Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit: New Release February 17, 2009

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Jason Isbell: New Album February 17th

By Swapmeet Louie ⋅ February 1, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Filed Under Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

“I always say that writing a song, first and foremost, to me, is a way of teaching myself how I feel about something. And that’s the purpose it serves, really, more than anything else.” ~Jason Isbell

In 2007 Jason Isbell left the Drive-By Truckers to pursue a solo career, and its been full steam ahead ever since. Isbell released his debut solo album, Sirens of the Ditch, in 2007 which was extremely well received and helped establish Isbell as an incredibly gifted songwriter and artist in his own right.

On February 17th Isbell will be releasing his sophomore album, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit. The album (named for his band) was recorded at the famed FAME studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and one thing that Jason wants to make very clear with this release is that it was a group effort. Says Jason, “I want it to be known that it’s a band record. I want it to be known that it’s something we all did together. Even though I wrote the songs, it was a very inclusive project.”

The 400 Unit consists of Jason (guitar, keys, vocals), Jimbo Hart (bass, vocals), Browan Lollar (guitar, vocals), Derry deBorja (keys), and Chad Gamble (drums). Of the band’s name, Jason explains, “There is a mental treatment facility here in Florence called The 400 Unit. About once a week they would drive downtown and take, I guess, the six or eight healthiest people in the facility and let ‘em go downtown. Give ‘em all like $15 apiece to go get some lunch. You’d immediately recognize who it was and why they were there; they all had nametags on, saying kinda strange stuff to everybody. And trying to get a sandwich at the same time. When I started thinking about a band, and how we get to a new town and everybody gets $15 and gets out of the van, goes out and tries to get a sandwich, it kinda reminded me of that.”

I’ve posted one track, “Seven-Mile Island”, from the album below. Described on JasonIsbell.com, “The opening “Seven-Mile Island” manages simultaneously to evoke the long-ago sounds of Traffic (who have their own Muscle Shoals connection) and to serve as an oblique eulogy to the regionally famous harmonica player Topper Price, and yet it’s about a failed father, a birthing mother, an island on which banished Native Americans congregated, a place where Jason and his dad used to go to collect arrowheads. All of those things said eloquently in just over four minutes, and there are layers unexamined by that long sentence.”

As for the recording process, The 400 Unit spent a week cutting tracks for the album at FAME, headed out on the road for a week, and returned to the studio for another week to finish up. It was a group effort by the band along with Centromatic/South San Gabriel drummer Matt Pence, and the result is an 11 track album that is sure to highlight the incredible songwriting of Isbell and playing of The 400 Unit. As the band’s website states, “leave the songs to be found, to talk for themselves… Yeah, it’s a sad record, but he’s laughing. And it’s a good sound, all around.”

You can pre-order autographed copies of the album via Waterloo Records here (CD), and here (2xVinyl w/CD).

The band will begin touring in February (see dates below), with the tour stretching through the end of April. For a complete list of tour stops and to stay updated on Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, click here and here.

Feb 12 2009 Birmingham, Alabama
Feb 14 2009 Florence, Alabama
Feb 16 2009 Nashville, Tennessee
Feb 17 2009 Athens, Georgia
Feb 18 2009 Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 19 2009 Greenville, South Carolina
Feb 20 2009 Raleigh, North Carolina
Feb 21 2009 Richmond, Virginia
Feb 22 2009 Harrisonburg, Virginia
Feb 24 2009 Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 26 2009 New York, New York
Feb 27 2009 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 28 2009 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania