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The Sound Amphitheater | Gautier, MS

Jason isbell and the 400 unit with north mississippi allstars.

Raising Canes River Center Arena | Baton Rouge, LA

Turnpike troubadours, the astro amphitheater | la vista, ne, liberty hall | lawrence, ks, shrine mosque | springfield, mo.

Great Stage Park | Manchester, TN

Bonnaroo music + arts festival.

Ford Field | Detroit, MI

Kalamazoo state theatre | kalamazoo, mi, olg stage at fallsview casino | niagara falls, on.

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Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, MA

Ting pavilion | charlottesville, va, kettlehouse amphitheater | bonner, mt, chateau ste michelle winery | woodinville, wa.

Chateau Ste. Michelle - Standard Parking Jason Isbell Tuesday
Chateau Ste. Michelle - Standard Parking Jason Isbell Wednesday

Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center | Redmond, OR

Fairwell festival, the factory | st. louis, mo.

Premium Parking - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Q Casino Back Waters Stage | Dubuque, IA

Everwise amphitheater at white river state park | indianapolis, in.

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Illinois State Fairgrounds Il State Fair | Springfield, IL

Rabbit rabbit asheville | asheville, nc, raymond james stadium | tampa, fl, azura amphitheater | bonner springs, ks.

VIP Parking - Turnpike Troubadours

Ovens Auditorium | Charlotte, NC

O2 Apollo Manchester | Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM

Usher hall | edinburgh, united kingdom, latest setlist, jason isbell and the 400 unit on march 31, 2024.

Tabernacle, Atlanta, Georgia

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Published: 2023/11/08

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Add Dates to North American Tour

photo: Danny Clinch

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have expanded their upcoming North American tour for 2024, adding a plethora of additional tour dates. This headlining journey is now scheduled to span from Jan. 17 through May 3, followed by appearances as the opening act for Zach Bryan at U.S. stadiums next summer.

A promotional photo released alongside the announcement confirms that bassist Anna Butterss will remain a vital part of the 2024 tour. The rest of the lineup for Isbell’s band consists of familiar faces, including guitarist Sadler Vaden, keyboardist Derry DeBorja, and drummer Chad Gamble, as well as the more recent addition, multi-instrumentalist Will Johnson.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit will kick off their extensive tour with performances in Springfield, Mo., followed by a show in Lawrence, Kan., on Jan. 18. The newly announced dates will take place in February and include stops in Wilmington, N.C.; Baltimore, Md.; Williamsport, Pa., Portland, Maine, Rochester, N.Y. and Chicago.

The band will continue to perform into March, starting with a two-night engagement at Chicago’s The Salt Shed on March 1, followed by a two-night stand at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minn. Additional March dates have been confirmed in Duluth, Minn., Des Moines, Iowa, Fort Wayne, Ind., Pittsburgh, Evansville, Indi. and Atlanta, with The Tabernacle hosting the band from March 28 to 31. A performance in La Vista, Neb., on May 1 has also been added to the tour schedule.

Select shows on the tour will feature opening acts such as Palehound, Joan Shelley, Tommy Prine, Autumn Nicholas, and Jobi Riccio.

Read Relix ‘s cover story with Jason Isbell here .

Tickets for these newly announced Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit 2024 tour dates will be available for purchase starting this Friday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. local time. Learn more and find tickets here .

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Former member of Drive-By-Truckers, singer-songwriter Jason Isbell (born February 1st, 1979) went solo in 2007, forging a sound that is instilled with a rootsy, southern swagger, whilst also offering country ballads full of melancholy and themes of redemption.

Growing up in rural Alabama, US, Isbell was surrounded by music from a young age as his large extended family were often playing instruments and making music together, honing his talents at high school and university through playing in various country cover bands. He joined Drive-By-Truckers at the age of 21, remaining with the band for six years, helping to write a number of their songs that went on to critical and commercial success.

By 2007, Isbell had left the group in order to forge a solo career, releasing his debut album, “Sirens of the Ditch,” a bluesy, punk tinged record that was very much rooted in the sound of the South. He then formed his backing band, the 400 Unit and began touring extensively, before returning to the studio in 2008. In the following year, his sophomore effort, “Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit” was released, which took another musical direction, favouring tender country ballads in the same vein as Muscle Schoals.

Isabel toured relentlessly for two years, playing an average of 200 shows annually. In 2010, he took a break from being on the road, returning home to Alabama, an area that had been hit hard by the economic recession. Whilst here, he began to write a new collection of songs that focused on the character so of the area, with simple honest songs that reflected the rural country and lifestyle. “Here We Rest” came out in 2011, an album that was warmly received by critics. A year later, Isbell followed “Here We Rest” with a live album, “Live From Alabama, which was recorded at the Workday Theater in Birmingham, US and at the Crossroads venue in Huntsville, Alabama, US. Isabel then returned to the studio for 2013’s “Southeastern,” an album that held a theme of redemption and sombre atonement, reflective of Isbell’s newfound sobriety. The album received massive critical acclaim, with Isbell sweeping up several awards at the 2014 Americana Music Awards, for ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘Artist of the Year’ and ’Song of the Year.’

Live reviews

Friday 22nd January. The Forum. John Moreland/Jason Isbell. It’s fair to say I have been looking forward to this gig for months. As soon as I heard John Moreland was supporting I knew we would be in for a treat. With one of the best albums of last year Moreland has not been across the pond before and Isbell, whose last album I didn’t think as strong as Southeastern, is always a superb live artist.

It’s a big turnout tonight with a nine strong gig going group. All have seen Isbell before and I manage to persuade some to join me for Moreland. The first surprise was the amount of people who were in for a support act. The venue is 80% full which is a testament to his talent. He ambles on stage and rattles though forty minutes of the finest Americana you will ever hear. He is warmly received and the disappointment is that it’s only nine songs, only three from High on Tulsa Heat and you are very much left wanting more. Here’s hoping it’s not too long before he’s back headlining and we can all give him a high as suggested by Isbell later on.

Expectations are always high when we see Isbell. We have seen a couple of times as a fresh faced young ‘un in Drive by Truckers sharing the Jack on stage as they do to five times as a solo artist. He has never disappointed whether it’s solo acoustic with his wife supporting on fiddle to full on rock with the 400 Unit.

It’s the usual mix of old and new solo work with a trip back to a few DBT classics. Standout songs from the new album fair well especially Speed Trap Town, 24 Frames and Ryan Adamseque ‘The Life you Chose’. The ‘Southeastern’ songs just ooze quality although I wasn’t convinced with the arrangement for Travelling Alone.

Highlights for me were the best version of ‘Decoration Day’ I have heard, absolutely stunning as was ‘Never gonna change’ and the guitar interplay between Isbell and Sadler Vaden, late of Drivin n Cryin and a fine solo artist, was superb. The latter song could have come straight from a Neil Young and Crazy Horse album and there is no higher praise.

What struck me this time was the development of Isbell’s voice. From the shy side man in Drive by Truckers he has matured into not only a great singer, songwriter and guitarist but the depth and strength of his voice has gone to another level.

Another top class show from Isbell who is a must see anytime he is over. Keep on rockin y’all.

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Monday 30th October. Jason Isbell and the 400 unit. The Roundhouse, London. So it’s I think the seventh time I have seen Isbell since he left the Drive by Truckers in a variety of combinations, solo acoustic, with the 400 unit and without, with Amanda and without but one thing for sure he is a consistent performer who has developed into one of the finest singer writers. His shows are always good and often great.

Support tonight is from the excellent Tift Merritt who I have not seen live for too long. Despite breaking a string on one of her three guitars she delivers a lesson in female country song writing. For those who don’t know her check out ‘Bramble Rose’ a classic and the new album ‘Stitch of the World’ is really good too.

Next up Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, his long standing backing band. They are one of the best bands around and complement Isbell perfectly. Special mention to Sadler Vaden on guitar and backing vocals. He has an understated style but his slide guitar is amazing. He has also produced a couple of great solo records himself. (Hey Jason why not give him the support slot on the next tour).

Over here touring the new excellent album ‘The Nashville Sound’ which is a return to form over in my opinion the patchy ‘Something more than free’. We are treated to most of the album which has some of his best work to date including ‘White man’s world’ and ‘If we were Vampires’ which is not only one of the best songs he has ever written but certainly my favourite song of the year by any artist. I defy anyone who is in a relationship to listen to this without a tear in your eye. Truly moving stuff.

He hop skips and jumps through his song writing back catalogue which only highlights his maturity as a songwriter not afraid to take on contemporary issues. Sound wise I am never truly convinced with the Roundhouse as venue and have yet to find the sweet spot to watch and listen in this iconic venue. But this did not detract from the performance.

Highlights for me included the hard rockin ‘Never gonna change’ and the mellow groove of ‘Travelling Alone’ to the final encore of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’

Till the next time, keep on rockin y’all

We were halfway through the first Jason Isbell performance of the weekend when his latest single found its way into the setlist. The song (which uses frames per second as a metaphor for how fast life can change) is much different than what came before, but that’s because Jason Isbell is a much different man than he was before. That line about making friends and then forgetting their names has always reminded me of a photo I took of him not long after he parted ways with Drive-By Truckers. The picture was taken at Larimer Lounge sometime in 2009. The Isbell portrayed in that image would be unrecognizable to those who discovered him post-Southeastern. He is six years younger, but he looks ten years older and at least thirty pounds heavier. He wore a smile on his face as he shared a shot and a beer with us, but there was a blankness in his bloodshot eyes as they threatened to be swallowed by the pillow-sized bags that hung below them. He wore a large hoop in one ear and his curly hair stuck to his sweaty forehead long after he left the stage. He looked like shit. Part of me wants to delete the photo, because I know I wouldn’t want it out there if it were me, but I keep it as a reminder that things really can change in 24 frames. And sometimes those changes are for the better. Isbell forgot our names before we even walked away that night, and he still had a few more destructive years in front of him, but then he made some decisions that put him on a different path…one that led him to perform “24 Frames” from the famous stage at the Ryman Auditorium on the first of a four-night run of extremely sold-out hometown shows. - See more at: http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2015/11/01/jason-isbell-ryman-residency-2015/#sthash.Lp4nrylb.dpuf

Adding a dark side to country music, Jason Isbell has found a fanbase prepared to turn up in force to his show in order to hear his dose of melancholic country. Although he has been working the live circuit since the early 2000s, his debut solo album came in 2007 and since then each release has seen his cult appeal and reputation grow dramatically.

Through his time with the Drive by Truckers and his solo promotion, Chris has had a lot of experience on the stage so has a truly natural demeanour when it comes to chatting with his audience. They respond well and the cheers seem to grow in volume every time Isbell acknowledges or jokes with them. There is a lot of balladic material so it is not the natural stomping, upbeat country show however this variation goes down really well and it is clear the fanbase are dedicated as they attempt to sing back the choruses to nearly every track aired this evening.

I love Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. I have been a long time Drive by Truckers fan too and first saw Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco in 2011. This show that day was fantastic. I was floored that Jason was the "undercard" to the Hard Working Americans but great, we got to hear him that much sooner. He played a great mix of songs from his Southeastern album and blended in Goddamned Lonely Love and Decoration Day. All very good. My one complaint was the way the sound was mixed. It was way too loud and we were in the balcony and his vocals were so loud that they were distorting. I know his songs very well but can't imagine how a new listener could have understood his fantastic lyrics. His stories are too good to be obscured by lousy mixing. Sorry. Jason is back in Colorado on September 20th at Beaver Creek. I'll be there am truly hoping this gets fixed.

This is a must see concert for fans of rock or country music. Jason Isbell delighted fans by performing his new album "Something More Than Free" in its entirety, alongside his lovely and talented wife Amanda Shires, and his band the 400 Unit. He followed this up with many hits from his earlier solo albums and a couple of songs from his time with Drive By Truckers. In particular, "Cover Me Up", "Children of Children", "Danko/Manuel" and "Codeine" brought the crowd to their feet.

This was my first time at the Ryman Auditorium, and I was very impressed. It is a very intimate and historic venue, one which complemented Isbell's repertoire and between-song chats perfectly.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit started the show with the song Anxiety. Not my favorite song so I was glad he got it over with early. It just got better from there. This was my fourth time seeing him and it doesn’t get old. He did New arrangements of some songs and a song I had never heard. In all he did 6 songs I had never seen live before. He was funny and truly seemed happy to be on that stage.

I will go out on a limb saying the 400 Unit is the best touring band there is right now. Sadler is amazing and the duels him an Jason have on stage are incredible. I could go on and on but I will end saying I smiled from ear to ear when he said next year might be two nights!

Great show. Fabulous set list. Love the new record. I would have liked to hear Amanda's violin and vocals a little louder. What I don't get is when artists turn the bright lights on the audience. Is that to see us better? Stop it. It's too bright, or give us sunglasses. Sub-woofers were a little loud for The Beacon, especially for The Mountain Goats. I was with a bass player so I think I apeak with some authority. Just sayin. Sounds like a lot of complaints but we really loved the show. 'Tied to the Whipping Post' was flawless! Fabulous ending to a very engaging show. How often does everyone stand for an entire concert anymore? Wish I was going back again tonight!

Incredible singer, musician, and song writer! Great show and lovely venue. I do have to say however, it's the first concert I have ever been to where we were told we couldn't stand up??? We had end seats on the sixth row from the stage. No one even directly behind us and we were standing up to the music. Security guard came over and told us we had to sit down or move over to the side because we may be blocking someone's view. Most ridiculous thing I've ever heard at a music concert. But Jason was amazing, everything I had been told about him was completely accurate! He's a legend in the making.

I bought my tickets 4 months ago and after seeing him at the electric ballroom in Camden Town last year i couldnt wait.This man is so talented, he writes great songs and his band the 400 unit are so tight.

switching from electric to acoustic and back again jason shows how good a guitarist he is,

everything about this band is melodic a big removal from his Drive By Truckers days although to keep us all happy he played a couple from his song writing days with them as well. This man is not to be missed and i cant wait for his next tour here

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 73 concerts across 9 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Announce New 2023 Tour Dates

Jason Isbell and his band, the 400 Unit, will hit the road again in the new year. Earlier today (Sept. 27), the acclaimed outfit announced a set of tour dates that begin in January 2023.

The upcoming run will include a stop in some smaller cities across the U.S., including Evansville, Ind., Saginaw, Mich. and Greensboro, N.C. Isbell will wrap up his stint of shows with a performance in Ashland, Ky. on Feb. 3. Influential West African duo Peter One has been tapped as Isbell's opening act for the entire tour.

Tickets for Isbell's first four Florida shows will go on sale Oct. 7, beginning at 10 AM local time. All other dates will become available this Friday (Sept. 30) at 10 AM local time. You can find additional ticketing information at Jason Isbell's official website .

Jason Isbell's 2023 Tour Dates:

Jan. 19 - Orlando, Fla. @ Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 20 - Clearwater, Fla. @ Ruth Eckerd Hall Jan. 21 - Hollywood, Fla. @ Hard Rock Live Jan. 23 - Fort Myers, Fla. @ Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall Jan. 25 - Mobile, Ala. @ Saenger Theatre Jan. 27 - Evansville, Ind. @ Victory Theatre Jan. 28 - Shipshewana, Ind. @ Blue Gate Theatre Jan. 31 - Nashville, Ind. @ Temple Theatre Feb. 1 - Greensboro, N.C. @ Brown County Music Center Feb. 2 - Richmond, Ky. @ Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 3 - Ashland, Ky. @ EKU Center for the Arts

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Jason isbell has 20 concerts in 2023. we found tickets for all of them.

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Singer Jason Isbell waves to the crowd from the stage.

The spirit of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young lives on in Southern-fried country rocker Jason Isbell .

In fact, the 43-year-old went to great lengths to bring David Crosby onstage with him as recently as last year.

As a result, Isbell and his backing band The 400 Unit shared the stage with Crosby at his final live show before he tragically passed away at 81 on Jan. 18.

“That was the last time I saw him,” Isbell told Rolling Stone .

Now, he’ll pay tribute to his Rock and Roll Hall of Famer friend when he goes on tour from January through May this year .

Over the course of 20 concerts , the four-time Grammy winner will swoop into big-market cities in the U.S. and Canada playing his greatest hits and diving into his Drive By Truckers catalog as well before closing the run with a pair of shows at Morrison, CO’s world famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre on May 3 and May 4 .

Whether or not he plays tracks from CSNY’s archives is anyone’s guess but, no doubt, Crosby’s essence will live on with the brief tour.

Want to attend?

Here’s everything you need to know about the tour.

Jason Isbell 2023 tour schedule

A complete calendar featuring all of Jason Isbell’s upcoming tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.

David Crosby final performance

Crosby’s last official show was on Feb. 26, 2022 at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA.

At the show, Crosby took the stage for the show’s encore and sang along to Isbell’s “What’ve I Done to Help” as well as the CSNY classic “Ohio” along with Shawn Colvin.

Prior to that, Crosby hadn’t performed since 2019 when he played in Toronto.

For more about the improbable final gig for the outspoken, check out Rolling Stone’s comprehensive coverage here .

Jason Isbell wife

Each and every Isbell concert is a family affair.

His wife, Amanda Shires, plays with The 400 Unit and may even sing at the show you attend.

In addition to touring with her husband, Shires makes up a quarter of the country supergroup The Highwomen with Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Maren Morris.

She also plays the fiddle, autoharp, the ukulele and tenor guitar.

We recommend checking out her latest album, the powerful “Take It Like A Man” which made both the New York Times and NPR’s Best of 2022 lists.

Jason Isbell opening act

A number of artists will be joining Isbell onstage at select shows in the next couple months.

Here’s who you might see perform with him when he comes to a venue near you.

Shawn Colvin gives us chills. Her classic single “Sonny Came Home” feels just as immediate in 2023 as it did upon its release in 1996. Most recently, the folksy pop star released the 12-track album “Uncovered” in 2015 which includes a cover of the indisputable Gerry Rafferty banger “Baker Street” featuring David Crosby which seems like some kind of cosmic coincidence. Plus, she gets a little help from “Walkin’ In Memphis” singer Marc Cohn on the record as well.

Peter One blends American country music, folk and African harmonies to create a wholly unique sound. Now in his mid-60s, he’s enjoying his time touring with Isbell after working as a nurse in the early 2000s. We suggest diving in and trying his most popular track “Clipo Clipo” first.

Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter who some describe as Suzanne Vega meets Neil Young. Her minimalist, breathy singing voice will surely comfort audiences before a raucous, rockin’ Isbell set. Plus, here’s a bit of hot gossip: Edwards briefly dated Justin Vernon of Bon Iver from 2011-2012. Feel free to whisper that to the person sitting to your right at the show while she plays.

Allison Russell ‘s sound pops. As soon as you hear the Canadian singer-songwriter, you may find yourself closing your eyes and nodding your head in no time. It’s hard not to with a song as catchy and wholesome as her calming “Nightflyer.” Active since 1999, she’s been nominated for three Grammy Awards. Want to hear her stuff? Click here .

Country stars on tour in 2023

Southern-fried music is on the menu this year.

Here are just five of our favorite acts venues all over the country are serving up just for you.

• The Zac Brown Band

• Billy Strings

• George Strait with Chris Stapleton

• Luke Combs

• Graham Nash

Need just a little more country in your life?

Take a peek at our list of the 12 biggest country tours in 2023 here .

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Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Add 2024 Tour Dates

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have announced a new batch of 2024 tour dates.

The band will play shows in the Midwest, Northeast, and South beginning January 17th at Shrine Mosque in Springfield, MO. After a pair of previously announced co-headlining shows with The Turnpike Troubadours , the tour will pick back up in February with a stretch of dates featuring support from Palehound , including two-night runs at The Salt Shed in Chicago (2/29–3/1) and Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN (3/2–3/3).

Related: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Perform “When We Were Close” On ‘Kimmel’ [Watch]

The run of newly added shows culminates with four nights at Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA with support from Palehound (3/28), Tommy Prine (3/29), Kyshona (3/30), and Autumn Nicholas (3/31), plus an additional show in La Vista, NE on May 1st with Jobi Riccio . Click below to view a full list of all the newly added shows.

Tickets for the new Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit tour dates will go on sale on Friday, November 10th at 10 a.m. local time. The band will also team up with Zach Bryan for some stadium shows as part of Bryan’s The Quittin Time Tour . For a list of all upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website .

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit New 2024 Tour Dates: (On sale 11/10)

Jan 17: Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque Jan 18: Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall Feb 19: Wilmington, NC – Wilson Center + Feb 20: Baltimore, MD – The Lyric + Feb 21: Williamsport, PA – Community Arts Center + Feb 26: Portland, ME – State Theatre + Feb 27: Rochester, NY – Kodak Center + Feb 29: Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed + March 1: Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed + March 2: St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre + March 3: St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre + March 5: Duluth, MN – DECC Symphony Hall + March 6: Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom + March 8: Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre + March 9: Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center for the Performing Arts + March 10: Evansville, IN – Victory Theatre ^ March 28: Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle ^ March 29: Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle = March 30: Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle ~ March 31: Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle & May 1: La Vista, NE – The Astro # + w/ Palehound ^ w/ Joan Shelley = w/ Tommy Prine ~ w/ Kyshona Music & w/ Autumn Nicholas # w/ Jobi Riccio

Consequence

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Announce US Tour Dates for 2023

A 12-date run in January and February

Jason Isbell is hitting the road next year. After having to cancel a few dates earlier this year due to COVID-19, the musician has announced a short run of US tour dates for 2023 with his band The 400 Unit .

The 12-date leg begins January 19th in Orlando, Florida before hitting oft-overlooked cities like Mobile, Alabama; Saginaw, Michigan; and Greensboro, North Carolina, before wrapping things up in Ashland, Kentucky on February 3rd.

Nashville-via-Côte d’Ivoire musician Peter One — best known as one-half of the country-folk duo Jess Sah Bi & Peter One — will support Isbell on all the 2023 tour dates. All Florida dates go on sale October 7th at 10:00 a.m. ET, while the remaining dates go on sale this Friday, September 30th at 10:00 a.m. ET. Head over to Ticketmaster to secure yours, and see the full schedule below.

Isbell recently assisted Amanda Shires and Maren Morris on the new single “Empty Cups.” His most recent album with The 400 Unit was last year’s Georgia Blue , on which he covered songs by native Georgians including R.E.M., Cat Power, and Otis Redding to benefit the non-profit organizations Black Voters Matter , Fair Fight , and Georgia STAND-UP .

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 2022-2023 Tour Dates: 09/30 – Memphis, TN @ Mempho Music Festival 10/01-10/02 – Florence, AL @ ShoalsFest 10/15 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 10/16 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 10/18 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 10/19 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 10/21 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 10/22 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 10/23 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 11/06 – Stockholm, SE @ Stockholm Waterfront 11/07 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene 11/08 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene 11/09 – Copenhagen, DE @ Vega 11/10 – Berlin, DE @ Festaal Kreuzberg 11/12 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma 11/13 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria Theater 11/14 – Amsterdam, NE @ Paradiso 11/15 – Amsterdam, NE @ Paradiso 11/17 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo 11/18 – Manchester, UK @ 02 Apollo Manchester 11/19 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre 12/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre 01/19 – Orlando, FL @ Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center 01/20 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall 01/21 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live 01/23 – Fort Myers, FL @ Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall 01/25 – Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre Mobile 01/27 – Evansville, IN @ Victory Theatre 01/28 – Shipshewana, IN @ Blue Gate Theatre 01/29 – Saginaw, MI @ Temple Theatre 01/31 – Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center 02/01 – Greensboro, NC @ Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts 02/02 – Richmond, KY @ EKU Center for the Arts 02/03 – Ashland, KY @ Paramount Arts Center

pic.twitter.com/KhQ4tgSYiJ — Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) September 27, 2022

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Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Add 2023-2024 Tour Dates: Ticket Presale Code & On-Sale Info

by Brad Bershad

Published december 6, 2023.

After adding more tour dates this week, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit now have over 50 concerts scheduled from January into August of 2024.

The opening act on select dates will be Turnpike Troubadours, Courtney Marie Andrews, Adeem The Artist, or Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Isbell & The 400 Unit will also be the opener for Zach Bryan for select stadium dates during the summer.

Jason Isbell Tour Dates and Tickets Near You

Jason isbell all tour dates and tickets, when do jason isbell & the 400 unit 2023-2024 tour tickets go on sale and what is the presale code.

For the new dates, the general public on-sale begins as early as December 8. Presales are now underway for Artist. Spotify, Live Nation, LN Mobile App., Ticketmaster, and local venues / radio presales will follow. Tickets for the previously announced shows are now on sale. Keep in mind, each date is different and details are subject to change.

The Artist presale password is CASTIRON . The Live Nation presale password is KEY , and the LN Mobile App code is COVERT . Click through the individual concert links for more information about the show you're interested in.

For the most up-to-date information, follow Jason Isbell on social media and sign up for the email newsletter (bottom of page), in addition to checking your local venue's social media and email subscription service.

Earlier this year, they released a new album titled Weathervanes , and a new documentary titled Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed on HBO Max. For more, check out Jason Isbell's Zumic artist page .

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

With izzy heltai (10/12), amanda shires (10/13), satya (10/14), s.g. goodman (10/15), lawrence rothman (10/19), autumn nicholas (10/20), adeem the artist (10/21) and quinn christopherson (10/22).

Date & Time Oct 12 - 22 , 2023 8:00 PM
On Sale On Sale Now
Ticket Pricing $59.75 - $135.00

A Jason Isbell record always lands like a decoder ring in the ears and hearts of his audience, a soundtrack to his world and magically to theirs, too. Weathervanes carries the same revelatory power. This is a storyteller at the peak of his craft, observing his fellow wanderers, looking inside and trying to understand, reducing a universe to four minutes. He shrinks life small enough to name the fear and then strip it away, helping his listeners make sense of how two plus two stops equaling four once you reach a certain age -- and carry a certain amount of scars.

“There is something about boundaries on this record,” Isbell says. “As you mature, you still attempt to keep the ability to love somebody fully and completely while you’re growing into an adult and learning how to love yourself.”

Weathervanes is a collection of grown-up songs: Songs about adult love, about change, about the danger of nostalgia and the interrogation of myths, about cruelty and regret and redemption. Life and death songs played for and by grown ass people. Some will make you cry alone in your car and others will make you sing along with thousands of strangers in a big summer pavilion, united in the great miracle of being alive. The record features the rolling thunder of Isbell’s fearsome 400 Unit, who’ve earned a place in the rock ‘n’ roll cosmos alongside the greatest backing ensembles, as powerful and essential to the storytelling as The E Street Band or the Wailers.

They make a big noise, as Isbell puts it, and he feels so comfortable letting them be a main prism through which much of the world hears his art. He can be private but with them behind him he transforms, and there is a version of himself that can only exist in their presence. When he plays a solo show, he is in charge of the entire complicated juggle. On stage with the 400 Unit, he can be a guitar hero when he wants, and a conductor when he wants, and a smiling fan of the majesty of his bandmates when he wants to hang back and listen to the sound.

The roots of this record go back into the isolation of the pandemic and to Isbell’s recent time on the set as an actor on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. There were guitars in his trailer and in his rented house and a lot of time to sit and think. The melancholy yet soaring track “King of Oklahoma” was written there. Isbell also watched the great director work, saw the relationship between a clear vision and its execution, and perhaps most important, saw how even someone as decorated as Scorsese sought out and used his co-workers’ opinions.

“It definitely helped when I got into the studio,” Isbell says. “I had this reinvigorated sense of collaboration. You can have an idea and you can execute it and not compromise -- and still listen to the other people in the room."

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Ryman Auditorium, located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the most celebrated venues in modern music. Built in 1892, the historic 2,362-seat live performance venue is the most famous former home of the Grand Ole Opry and is revered by artists and music fans for its world-class acoustics. A bucket list moment for both fans and artists alike, her iconic stage has hosted performers from across genres, such as Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Harry Styles, Wu-Tang Clan, Lizzo, and thousands more. While offering a diverse lineup and thriving concert schedule with over 200 shows per year, the venue is also open for daytime tours year-round. Along with best-in-class production technologies and livestream capabilities, the Ryman has been named Pollstar ’s Theater of the Year for 13 years through 2021.

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Related tags, jason isbell is fine if you don’t like his social media posts: “that means you’re one of the people i’m trying to eliminate from my audience”.

“I figured out a long time ago [that] I don’t need everybody to love me.”

Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation

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Jason Isbell is pretty comfortable in being his authentic self on social media, and if you’re not keen on his online presence he’s happy to admit that “you’re one of the people” he’s “trying to eliminate” from his audience.

Isbell often uses his social media profiles to share his personal views on varying topics from political matters and equality, to his current favourite artists. He released a statement online just last week after false sexist rumours began circulating which accused the women in his team of being to blame for his divorce from his former partner Amanda Shires.

READ MORE: “The difference is all of the knobs work” Jason Isbell on the magic of the Dumble amplifier

In his statement, Isbell defended the women in his team stating that “it’s hard enough already for anybody who isn’t a straight white man” working in the music industry without them being subject to gossip.

On Instagram’s Threads , Isbell now adds, “If you like my music but you’re turned off by my online presence that means you’re one of the people I’m trying to eliminate from my audience.

“I figured out a long time ago [that] I don’t need everybody to love me. That shit won’t make you happy anyway. I just need the ones who do love me to know me.”

He later states, “I do not give a shit about ‘mystique.’ I care about songs and about being honest with myself and everybody else. Mystique is great if you don’t have the songs, I guess.”

Appearing to address the false rumours surrounding his divorce, Isbell declares, “Privacy is important, especially when it comes to protecting people I care about. For me personally though, you’d have to completely make stuff up to cause any trouble, because my business is in order and I’m an open book. Truth makes for strong armour.”

Isbell released a 10th anniversary edition of his 2013 album Southeastern last September. He is touring throughout 2024, and you can view all of his upcoming tour dates to see if he’s passing a city near you.

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Jason Isbell Criticized by Justin Townes Earle’s Widow for Song

Trigger News Amanda Shires , Jason Isbell , Jenn Marie Earle , Justin Townes Earle , Steve Earle --> 201 Comments

Ever since the release of Jason Isbell’s Grammy award-winning 2023 album Weathervanes , there have been concerns swirling around the song “When We Were Close” that was written as a de facto “tribute” to fellow songwriter Justin Townes Earle. The son of Steve Earle and a critically-acclaimed songwriter himself, Justin Townes Earle died on August 23rd by what the family first revealed as a drug overdose in 2020. The rumors about the song seemed mostly concerned with how the family of Earle was blindsided by the supposed tribute, how they were given no warning that it would be released, and that the details in the song are so raw (and in parts, wrong), that it created a painful reminder of Justin’s family, especially Earle’s widow Jenn Marie Earle, and for Earle’s daughter, 6-year-old Etta. Though Jason Isbell and Justin Townes Earle were friends earlier in their careers—including Earle inviting Isbell to play guitar for him during his debut on The Late Show with David Letterman —the two had a falling out. Before Isbell’s career started to take off, it was Justin Townes Earle who was considered at the forefront a new generation of Americana musicians. Though the rumors about the concerns for “When We Were Close” were hard to verify—and the Earle family, nor Justin’s widow Jenn Marie seemed willing to speak about it publicly—it was clear there was a concern. And despite this concern being communicated to Jason Isbell himself, Isbell continued to not just perform the song, but push it forward as a primary single from Weathervanes , including promoting it to Americana radio, leading concerts off with it, and performing it on Jimmy Kimmel Live in October of 2023. Jason Isbell addressed the song in a recent interview , and this upset Jenn Marie Earle to the point where she decided to finally speak out about it publicly. She first posted a screenshot about it to the story feed of Justin Townes Earle’s Instagram account saying, “When you make my daughter cry, and you’re heartless and this is your response … I have so much more to say.” Then in a detailed note posted on social media, Jenn Marie Earle formally addressed her issues with Jason Isbell’s “When We Were Close.” As to not inadvertently mischaracterize or inappropriately summarize her words, the full text can be found below.

Thoughts on a “tribute song” and suggestions as to what should be considered. We understand that Jason Isbell’s song “When We Were Close” may have not been intended to be a tribute song, per se, but I (Jenn Marie Earle, Justin’s widow) want to offer my thoughts on what I feel, personally – since both myself, and mine and Justin’s daughter, Etta, were both mentioned/referenced in the song – it is our right to share our insight and feelings about it. I also feel that, as the keeper and protector of Justin’s legacy, that it is my responsibility. During an interview this week, Jason shared why he wrote the song (this is, to our knowledge the first time he has addressed it publicly). Here is what he said: “When We Were Close, that song was one of those where I had to say, how many victims [will there be] if I tell the truth, how many victims if I don’t. And then you make that choice. You know, because the song has to exist, you know I don’t know why but I decided on that a long time ago because that’s what I do, that’s who I am. So you know, usually if you tell the truth, you make less victims than if you don’t.” Being the said “victims” he is speaking of, I felt that in response, it is time to share my feelings on this song, the impact it has had on us, and why we had such a strong, visceral, and extremely painful reaction to it that has continued now, almost a year later since it’s release last June. If you are not familiar, here are the specific lyrics to the song that were the most painful (for obvious reasons): “I saw a picture of you laughing with your child, and I hope she will remember how you smiled. But she probably wasn’t old enough, the night somebody sold you stuff that left you on the bathroom tiles. Got a picture of you dying in my mind with some ghosts you couldn’t bear to leave behind…It’s not up to me to forgive you for the nights that your love had to live through, now you’ll never need to look me in the eye.” It is important to me for everyone to understand, that Justin and Jason were estranged (after a difficult falling out) for years before he died. Jason stating that the song “had to exist” seems very inappropriate and hard to comprehend from my viewpoint when you take that into account. Especially mentioning our daughter (a complete gut punch, something Justin would have no doubt been extremely upset about)…and then immediately following Etta’s mention with grotesque graphic details of his death that 1. were absolutely unnecessary 2. were not released to the public (and the details were incorrect) 3. that it is not “his truth” to share, being completely removed from the situation for years up to Justin’s death. It was really no one’s right except for mine, which I did share immediately following the dreadful news, at a time when I could barely think, much less handle the public, but I knew it had to be done. For his fans, and as a warning to others so that he did not pass in vain. I did not receive a compassionate warning ahead of the song’s release (we found out about the song, when this page was tagged in posts about it the day it came out). While it’s not mandatory that he give me a heads up, considering it’s about my husband and mentions myself, and especially my daughter, it would have been a respectful thing to do, so that we weren’t completely blown apart when we heard it as it was celebrated as a new release. Soon after, he was made aware that the song was extremely painful (an absolute trauma trigger) and we hoped the message was taken to heart (although he did not acknowledge it) and we hoped to move on and try to forget about it. However, we learned (due to being tagged in posts, etc) that he was opening most shows with it, and then to our complete shock he chose it as the song to play on Jimmy Kimmel on the first show back after the writer’s strike, undoubtedly to a massive audience – putting the song front and center. ‹That was one of the most painful moments following, because it was clear then that he did not care that this song was traumatizing to Justin’s loved ones and was actually pushing the song above all of the others on the album. He could have chosen any other song. Also, on top of this, he is profiting off of it which I don’t think I need to go into why I have such strong negative feelings about that. Since that time, I, as well as others have reached out to him personally, in an emotional plea to try to make him understand the trauma it has forced on our daughter (she has asked to hear it and it has lead to moments that I can’t bear to share), something she will deal with for the rest of her life. He has not responded, and then made the aforementioned statement, making it clear that he understands there are living, breathing victims. One of which is our innocent daughter. Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank the many people all around the world that have shared their tribute songs to Justin with us. There have been such beautiful, heart-felt songs created in his honor, so we know the difference between what Jason wrote and what a real tribute looks like, because none of the others have kept us up at night or sent our daughter into tears. He did not have to write this song, it did not have to exist, but if he really felt that it was necessary, a heads up beforehand would have been greatly appreciated. Also, even though he has finally acknowledged that there are “victims,” he has still not so much as texted me an apology and I just can’t wrap my head around why someone wouldn’t extend that simple and small act of kindness. We deserve that at the very least. We’ve been through the unimaginable and certainly didn’t need this on top of it, but an apology would have been some sort of consolation at least. – Jenn Marie Earle

As a follow up, Jenn Marie Earle also posted a video on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Townes Earle (@justintownesearle)

As Jenn Marie Earle underscores, the issue isn’t just about the way Jason Isbell wrote “When We Were Close.” It’s about how Isbell seemingly refuses to address the issue with the Earle family, while also pushing the song to the forefront of his catalog despite the controversy, or perhaps, because of it. Meanwhile, Isbell continues to benefit from fawning, sometimes outright obsequious press coverage that never mentions his broken friendships with people like Justin Townes Earle, the failure of his first marriage to former Drive-By Truckers bass player Shonna Tucker and the behaviors that led to it, or the severely judgemental and decidedly illiberal presence Jason Isbell takes on social media. Instead, Isbell is canonized in puff pieces, including the one composed by Marissa R. Moss and published to coincide with Grammy voting last October titled “ The Radical Empathy of Jason Isbell ,” which stand in stark contrast with personal accounts of Isbell’s behavior from Jenn Marie Earle, Shonna Tucker, and others. Isbell is currently going through a divorce with fellow performer and songwriter Amanda Shires. What most everyone agrees on, including Jenn Marie Earle, is that Jason Isbell is a brilliant songwriter. Another track from the Weathervanes album called “King of Oklahoma” was Saving Country Music’s 2023 Song of the Year . The song was also nominated for Best American Roots Performance for the 2024 Grammy Awards. Isbell ended up winning the Best American Roots Song Grammy for “Cast Iron Skillet,” and Weathervanes won for Best Americana Album in 2024. The brilliance of Jason Isbell the songwriter is hard to deny. But while the media regularly praises Isbell for his positive attributes, they regularly sweep issues like the concerns with “When We Were Close” under the rug, as Isbell remains lauded, and any criticism of him is commonly considered verboten. This story has been updated.

Amanda Shires , Jason Isbell , Jenn Marie Earle , Justin Townes Earle , Steve Earle

201 Comments

This is called artistic license. Jason can write whatever he wants to. His lyrics can be based on life — or be complete fiction — or be a mixture of the two.

Addiction sucks and causes pain all around. There’s no getting away from that.

I’m sorry JTE’s widow is still feeling the pain but she should look at it head on and move forward, IMO.

As Jenn Marie Earle said in her video, she understands that Jason has a right to say what she wants, and he also should have an opportunity to process his feelings about the death of Justin how he feels fit. This issue that she takes with it is that neither herself nor the rest of the Earle family were notified about it. According to her, the details of Earle’s death in the song went overboard, and are also factually incorrect, and that as she and other have reached out about these issues, Isbell hasn’t engaged with them, but continues to center the song as part of the “Weathervanes” releases, almost in spite of the backlash.

For the record, I heard from numerous sources the week of the release of “Weathervanes” that both Jenn Marie Earle and other members of the Earle family were upset by the song. I chose to not report on it at that time, even though I had some quotes and other information that had been shared, but had been removed from public viewing, or that had been shared privately. I reached out to numerous people in the Earle camp for comment, and they never responded.

I do think that Jenn Marie Earle and the Earle family have made their best efforts to not make this into a big public issue. But with Isbell’s lack of communication, and his most recent comments, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak, and Jenn Marie felt like she had no other recourse than to address it publicly.

“but she should look at it head on and move forward, IMO.”

I think that’s exactly what she is trying to do by making these statements.

Freedom of Speech never really mentions anything about taste right? 🤷🏼‍♂️

BUT… Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences…

I appreciate your thoughtful reply Trigger.

Still, I don’t think Jason needed to inform Jenn Marie and any other Earle family members about releasing a song. Sure, it’d be a nice courtesy, but I doubt it would have softened the blow anyhow.

The first time I saw Jason Isbell was with the Truckers at a club in NC that was progressive enough to not allow smoking in the club. He said to the crowd “I can’t believe I’m in North Carolina and you can’t smoke in a bar!” Of course he was puffing on a cigarette when he said it. The first time I saw him with his solo show was in a small club in Raleigh that was a barbecue restaurant during the day. Townes Earle opened for him. In my humble opinion he was a much better performer in those days with the 400 Unit and the great Browan Lollar on the second guitar. We saw him many times in those days and the band always passed a bottle of whiskey among each other during the show and Jason puffed relentlessly on cigarettes. I remember thinking we better enjoy this guy now because he’s not going to live long like this. They played inspired shows and put out fabulous records that were moving and that rocked. Then he met Ms Shires and sobered up. Then Southeastern came out and he became famous and suddenly everyone felt like he had something special to say. I’ve seen him twice since then and I thought “I’m glad he’s taking care of himself but the music isn’t as good.” Now it sounds to me like every song is supposed to be a profound statement of importance with a million lyrics crammed in there. Give me “Go It Alone,” “Dress Blues,” or “Tour of Duty “ any day. I’m glad he’s healthier and making lots of money but it sounds forced and full of self importance to me.

He didn’t need to announce it to them. But once he was aware that she was upset about it….he could have manned up and at least reached out. My opinion of him has dimmed. I’m quite sure neither him or anyone else gives a hoot about that though! 🙂

Classy move on your part Trigger to not publish the story when you first got wind of the bad feelings.

The criticisms here seem wholly without merit. Songs aren’t news articles that need to be fact checked. No names were mentioned. Writers draw from their lives. And there’s a lot of truth in that song for anyone who has had a friend die young doing the same shit you do. No author should be forced to reach out to everyone who has ever inspired a song to check if their feelings are going to get hurt. Nothing could ever be written, ever again, if that were the case. Ask everyone who is a friend of a novelist or, I don’t know, dated Taylor Swift, how annoying it can be to see yourself or your friends or parts of you in the story. But good lord, Lorries, you or someone you know may have been the inspiration, but there aren’t royalties to be paid for it, it’s not illegal, and it’s not even unethical. It’s simply creative writing.

Totally agree that artists should have the artistic license to follow their muse. “When We Were Close” doesn’t feel like an offensive song, but a song Isbell composed as a way to process through the passing of Justin Townes Earle. I also agree that Isbell has no obligation to reach out to anyone he writes a song about for approval or even just to notify them.

However in this case, I wouldn’t have hurt for Isbell to reach out. When there was clearly a concern for the song, Isbell could have also been more pragmatic and tried to clear the air. The issues that Jenn Marie Eearle raises are just as much about Isbell’s alleged callous behavior after the song was released as it is with the song itself. The recent interview Isbell gave where he mentioned the song and seemed to couch Justin’s widow and his daughter as sort of collateral damage to a song that will save others was like the straw the broke the camel’s back.

This really does feel like an issue that could have been solved with a quick phone call or email, either before or after the songs release. But according the Jenn Marie, that never happened. Instead, she’s received silence.

I agree with you! Another thought…pretty positive Justin’s Dad is more than capable of writing a rebuttal song that would put Jason in his place.

“Songs aren’t news articles that need to be fact checked. No names were mentioned.”

Not trying to be combative, but I couldn’t disagree more strongly.

When you’re so clearly talking about a well known, specific person, or persons (especially a child), and you’re going to make unchecked claims about something as serious as to how they passed away – I would hope any person with common decency, and especially a father, would be above not just releasing the song without warning, but pushing it the way Isbell has done.

Jason is a punk and a hypocrite.

Jason Isbell is a smug piece of shit, what else is new

Deep insight you’ve given us there, buddy.

Obviously, you seem to be an expert!

It’s not obvious.

Don’t disrespect Sloth from Goonies that way

Riding on the coattails of grief

I’m Jenn’s dad andwatched Justin’s growth and demise for years and always felt Jason rode in on Justin’s coat tails. With Jason for an even ex friend you surely don’t need enemies Jason has that covered. Justin left Jenn a ton of debt if Jason had any ethics or morality he should spread the wealth in stead he has his manager threaten Jenn. Life’s a trip.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to you and all your family. Stay strong 🖤

And bingo. There it is – the money grab.

We knew the money grab was gonna come. It was always about money. Ain’t no way a 6-yr old knew anything about a song that isn’t on pop radio or their fav TV show unless people go out of their way to expose the child to it.

You people are disgusting

No there is no money grab except that Jason wrote a song that is brutal just to make money. This 6 yr old is very intelligent and knows many artists by their songs and names. She is intelligent and beautiful maybe someday she’ll write a song about Jason she has memory like Justin he was actually very intelligent but how would you know I doubt you ever even met him.

She has never said a word about your money grab it’s about Jason and the pain he causes people.

Larry, I’ve corresponded with Jenn-Marie a few times and she’s awesome. I have so much respect and love for her. She’s doing an incredible job in the face of catastrophic loss and devastation. Sending you all love from Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Thank you for your kind words she is in fact incredible and my granddaughter is out of this world.

Proverbs 16:18

At the least he is incredibly inconsiderate to an old friends family. We can not guess what is behind the anger he feels toward JTE and his family. My guess is it that he could never be the man that Justin was. He will always be less than, no matter how much he succeeds. His actions do give one the sense of a small and petty person.

Very well said you nailed it.

It was a tribute song. It wasn’t mean spirited. It wasn’t vitriolic. And it wasn’t a money grab. He writes songs for a living. His songs are about what he’s seen, loved and experienced. And he’s great at it. In fact it’s a fantastic song. It was a tip of the hat. What goes pathetically unsaid is that the family is upset a family member died. NOT that a song (every word of that song true to life, by the way) was written in tribute of the deceased.

I agree that the song doesn’t come across as mean-spirited, and I think that Isbell did not mean to harm anyone by it. However, it’s not just the song that is at issue, but Isbell’s actions (or inaction) before and after it was released that Jenn Marie Earle is taking exception to.

You say that “every word of that song true to life, by the way,” but this is what Jenn Marie had to say:

“…and then immediately following Etta’s mention with grotesque graphic details of his death that 1. were absolutely unnecessary 2. were not released to the public (and the details were incorrect) 3. that it is not “his truth” to share, being completely removed from the situation for years up to Justin’s death.”

So according to Jenn Marie Earle, those details were not “true to life.” Granted, I am not privy to the details myself, so I cannot verify this. But it seems to me Jenn Marie would be in a better position to know the details compared to Jason Isbell, who was estranged from Justin Townes Earle, and had been for years at the time of his passing.

I respect your opinion but you’re way off base in fact not even remotely close. You don’t write a song about a friend that make his supposed friends daughter cry every time she hears it. I’m Jenn’s dad and E’s grandfather. Who are you just someone with an opinion.

“Every time she hears it”? As a father to a 6 year old daughter, I can tell you that your granddaughter shouldn’t know that song exists. Let alone hear it repeatedly. Please spare the child the trauma. Good god.

Isn’t he a better man simply in the fact he sobered up? Let’s be honest here. Justin Earle did not love his family enough to be sober for them. It’s incredibly sad, but true. Jason isbell quit. He chose to live. He chose to stay. That’s a better man. On the “coat tails” subject…no. wrong. Justin Earle was less talented.

This comment is not only hurtful but ignorant to the point of being childish. Firstly, because he died as a result of an accidental overdose due to cocaine laced with fentanyl. Secondly because addiction is an illness. I have not followed the story closely enough to know whether he was still struggling with addition at the time of his death. The fact that he took some cocaine would not serve as proof either way but if he was then it just isn’t as simple as just quitting because you have a family. I really like Jason’s music but i think he has conducted himself poorly. Can you imagine acting in such a way? He should at least personally acknowledge the grief he has caused.

Isbell is a great songwriter. he’s also a controversial person with some unhelpful tendencies

Estranged or not, if he had a song to write, and a good one, it’s his to perform every bit as much as if Willie wrote one for Waylon after he died. Or Audrey writing one for Hank, or Johnny.

However, he’s obviously crossed some line, perceived or otherwise.

The streisand effect tells us that any backlash against something, even innocuous, draws more attention to it than its own existence. Jason Aldean and Oliver Anthony have both demonstrated this lately.

It sounds like a very personal feud between people who should have been able to sit and hash it out like adults.

But there’s one obvious thing about Jason Isbell: he cannot apologize or admit fault.

It’s not that he doesn’t know how, he’s a raconteur of the highest calibre. it’s not that he lacks the vocabulary or communication skills.

He lacks the humility. people on their second divorce usually aren’t good at apologizing.

I’m hoping that taking criticism for this forces Isbell to grow as a person

I will say that songs like White Berretta kind of prove otherwise. We don’t know what happened between Jason and Justin, but there are two sides to every story, and dead men don’t talk. I, for one, have a greater appreciation for JTE as a result of the song, and have actually purchased JTE music as a DIRECT RESULT. In effect, JTE’s reputation and body of work are actually elevated as a result of this pettiness. Would the Earle family feel differently if the roles were reversed, and the surviving Justin wrote about Jason’s hypothetical death in a similar manner? I don’t know, but I guarantee their defense (or denigration) of ‘artistic freedom’ would look very, very different.

When it comes to a song like this. I feel like it isn’t a close call to say the Earle family is in the wrong with this. Justin Townes Earle touched many people and why I can get the sudden feeling of whiplash to have this song out in world. It’s still a story Jason has the right to tell because it has touched him as well, I also have to question how in the world a child knows about the song on what is a very dark Parental Advisory/TV MA record. That just feels either irresponsible or playing for sympathy points.

interesting observation, there. I would say that given the circumstances, the family is no stranger to difficult conversations and while it’s unclear how bad the blood between friends got, it isn’t so much of a stretch to imagine that the family at least keeps tabs on his work (or at least knew what he had created)

I think the incorrect information here is what’s so damning

Is it callous, knowing how personal it must have been? or is it just changing some details deliberately?

We may never know. I’m hoping Isbell just changed the situation for lyrical purposes or to not be too obvious about the details, instead of fudging the truth about the death of a friend and peddling misinformation

If you had a clue about their child you would realize what an ignorant comment that is. E is very smart at six she talks like an adult and processes and has comprehensionyears beyond her age not to mention tall and beautiful. Jenn is doing a fantastic job raising her nothing dark or weird your in the same boat as Jason floundering in ignorance. This is Jenn’s dad I know exactly what’s up with the entire situation. I could get very insulting to you but I won’t.

Please don’t, it won’t help anything and will just make you look like a bitter old guy.

I couldn’t agree more.

Jason Isbell is an a-hole.

That’s pretty much my reaction to all this stuff. He’s an amazing songwriter and I will continue to listen to him, but he ain’t the first – nor the last – artist whose public image stands in stark contrast to the actual person.

I’m finding I listen to him less, which is sad because it’s such great music. I was really disappointed by the way he treated Amanda in his documentary. It spoke to a selfishness I don’t see in his music. His music is compelling because it feels authentic and written with empathy. His actual character emerging in contrast to the character implied by his songwriting erodes his authenticity.

Try as I might to separate the man from the music, when I listen to him, I can’t help but think of his now 2nd estranged wife, the way he treated her, and the way he treats his friends and their families with little regard. An authentic, good person doesn’t do that. Being so at odds with the empathy in his songs, it makes them ring hollow – it feels authentic, but he doesn’t actually care about anyone more than himself. Makes me rather cynical of music I once revered. I can still appreciate his music, and him, but much less than I did and with less regard.

I don’t think anyone is shocked that an addict is selfish. But one had hoped, or I did at least, that a recovering addict that writes like he does, was a better person than that. It’s disappointing, and that’s what it feels like now listening to him – always with a tinge of disappointment. So much so I’m not excited to see him at shows any more.

You can always go to the show and wear a JTE T-shirt. Just sayin’…

Interesting that this article completely fails to touch on Earle’s destructive tendencies. And no, the reasons behind the falling out between Earle and Isbell are known.

But allow me to note that Isbell lost someone who was at one point a friend, as well. And Isbell has every right to grieve as well and no one has the right to tell him how to grieve or express that grief. My best friend of twenty years died two years ago. Two of my other friends had in the preceding years had a falling out with him and, after his death, expressed to me that they felt bad that they never had a chance to make it right or get closure of it and that they would always regret that. Perhaps that’s how Jason feels.

But you know what, that really doesn’t matter. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that “well, they had a falling out and were no longer close, oh, but also, he owed Justin’s wife some kind of ‘heads up’ that the song was coming.” You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

More and more, this site just seems to like to shit on Isbell. I don’t know what it is that Jason did to you, Kyle, but ever since “Reunions,” you’ve had a huge axe to grind with Isbell. Reporting on this story is one thing, but at least have the guts to give both sides of the story.

Justin Townes Earle’s personal issues, and issues with addiction have been well documented here. I was the guy that broke the news about Earle going on a drunken tirade, tearing up a green room, and getting arrested in 2010, and took a ton of heat for it at the time:

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/belligerent-justin-townes-earle-arrested-in-indianapolis/

I also linked to the article that explained that Justin Townes Earle died of a drug overdose, and have written numerous articles both before since his passing about his numerous personal issues.

This article could have sprouted all kinds of tangents. I could have enumerated all kinds of other Jason Isbell issues. Instead I simply contetualized how you have the media praising Jason Isbell for his “radical empathy,” and meanwhile he allegedly refuses to even communicate with the widow of Justin Townes Earle over this issue when communication probably could have resolved it escalating to this point.

Jason Isbell is the reigning Song of the Year winner here at Saving Country Music. “Weathervanes” was marked as the #2 album of 2023 here, and as I said then, it probably was the “best” album of 2023, but decided to give Album of the Year to Gabe Lee since it was actually a country album.

These continued attacks on anyone who ever has anything negative to say about Jason Isbell is one of the reasons a lack of accountability in his career and personal life has persisted. Jenn Marie Earle said it as well and I concur, Jason Isbell is a great songwriter, and this is not a personal attack on him. But setting the record strait about how the family feels about this song seems like something that is in the public interest.

>This article could have sprouted all kinds of tangents

You randomly mentioned his divorce at the end of a paragraph. How is that not a tangent?

Recall that Saving Country Music was probably the only website in country music or entertainment not to report on the Jason Isbell / Amanda Shies divorce. Nonetheless, it speaks to a messy personal life while Isbell daily passes severe judgement upon people on social media from supposed high ground, earning massive spreads in major periodicals for his supposed “radical empathy.”

I’m not sure why so many want to make this about me. Jenn Marie Earle posted a 12-paragraph dissertation on this issue and a video. My question is why nobody else in the press hasn’t addressed this yet? It’s now 24 hours old.

That song looks more like a self reflection than a tribute.

>Recall that Saving Country Music was probably the only website in country music or entertainment not to report on the Jason Isbell / Amanda Shies divorce

I respect that. I didn’t hear about it until you threw it into a paragraph without context.

Yes, fuck his radical empathy and the treatment he gets. But the divorce comment was unnecessary for what is an otherwise (in my opinion flawed but) well crafted article exploring the other side of artists creating stories about real life and real people. I think you above all could cra craft a strong article focusing on that narrative; I don’t think you miss the mark here but I think you could do better.

>It’s now 24 hours old.

It’s Saturday.

It was not a over dose. It was fentynal. Steve verifies that at his own shows.

Your article wasn’t exactly fair and unbiased, so maybe it should be labeled an opinion piece.

This seems incredibly unfair to one of the few journalists to remain impartial in the polarized climate we live in.

This story wasn’t about Jason Isbell. it was about the family of Justin Townes Earl. we’ve had every other day, every other review on the song and album to talk about how Isbell felt writing this song.

Today we talk about how earle’s family feels

To argue with that about something we’ve had plenty of time and space to discuss isn’t just unhelpful, it’s rather hurtful.

Ample attention has been given to Isbell. little has been given to the earles.

And yes, the situation is complicated and neither side owes the public anything.

We don’t know why isbell chose not to talk to the family directly. maybe he was ashamed, most likely he didn’t feel like he needed to or possibly didn’t know how to humble himself.

We can empathize with what the family is going through with personal tragedy laid out before all and sundry without starting a witchhunt against Isbell.

Which is to say, Jason Isbell gets enough attention.

Now the Earles can get some.

And we should approach this with empathy for the earles without turning the discussion to what Isbell could or should have done.

Which benefits isbell more than the earles

“we should approach this with empathy for the earles without turning the discussion to what Isbell could or should have done.”

Your whole argument kind of falls apart here because much of the article, and even your own previous comments on it here, discuss “what Isbell could or should have done.”

Once again, you can’t have it both ways.

That was a great post! I feel Jason saw how much he could make off that song and couldn’t resist putting it on his album and promoting as much as possible regardless of how it would hurt Justin’s family and friends. He must have really hated Justin I know Justin was difficult but he didn’t deserve the immense disrespect for everyone involved except himself. Seems like Jason has a huge ego and feels he can do whatever he wants and it’s right because, “That’s just who I am,” to quote Jason from that despicable interview. He has exposed hit true self and isn’t very pretty. That you for your kind words.

“And no, the reasons behind the falling out between Earle and Isbell are known.“

Genuine question; what were the reasons? I don’t know them and when I did a Google search, I only got Isbells version as to what happened.

Earle was in a relationship with a woman who Jason hired as a roadie/crew member and when the relationship ended, Earle wanted Jason to fire the woman. Jason refused because she hadn’t done anything that warranted being fired so Earle basically said “if you don’t fire her, you’re an ah, we’re not friends anymore.”

And Jason had the integrity to not fire someone who had done nothing that warranted firing.

Jason has no integrity bro.

I can’t take seriously anyone who calls a complete stranger “bro.”

You’re irrelevant and lack credibility.

Why don’t you shove where the son doesn’t shine and replace it with dick wad. outside of being Jenn’s dad I probably know more about Justin, Jenn and Jason than you’ll ever know. Who are you some jerk with an opinion with no real facts? Dick wad.

Mr. Maynard Time to give it a rest. That ain’t helping your cause.

Do you kiss your granddaughter with that mouth?

I’m so curious to know if Jenn Marie is the reason Justin was so insistent on Jason firing his ex, and the falling out in general. Judging from the comments Jenn Marie is liking and amplifying on Justin’s legacy Instagram, some of which are shockingly sexist and cruel and petty, including ones saying Jason “is c-cked in his marriage” (wtf?), and her father’s comments here about how she’s a “real woman” who “stands by her man until death” (weren’t they separated when he OD’ed?), it appears like she has some deeply ingrained learned misogyny. That breaks my heart. Was Justin also like that in life? It would be so disappointing if that’s the case, but I’m starting to fear it was.

The way I heard it Justin had a girlfriend that worked for him they broke up, I don’t remember her name and two days later she’s working for Jason. Justin asked him to fire her but he wouldn’t. Justin felt like Jason was rubbing her in Justin’s face and had no respect for all the things Justin did for him. I guess that started the feud Jason has no respect for anyone but himself regardless of who it hurts and can rationalize his behavior. So sad he has a lot to learn about how the world really works and affect his actions have on others.

If you had a clue about their child you would realize what an ignorant comment that is. E is very smart at six she talks like an adult and processes and has comprehension years beyond her age not to mention tall and beautiful. Jenn is doing a fantastic job raising her nothing dark or weird your in the same boat as Jason floundering in ignorance. This is Jenn’s dad I know exactly what’s up with the entire situation. I could get very insulting to you but I won’t.

Until I read this I had no idea there was a backstory, that it was in reference to real people. Now that I know…? I guess I will just remember the lodestar: the song is the thing, ignore the artist.

“More and more, this site just seems to like to shit on Isbell.”

Jason Isbell shits on himself. No one needs to do it for him.

This comes as no surprise considering how much of a pompous narcissistic dork Isbell is. Naturally this has only been enhanced by his success and the exaggerated acclaim for both his songwriting and his very mediocre guitar playing. Isbell has spent years fulfilling his self proclaimed calling to be the savior of the voiceless victims and disseminator of the absolute truth via his snarky Tweets. He’s absolutely has made major contributions to ever increasing the divide between Americans with his divisive and close minded grandstanding from the comfort of his Twitter app. So of course he had the brilliant revelation that “this song needed to exist” so he could rescue all the drug addicts and junkies from their fate. (As someone who has much first hand experience dealing with the loss of friends and family to overdoses and drug addiction I can assure you his self serving songs are not saving lives) The very fact that he has no shame in an interview letting us know how important his songs are should tell you everything you need to know.

Well said. Enough with the superlatives about his songwriting. Jason Isbell is a competent songwriter with a below-average voice and over-inflated ego. And he has no class.

I have nothing to say about the controversy that is driving this thread, since it’s not my business and I have no personal knowledge of issues or specifics.

I enter here only to express agreement with whose who are of the view that Isbell’s songwriting skills are bafflingly overrated. I confess I’ve never understood the hype surrounding him. I picked up his most recent release thinking that maybe I have been missing something. I heard nothing to change my mind. Not bad, just (as noted above) “competent.” Another word for a practitioner at that level is journeyman.

Um, I don’t know about this story and all that but Jason Isbell is a fantastic singer and a super guitarist. He used to have epic battles with Browan Lollar in the 400 unit. I saw him do an encore of Hendrix’s Stone Free once and he blew the roof off the place.

He’s a legend in his own mind possibly a flash in the pan we’ll see.

A flash in the pan?? Might want to take those blinders off and step away from the fire, you’re standing too close to the flames.

It did seem odd that Isbell posted a lot less on Twitter when the Oscars campaign for the Scorsese movie was going on.

I wonder what the precedent is for a leading light of Americana who is so belligerent (and now has a divorce to pay off). Someone will know!

He’s doing it on threads….

Didn’t figure it would take long for those who blindly love Isbell to swarm to his defense. The man could burn down an orphanage and his diehards would blame the kids for pushing him to that point.

Did Isbell feel like he had to write the song? Maybe so. It’s cathartic for some people, and that’s fine. But it’s not unreasonable to have a conversation with the late subjects family before trying so hard to make a buck off of it. I’m actually a little shocked that a noted virtue signaler like Isbell didn’t go that route.

Helluva lyricist, but once again, he’s made himself look like a chronic pain in the ass.

Honestly, I think the song is one of the least concerning parts of this issue. I respect those who take issue with it. But Isbell does have creative license to broach whatever subjects he wishes, and I don’t think his original intent was to hurt anyone.

It’s the subsequent actions that have caused this private matter to go public. Jenn Marie Earle and others stayed silent about this for going on a year. It is Jason Isbell who kept pressing the issue with his words and actions until they felt they could no longer be silent.

And yes, now it’s not that Isbell has been callous in how he’s handled this situation, and perhaps should address this situation publicly to try and make amends. It’s that HE’S the victim of JTE’s crazy widow, and a journalist with an agenda. At least according to some of his fans who seem to think he can do not wrong.

Jenn is far from a crazy widow she’s actually very smart and the kind of woman that stands by her man till death do they part. Thanks for you kind observations.

Pssst, “a woman who stands by her man” ain’t the compliment you think it is in 2024.

What world do you live in the one that libtards took the word liberal from the sixties from hippies and twisted it to mean the opposite?

Really surprised at how many of you are defending Isbell here. From a purely creative standpoint, I don’t think it was wrong for Jason to write or even release the song; but his callous treatment towards Earle’s widow and daughter shows a true lack of decency and character on Isbell’s part. Given that Jason himself is a father the idea that he wouldn’t even pause to think of the impact that this would have on Justin’s family speaks volumes for what a piece of shit he is. I have some secondhand knowledge of what he was like with Shonna and none of this seems out of character for how he treats those he is supposedly close with.

Only a supreme narcissist would think that his songwriting “powers” outweighed kicking a widow and her child when they are down. Whatever beef he had with Justin should have been left between him and Justin. He could have written a song about JTE that touched only upon their relationship together, he could have written this song and told Jenn about it beforehand or even used an intermediary to do so if the thought was too uncomfortable, he could have pledged to donate royalties to Etta’s college fund or to a substance abuse prevention charity. In rejecting each and every one of these options, he chose only what would benefit Jason Isbell. Radical empathy my ass.

I’ve seen Jason play twice and have most of his catalog on vinyl. Every music fan has artists where the enjoyment of the music and the reality about the behavior of the creators come into conflict. Some people draw the line at politics (and despite being more sympathetic to Isbell’s positions, his personality on social media over politics is doing his cause way more harm than good), others draw the line when an artist does something unthinkably horrible that they can’t hear past in the music. He may be a talented songwriter and guitar player but I can no longer stomach hearing his music and continued praise of his future work will only serve to remind me of who he truly is.

You keep reposting the same thing to multiple people.

Not sure who you think you’re replying to but I’m clearly on Jenn and Etta’s side in this comment.

@L-E-B — That’s the crazy thing about a lot of Internet comment threads. When a thread gets really heated, after a while, nobody has any idea who you’re responding to–unless you spell it out like I did here.

It was not aimed at you I’m very sorry and thanks for your kind observations. Once again I’m very sorry guess I got caught up in the bs. It’s upsetting when some clown spouts off about something they really have know knowledge of.

I wanted to make sure you got my apology I was relying to a previous comment and it looks like I was responding to you. Please accept my apology.

I don’t know all the context, but there does seem to be something kind of off about the song and his focus on it. If Isbell is a former addict himself, you’d think he’d be a little less harsh and judgemental towards someone else who was trapped in addiction. Maybe in the name of brutal honesty we can allow an artist to speak ill of the dead, but taking that ugly brutal honesty to Jimmy Kimmel and drawing attention to it, for your own profit and self-promotion? It does seem to lack compassion. And yeah I think a heads up would have been appropriate. The song berates JTE for what he did to his “victims” but then he shows no sensitivity to those victims, completely undermining his self-righteous pose. What an ugly situation. If I’m reading this wrong let me know. I don’t know the details of their biographies.

One important part of this story that is easy to overlook is that it’s not just about the song, but Isbell’s actions before and after its release. He could have sent a note to Justin’s widow and the Earle family alerting them the song was coming. Even if they disagreed with the content of the song, this could have gone a long way. After the song was released, they have reached out to him subsequently to let their feelings be known, and it seems that Isbell hasn’t responded, or taken their concerns seriously.

And even though Isbell has known that the song has been poorly received by Jenn Marie and Earle’s family, he chose to make it a single to promote to radio, and the song he performed on Kimmel.

Though this is the first time this issue has been broached publicly, in the industry and in private, people have been talking about this since the release of “Weathervanes.” Jenn Marie is also not the only one who has been angered by this.

Three days after the release of Weathervanes, someone very aware of the situation left a comment on Saving Country Music:

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-jason-isbell-the-400-units-weathervanes/comment-page-1/#comment-1522993

That is where I was made aware of it. Isbell had to be aware of it too.

I believe all effort was put out by Jenn Marie Earle and the Earle family to not make this ugly. But when Isbell mentioned the “victims” in the recent interview, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Who are the victims? Dead addicts are the victims.

Your spun and your comment about the money grab is just what Jason did when and why he wrote that song. He could give a shit if it makes a six year old cry every time she hears the song. It’s a real insight into Isbell’s true character that’s why Jenn gets threatening calls from his manager instead calling her and talking it over. So I guess you think somehow Jason is saving lives that really makes very little sense.

Well he was lost in addiction and alcoholism I’m told and Justin cleaned him up bought him a new guitar and took him to Dive Letterman then he bought him a suit to get married in. Jason has a very short memory and very little class. He owes Jenn and her daughter a serious apology if not royalties. He should be ashamed of himself.

Jenn seems to be handling this perfectly.

Let’s look at Jason’s revealing quote:

“ I had to say, how many victims [will there be] if I tell the truth, how many victims if I don’t. And then you make that choice. You know, because the song has to exist, you know I don’t know why but I decided on that a long time ago because that’s what I do, that’s who I am. So you know, usually if you tell the truth, you make less victims than if you don’t.”

There would have been exactly zero “victims” if this song never existed. There are victims due to the song, so he’s bullshitting here.

And think about the extreme audacity for him to think that this song saved anyone, that it prevented even one victim.

That inane arrogance is the source of every single problem with Jason. Come on, man.

He’s saying maybe putting the song out there will make someone in a similar situation think twice. It’s not that hard to understand.

Right, it’s easy to understand.

The point is he’s wrong, the song almost certainly won’t save anyone. Especially compared with JTE’s actual story, which is infinitely stronger and more poignant.

So it’s a dumb and arrogant justification from Isbell. So you’re left asking yourself how he can be so delusional to think he’s a savior.

Nearly as arrogant as thinking you speak for everyone who will ever listen to the song, in my opinion.

Ridiculous.

I like Isbell too, but it’s extremely arrogant to assume your songs make you a savior.

It’s vile to try to justify victimizing a little girl, daughter of your dead friend, by claiming you’re a savior songsmith.

Meanwhile, I’m just pointing out extremely obvious implications from his own words.

That was right on point thanks for having clear vision of what and who Jason really is. Life is all about him and and that’s the reality of his actions.

Well he has definitely hurt Justin’s family and friend do you have a list if those Jason has helped besides himself.

Thing about It, Jason’s truth and the actual truth are usually two different things. Not too many bigger condescending pricks out there than him.

This event seems to be a Rorschach test for what folks think about Isbell.

Isbell’s song took this tragedy and managed to make it all about himself. Years after JTE’s death, Isbell had to let us know that he was in the right and that, were he here, JTE would have trouble looking him in the eye and would be asking for his forgiveness.

Had he actually wanted to pay tribute, he could have picked any JTE song and covered it on his hit album, helping to ensure that Ms. Earle and her daughter would be taken care of.

“he could have picked any JTE song and covered it”

This is actually a very sound argument. I think he could have done both, “speak his truth” or whatever, AND support his former friend’s legacy.

Jason Isbell reminds me a lot of Roger Waters. Remarkably talented, but their actions outside of music really make it difficult to call myself a fan of theirs.

They always eat their own.

Imagine if Taylor Swift had to notify each and every ex of hers about which songs were about them.

Jason is allowed to spend time processing his own grief, even to long lost friendships (lord knows, the next record is gonna be wild).

Not for nothing, but why does it matter what she thinks? Its his song and his art. No names are given; it’s an “if you know-you know.”

Her daughter is already growing up without her father. Some day she’ll want to know the truth, and I’m sure she’s not reading the headlines

Well said. Couldn’t agree with you more.

You had me up until this gratuitous swipe:

“…or the severely judgemental and decidedly illiberal presence Jason Isbell takes on social media.”

Completely irrelevant in the context of this article subject matter. Who cares? Since you don’t like his politics his views should be held against him? Seems to be antithetical to your entire purpose in writing this article.

This might be the most relevant point to the entire article. Plain and simple: it is Jason Isbell’s symbolic and counter-productive “activism” on social media along social causes that has created a strong allyship for him across the media landscape, especially among feature writers, and strangely, sports writers, that has insulated him from warranted criticism for otherwise callous and irresponsible behavior.

The LA Times and Marissa R. Moss were the ones that cited Isbell’s “radical empathy,” while the widow of Justin Townes Earle is out here posting 12-paragraph missives and videos about how callous he has been to them in this situation.

Isbell’s has used his political stances as a shield and cudgel, while also hurting the causes he purports to champion by being an elitist and an isolationist as opposed to trying to use his platform and the opportunities he’s been bestowed to persuade people to his side.

Like he said on April 6th, “If you like my music but you’re turned off by my online presence that means you’re one of the people I’m trying to eliminate from my audience.”

This isn’t liberalism. It’s most definitely not activism. It’s a form of bigotry, and if you agree with Isbell’s political stances, you should be offended by these types of proclamations, because it’s an active effort to lose consensus around important causes as opposed to convincing people to your side.

Sounds like an active alcoholic / addict… anybody seen him at meetings? I know it is anonymous. Just saying……….. His anger issues. Violence and acting out of control without remorse. Active behavours for an some one who is using. Or just a dry drunk.

My wife once made the observation that Isbell traded alcohol for activism.

Sounds about right to me.

You know liberalism is a term that described hippies we hated no-one you know peace and love freedom of speech, freedom of thought and know liberalism is the total opposite just like Jason and Justin’s dad Steve.

Now you’re mad at Steve Earle too? What did he do in this mess? (Besides the well-documented stuff as his son was growing up, that is.) The only reason I ever discovered or listened to Justin Townes was because he was Steve’s son. But if JTE’s chosen family of marriage are all as loony and hatefully insulting as you the father-in-law, I’m going to add JTE to my Do Not Play Anymore list. No way I’m going to continue financially contributing to people like this.

Jason called Steve and he gave Jason his blessing without ever even listening to the song. Steve’s a one hit wonder and like Jason is all about his ego and trying to make money. I could give a shit if you ever listen to Justin songs ever again if you’re a fan of Steve’s your probably an ex drug addict and very old.

You have problems, sir.

At least you’re perfect thanks for your comment. LOL

Isn’t Steve Earle donating every penny of the royalties from his 2021 “J.T.” tribute (which I purchased) to Etta?

And in consideration of the Jason Isbell song song, there are references to both “Rex’s Blues,” a Townes van Zandt song and “Ft. Worth Blues,” a Guy Clark song. The line about being “grown to die” comes directly from “Rex’s Blues,” the reference to which, if *I* was your daughter, would probably sting a lot harder than Isbell taking artistic license in his approach to the lyrics.

Where did you hear that lie I promise you got scammed. Most of you people haven’t a clue I’m done replying to morons.

It’s from this piece, originally published in the NY Times, with which I suppose you’ll an have issues. I have no reason to disbelieve what Steve Earle says, given his history of charity in NOLA, Nashville, and for victims of injustice, gun violence, and tragedy elsewhere.

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/steve-earle-on-his-son-justin-townes-earle-i-ve-never-loved-anything-in-this-world-more-than-him-1.4449768

I can’t speak for whether Trigger likes Isbell’s political views or not, but speaking as someone who votes the same way Isbell does, I think the statement is fair. His constant unlikable vibe on social media only hampers any cause he may think he’s supporting.

Well thank you for the moron we have as a president.

Triggered can’t help himself when it comes to Isbell and like-minded artists. He says it’s all about Justin’s family but than brings up an irrelevant divorce and social media posts. Maybe a self-imposed word limit would help.

Earlier this week when Morgan Wallen threw a chair off a roof, I brought up his numerous other arrests, the fact that he yelled the N-word into the dark Nashville night, and his pattern of seeming to not learn from previous mistakes since he never faced any serious consequences for them. In Wallen’s case, at least the media is all over him any time he stumbles. Justin Townes Earle’s widow been a 12-paragraph statement and released a video about this incident, and so far this is the only outlet that has covered it. That is where you find your bias.

I guess naming “King of Oklahoma” Song of the Year a few months ago was just sandbagging.

“the fact that he yelled the N-word into the dark Nashville night,”

Time for you to grow up, and mature into a man, Trig. Enough.

I say this with all due respect to you Di as a long-time reader and commenter.

Go away. Find another website to obsess over. You bring so much nothing to the table. You sit in the weeds and wait for someone to bring up Morgan Wallen or a rapist so you can defend them.

Not into his music and everything I’ve heard personally about him seems to make him a bad apple. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have written the song especially if it was a personal thing for him. Other artists have done similar but usually unless they were Def trying g to be an A hole, it was just some personal cut on a album that they didn’t really try to make a cut off of. Seems like he’s trying to an A hole.

While I think Jason has a right to write about whatever he wants, I can understand why she would not be happy with the song (and what he said in that interview). However, I think it’s important to talk about drug abuse, and as a recovering alcoholic Jason has a unique perspective here. This lyrics made me think about the risks people take when they use drugs and the impact their actions can have on their loved ones. I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say that Jason has likely helped many people fight addiction with his music and his story. All that said, I think he should acknowledge the pain that his song has caused Jenn Marie and her daughter and apologize.

I think she wants more than an apology.

The number of times her dad has mentioned royalties in the comments is very telling.

Clearly her “dad” on here think$ $he should have more than an apology. Come after me, Larereeee!

Well you’re wrong! I would know I’m her father so cut your bs accusations you know nothing about what she thinks or the type of person she is.

: D Hi Mr. Maynard, Please let your daughter and granddaughter know that there are Many people out here wishing them well.

Also, if it will help ease your mind – do not pay attention to the people who are commenting that this is a cash grab. These people think that they are big, bad, and tough. In reality, they are just your penny a dozen, bullies – hiding behind made up names. Take a deep breath or two, & ignore them. They have nothing.

Wishing you & your family a Beautiful day

Thank you, Trig.

Thank you so much for your kind words I will tell Jenn she can’t stand to hear all the nasty contents she a pretty gentle soul and my granddaughter is smart and beautiful. It’s so disturbing to hear that she cries when she hears that song. If there’s a money grab it’s Justin for writing a song he knows will be hurtful and puts on his album and so heavily promotes it. Again thank you very much.

“Justin left Jenn a ton of debt if Jason had any ethics or morality he should spread the wealth” No, that’s not a money grab. SMH lol How bout you cut your BS denials.

