and the communities that fostered their formative memories fall into states of irreconcilable disrepair in hectares of forgotten space. It’s a world where it was once undignified to ask another man for work, and even more undignified to have no work at all.

Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free

June 19, 2015

Guy Clark Hospitalized After Bad Reaction to Medication

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Guy Clark is in an Austin area hospital after having a bad reaction to medication right before he was scheduled to appear at an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction ceremony on his behalf. On Thursday evening (6-18), Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Asleep At The Wheel, and Flaco JimÃ©nez were all inducted into the long-running TV show’s sophomore class of Hall of Fame inductees.

ACL, Asleep at the Wheel, Austin City Limits, Flaco Jimenez, Guy Clark, Jason Isbell, Loretta Lynn, Lyle Lovett, Tamara Saviano, Townes Van Zandt, Without Getting Killed or Caught

May 30, 2015

Zac Brown on Jason Isbell: “He’s Badass. I Want His Fan Base to Grow.”

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Zac Brown covered Isbell’s “Dress Blues” on his recent release Jekyll + Hyde. Though it was fairly common back on the 70’s through the 90’s to have bigger artists cover songs from alt-country voices such as Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Lucinda Williams, the “Dress Blues” cover is one of the first examples of the newer generation of Americana artists garnering wider exposure through the vehicle of bigger stars.

Dress Blues, Jason Isbell, Jekyll + Hyde, Something More Than Free, Zac Brown Band

May 3, 2015

Jason Isbell Releases “24 Frames” From Upcoming “Something More Than Free” Album

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July 17th can’t get here quick enough for fans of the highly-decorated songwriter and Americana star Jason Isbell. That’s the day his much-anticipated release Something More Than Free hits stores—the followup to his heavily-decorated album Southeastern from 2013. Isbell has just made the new album available for pre-order, and has also released the first single from the album called “24 Frames.”

24 Frames, Dave Cobb, Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams, Something More Than Free, Zac Brown Band

April 29, 2015

Album Review – Zac Brown Band’s “Jekyll + Hyde”

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Music is not a skills competition. This isn’t the decathlon. They don’t hand out Grammy Awards for the band that can play songs from the most genres. They give Grammys to the artists who steady themselves and prove they are the best in a given musical discipline. I’ll give credit to the backing band of Weird Al for their alacrity. With the Zac Brown Band, I just want to hear good songs.

Dave Grohl, Jason Isbell, Jekyll + Hyde, Review, Sara Bareilles, Zac Brown Band

April 27, 2015

Album Review – John Moreland’s “High On Tulsa Heat”

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For those tragic songphiles who were done with popular music by late adolescence, started rummaging through their parents’ record collections and taking suggestions from older siblings and cousins about what was cool, and seem to be engaged in a lifelong pursuit of the essence of the listening experience—this is the manna, this is the potent stuff that still makes you feel like a listening virgin.

High On Tulsa Heat, Jason Isbell, John Moreland, Review

April 16, 2015

Jason Isbell to Release New Album “Something More Than Free”

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The highly-anticipated follow up to Jason Isbell’s critically-acclaimed 2013 album Southeastern will be called “Something More Than Free.” The album will be released through Thirty Tigers, and Isbell’s own Southeastern Records. Like his last album, the effort was produced by vaunted producer Dave Cobb.

Amanda Shires, Dave Cobb, Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free, Thirty Tigers, Zac Brown Band

March 6, 2015

Zac Brown to Cover Jason Isbell on New “Jekyll + Hyde” Album

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It was only a matter of time before mainstream artists started plucking songs from the heralded discographies of thriving independent artists like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson. We know these are the artists many of the mainstream acts are listening to. Then again Zac Brown has always been sort of his own animal when it comes to the establishment.

Blackberry Smoke, Dave Grohl, Jason Isbell, Jekyl + Hyde, Sturgill Simpson, Zac Brown Band

February 23, 2015

Really? Steel Magnolia’s Meghan Linsey to Try Out for ‘The Voice’?

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We had confirmation that NBC’s The Voice was looking to stack the deck this year when it was revealed Americana music star Jason Isbell was approached to participate. Now we’ve received word that another established star Meghan Linsey, the female half of the once Big Machine-signed duo Steel Magnolia, and a solo artist in her own right, will be participating on the newest season of the singing competition.

Craig Wayne Boyd, Jason Isbell, Meghan Lindsey, Steel Magnolia, The Voice

February 10, 2015

Review – Amanda Shires & Jason Isbell’s “Sea Songs”

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The music epicenters of Muscle Shoals, AL and Lubbock, TX find their native son and daughter melding their respective talent offerings into a tempest of love and emotive expressions in this two-song, surprise release called Sea Songs. Maybe as a stop gap from both halves of this super couple as we all endure through the dark moments between proper LP releases, this 2-sided single satiates the belly…

Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Mutineer, Samantha Crain, Sea Songs, Warren Zevon

February 4, 2015

Album Review – American Aquarium’s ‘Wolves”

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2015 just might be the year of American Aquarium, or that’s at least the popular sentiment being kicked around in certain circles. Written and recorded after a long hiatus between releases, American Aquarium took their time with this one, letting the songs maturate, and allowing a stylistic shift in their sound to emerge, something that would hopefully get them over that hump.

