Just a few weeks after the release of their newest album The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 30.
The Nashville Sound comes after Isbell’s six-year break from the band, during which he released two chart-topping solo albums, Southeastern (2013) and Something More Than Free (2015). Amanda Shires, Isbell’s wife and a member of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, also used the time to release solo work that met critical and fan appeal. The couple revealed in a New York Times interview that The Nashville Sound is a reflection on the couple’s experiences since Isbell’s devastating, forced departure from The Drive-By Truckers in 2007. It is a unique blend of the sounds from Isbell and Shires’ recent solo work, showcasing gritty, country melodies.
As they have been since his days in The Drive-By Truckers, Isbell’s lyrics in The Nashville Sound are personal and moving. In “If We Were Vampires,” Isbell recalls how Shires saved his life following years of drug and alcohol abuse, “it’s not the way you talk me off the roof; your questions like directions to the truth.” The album also reflects on Isbell’s earlier years and the suffocation of the South. In “Cumberland Gap,” Isbell sings, “maybe the Cumberland Gap just swallows you whole.” While The Nashville Sound will be the focus of the evening, Isbell will likely also play hits like “Cover Me Up” and “Something More Than Free” from his solo albums.
The doors open at 6:00 and the show starts at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased here.