American Aquarium, BJ Barham, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Isbell, Wolves

January 13, 2015

Zac Brown Band Covers Jason Isbell’s “Dress Blues” on College Gameday

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As the college football consciousness of the country zoomed in on Arlington, TX and the first official National Championship game ever played at the collegiate level Monday night, Zac Brown Band was tapped as the entertainment for ESPN’s College Gameday presentation leading up to the big game. Zac Brown Band played Jason Isbell’s much-appreciated but fairly obscure song for fallen soldiers.

Dress Blues, Drive By Truckers, Guy Clark, Jake Owen, Jason Isbell, Keith Urban, Keith Whitley, Matthew D. Conley, Sturgill Simpson, Zac Brown, Zac Brown Band

January 6, 2015

Kentucky’s Fifth on the Floor Is Breaking Up

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Lexington, Kentucky-based Southern rock / sometimes country band Fifth on the Floor is breaking up, according to a missive sent out by the band today (1-6-15). Led by songwriter and lead singer Justin Wells, Fifth on the Floor was seen by many as one of the most promising upstart Southern rock bands of the last decade, releasing three albums over the eight year span of the project.

& Then, Bob Wayne, Fifth on the Floor, George Thorogood, Jason Isbell, Justin Wells, Marshall Tucker Band, Matt Woods, Pistol Annies, Ryan Clackner, Shooter Jennings, unknown hinson, Wanda Jackson

December 17, 2014

The Big Lessons of Sturgill Simpson’s Success

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The hope of fans of any independent music artist is that they will be able to achieve a sustainable career, and that their music will find wider appeal amongst the listening public. When an independent artist succeeds, it’s important that we pay attention to what lent to that success so hopefully more worthy artists can achieve similar results, and to ask what that success might mean.

Dave Cobb, Jake Owen, Jason Isbell, Kathy Mattea, Keith Urban, Marc Dottore, Marty Stuart, Shakey Graves, Shovels & Rope, Sturgill Simpson, The Zac Brown Band, Thirty Tigers, Traci Thomas, Zac Brown

November 29, 2014

“The Ballad of Shovels & Rope” Chronicles the Band’s Unlikely Rise

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Shovels & Rope and the filmmakers put the cart before the horse, but in this instance it paid off in a brilliant and inspiring film. The Moving Picture Boys didn’t have the daunting task that most documentary makers face in attempting to tell a compelling story about an unknown or mundane subject. The story was telling itself in a way no script could ever facilitate.

Amanda Shires, Cary Ann Hearst, Jason Isbell, Michael Trent, Review, Shovels & Rope, The Ballad of Shovels & Rope

November 27, 2014

The Heartbroken Rejoice Over Arlo McKinley’s Lonesome Sound

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I don’t expect you to recognize the name Arlo McKinley. Unless you’re clued into the right sectors of the Cincinnati music scene, his name is likely one of a stranger. But just as music worth hearing tends to do, it has slowly been bubbling up from word of mouth until some of those mouths have begun to speak about this record as one of the best music offerings all year.

Arlo McKinley, Arlo McKinley and the Lonesome Sound, Everybodyfields, Jason Isbell, John Moreland, Sam Quinn

November 21, 2014

The Mavericks to Release New Album “Mono”

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Saving Country Music’s 2013 Album of the Year was not Jason Isbell’s breathtaking Southeastern, or Sturgill Simpson’s breakout High Top Mountain, but the comeback record from the Latin-inspired Raul Malo and The Mavericks called “In Time.” Now The Mavericks have announced that they’ve been in the studio again and will release the followup to In Time called “Mono.”

Big Machine Records, Brantley Gilbert, Dwight Yoakam, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Isbell, Mono, Raul Malo, Robert Reynolds, Sturgill Simpson, Taylor Swift, The Mavericks, Valory Music Group

November 20, 2014

Leon Virgil Bowers Leads Star-Studded Cash Cabin Singalong

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In September of 2012, Blake Judd of JuddFilms brought a camera crew to the famous Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, TN to shoot a pilot episode for a television series that has never been aired. The idea was to take well-known established artists, worthy undiscovered musicians and songwriters, and stick them all in Johnny Cash’s legendary cabin with an open bar, and set the camera’s rolling.

Amanda Isbell Shires, Col, Hellbound Glory, Jason Isbell, JD Wilkes, Jessica Wilkes, Joey Allcorn, John Anderson, John Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Judd Films, Kellie Pickler, Leon Virgil Bowers, Leroy Powell, Leroy Virgil, Rico, Scott Icenogle, Shooter Jennings, Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, The Cash Cabin Studio, The Midnight Special

November 19, 2014

Billboard’s New Album Chart Rules Will Affect Your Favorite Artists

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On December 4th, Billboard will roll out new changes to their Billboard 200 album chart, and the effect will be big on some of your favorite music artists, including legends like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, and up-and-comers like Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell. The changes will be the first major overhaul to the album chart since 1991.

Billboard, Billboard 200, Billy Joe Shaver, Dolly Parton, Jason Isbell, Katy Perry, Old Crow Medicine Show, Spotify, Sturgill Simpson, Willie Nelson

November 19, 2014

NBC’s “The Voice” Wants Jason Isbell to Audition

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Jason Isbell is the most critically-lauded artist in the Americana music realm at the moment, walking away from September’s awards with Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year, but apparently NBC’s talent competition The Voice doesn’t believe he’s well known enough yet that the flotsam and jetsam of the American public wouldn’t potentially gobble him up as an undiscovered gem.

Blake Shelton, Jason Isbell, Taylor Swift, The Voice

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