Tragedy inspires art. Should Gordon Lightfoot have apologized to all those lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald for using their loss for commercial gain? Tolstoy to all those lost in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia that provides the background of War and Peace? Rather than taking a side here who is right or wrong, I would simply say people process horrific events differently. There isn’t one truth.

Songwriters should have artistic license, and Isbell has the right to process his grief however he chooses. Jenn Marie Earle said as much in the video she posted about the matter. But I think each of these cases deserves their own autonomous consideration. When I first heard “When We Were Close,” I thought it was a good song, and I didn’t see it as problematic or exploitative at all. Knowing that some of the details in the song are not exactly correct is a little troubling, but that happens in art. I think the bigger question is if Isbell could have handled the release of the song and the aftermath better than he did, instead of couching Jenn Marie and Justin’s daughter as “victims” of the song, but unfortunate casualties to a song that will help others. This is what Jenn Marie is taking exception to.

Lightfoot actually changed the lyrics when performing the Fitz in later years in response to family concerns that the original ones made it sound like crew was at fault.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/edmund-fitzgerald-tribute-song-lyrics-changed-by-gordon-lightfoot/2011/11/10/gIQAv3nb9M_blog.html

I don’t really feel like it is my place to tell Jason Isbell what to do with his song. But I think he perhaps could have addressed this problem by tweaking the lyrics in his live performances, or to not act as if he’s pushing the song to the forefront in spite of the controversy.

Back in 2018, Brent Cobb released a song called “King of Alabama” about country artist Wayne Mills who was murdered in Nashville. He co-wrote it with Adam Hood. After they wrote the song, they decided to give Wayne’s young son Jack a songwriting credit on the song, that way he would always receive royalties from it over time.

Again, it’s not my place to tell Jason Isbell to do that for Justin’s daughter here, but it would have been a gesture that could have gone a long way with this issue.

It’s not Jason’s fault that her dead husband was a junkie.

I think Jason is a phony hypocrite masquerading as a “radical” activist. Since I mostly ignore him these days, I didn’t know he’s getting divorced but that’s the least surprising thing I’ve heard in awhile. That said, and “cold” as your comment may be, I agree. I personally would direct my anger at the guy who selfishly became and remained a junkie, rather than some words in a song. We need harsh criticism and even ridicule of people who do that. Instead what we get are excuses, cope, romanticism, and in this case…deflection.

Like most brilliant artists, Jason has demons that he fights every day. I think he has found that in order to stay sober, he has to be brutally honest with his life and feelings and part of that is to talk about those battles. He is probably my favorite musician, but definitely my favorite song writer. That being said, sober Jason’s honesty seems intimidating, drunk Jason would be terrifying!

This is a good article with some pretty obvious bias. I would like to hear both sides, Jason is a good songwriter and so was Justin, I don’t care much about their personal lives but if someone is a complete a-hole, I might not listen to their music. So far I don’t see that, though I get the bad feelings from Justin’s family. His drug addiction and problems have never been a secret from the public, at least from Americana fans. I’ve seen Steve Earle several times in concert and he has discussed his own addiction and Justin’s openly. I’ll be curious to see if Jason ends up providing a more complete apology / explanation

I want to know what Steve thinks about the song.

I agree that Jason Isbell’s perspective is important to this too, and if he shares that, I will be more than happy to add it here or cover it in an updated article. But let’s remember, Jenn Marie Earle’s statement was not just about the song. It was a reaction to what Jason Isbell thinks about the situation, which he conveyed in a recent interview. In that interview, it appears that Isbell is admitting that Jenn Marie, as well as Justin’s daughter are “victims” of the song, meaning Isbell know the song is hurting them. But he justifies this by saying the song is also helping more people, and that’s the balance he has to weigh as a songwriter.

I linked to the interview in the article, but here it is again is anyone wants to see it:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1121895382477217

At the end of the day, social media (and comment sections like this) are more about self-righteousness and “I’m right and you’re wrong” more than anything else. Trigger is entitled to his views but I agree with them or not. What he has not acknowledged is that he’s written two very different articles. 1) a very good news piece on how JTE’s relatives are very unhappy with Isbell for what they believe are very good reasons; and 2) a tangential rant about how the media has coddled Isbell, (starting with the paragraph beginning with “Meanwhile…”. If This Were Cinema instead of prose, it would be a complete change of scene to pick up a different storyline. There’s a reason the cliche “meanwhile, back at the ranch…” exists. Trigger has done exactly that here. Rant away about the media coverage for isbell. But it has nothing to do with the news story about JTE’s family that preceded it.

I covered this story exactly like I covered the Morgan Wallen chair throwing incident earlier this week, giving all the granular information, and then contextualizing it in the grander picture. Just like Morgan Wallen, Jason Isbell’s behavior fits a deeper pattern. And just like Morgan Wallen, the media plays a role in this by what they choose to cover, and what they choose to not cover.

I have covered the good and the bad with Jason Isbell, and I believe I’ve been very fair. I also know that no matter how I covered Jason Isbell, I was going to be attacked for being biased against him. That’s okay. I don’t run a popularity contest. My job is to cover the news. This was news.

Beautifully written, Trig. Love your writing and your heart.

I am shocked that someone is holding a gun to JTE’s wife’s head, making her listen to the song. Oh, wait, you mean she could just not listen and not say anything? Jesus man. That’s nuts. I guess it is easier to point her anger at Jason than it is at her husband’s selfish decisions.

Wow. Never knew it was only possible to be angry at one person at a time. Interesting insight!

There should be a thumb down button

You never saw friends of Kurt Cobain write explicit songs about his manner of death or reference his daughter in a song like this because they actually loved the guy and were devastated by the loss. Same with Andrew Wood. Nobody listened to the Temple of the Dog album or Alice In Chains’ Would? and came away feeling like they’d been ambushed.

It’s clear this song doesn’t come from a place of friendship and love.

If it was a misunderstanding or good intentions gone wrong he would have attempted to clean it up immediately. As it is, it feels pretty scummy to me.

I remember him writing a song about Neal Casal’s death that pretty graphically references the way he dies. I was kind of shocked when I heard it and I don’t even know him. I agree that he has the right to write whatever he wants, but he def should have given a light “ heads up” to his wife-

I’ve said this a million times before, but Jason Isbell is a textbook example of someone getting above their raising. He’s got a right to write whatever song he wants, but to talk about it as if he didn’t have a choice in the matter is ridiculous. I think that’s what most annoying to me; I think he could have written the song a little differently to address more of their estrangement, but ultimately whatever he wrote had the potential to be hurtful. He didn’t have to add on to it by insisting the song was destined to exist, damn the consequences

“If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you’re the asshole.”

Words Isbell should probably take a look at these days.

Thank you, Marshall Givens. My favorite line from my favorite show.

Such a great show and still holds up.

Jason seems like someone whose company I wouldn’t enjoy.

Not a question of who’s right or wrong here. The man’s just off putting

To say Isbutt is a pompous jerk is an insult to jerks.

Funny how much criticism I see of Isbell, while you and others claim it’s “verboten”. Seems people are mad that he has fans, and that’s just weird. At any rate, I see people complaining about him nearly any time his name is mentioned. I also find it funny that you and others think more people should consider him being liberal a character flaw. Again, so many people bring up that they don’t like it so often, that there’s a real disconnect between what people claim they can’t do or what isn’t done and what clearly happens day after day. Liberals exist, people get divorced, people are estranged, and yet, if Isbell does it, somehow that makes him exceptionally terrible. This is a childish viewpoint.

For the record, the “verboten” statement was about the press, not the public.

I too am frustrated that I can’t even mention Jason Isbell’s name without people coming out of the woodwork to criticize his politics. “Weathervanes” was perhaps the best album released in American roots music in 2023. I named his song “King of Oklahoma” Song of the Year. One of the great things about “Weathervanes” is that it was so good, even a lot of the people who criticize Isbell for his politics had to shut their mouths and recognize the brilliance.

For the record, I don’t see Isbell’s political persuasion as a character flaw at all. I definitely recognize that this causes an immediate knee-jerk reaction from many others who do, but the point I’ve always tried to make about Isbell and politics goes much deeper.

As I said in another comments above, it’s Isbell’s “If you don’t agree with me, then I don’t want you listening to my music” attitude that is the antithesis of true liberalism. If Jason Isbell truly wanted to fight racism, for example, he’d want as many people listening to his song “Cast Iron Skillet” as possible, especially the people with hardened hearts who might be able to see a perspective different than their own through the allegorical persuasion of a well-written song.

But instead of putting his art first, it’s been Isbell’s pointed, and frankly, bigoted social media presence that people think of first. Instead of actually trying to change the world, and change people’s perspectives through his music, he simply resorts to dunking on people to rack up “likes” and clout.

The reason I share these opinions is not because I hate Jason Isbell. It’s because I think Isbell has a unique opportunity as a gifted songwriter with a platform to really do some good. But he is squandering that opportunity by being so judgemental, and simply trying to earn fawning praise from the press and elite class.

When you see all the immediate and stupid “libtard” comments following any mention of Jason Isbell like a tail, this proves my point.

Jason Isbell is a hypocritical , ego maniac who has traded hurting people by being a self serving drunk , to hurting people by being being heartless and thoughtless. “Clean and then Mean”. Nothing new. Anyone that listens to him should have seen this coming in all of his, judgemental, one sided , know it all lyrics. He was humble and amazing for Southeastern. (Rehab)

Since.. songs are written from a little different perspective I’d say.

I can start off by making it clear that I absolutely love Jason’s music and lyrics, his album Southeastern showing up in my life at a time when I really needed it. I do, however, see why some people can’t stand him. I, myself, do not have much of problem with him in that sense, but I do hate large portions of his fan base (there is no artist in existence worthy of the worship that he receives). With that on the table, on to the issue at hand.

While I can absolutely appreciate JTE’s family feeling uncomfortable with the song in question, I don’t quite get why so many outsiders feel so passionately about it. I think it’s a rather interesting song, in that it deals with both survivor’s guilt and the lingering resentment of having a falling out with a close friend that will be forever unsettled. I’m only speculating here, but I get the feeling that Jason always sort of assumed that he and Justin would, some day, settle everything and be friends again, and his death means that that “some day” will never come. It makes, in my opinion, for an interesting song that I don’t know if I’ve ever heard before, especially as Jason allowed an uglier side of grief, and possibly regret, show. And on the topic of any factual inaccuracies, I don’t really see much issue, as it is a song rather than a newspaper article. (On my speculation on Jason’s assumption regarding their future reconciliation, Jason said in his interview with Marc Maron “We’ll probably be friends again soon […] He’ll get over it.”)

It is obviously both unfortunate and entierly understandable that Justin’s family find the song triggering, but that is something that gets to happen. Jason’s song is about his own truth and his own feelings, and it is perfectly within his right to share it. I agree that it would have been much, much better to give the family a heads up – not to ask for permission, but to simply let them know that “this song is coming out, and it won’t be fun for you to hear.” My own speculation on his reasoning is a lot more forgiving than most. I suspect that he was simply too scared of facing Justin’s wife with it, or even interacting with her at all. Though he certainly hasn’t done himself any favors in regards to how he is perceived when it comes to humility (his explanation for why Ryan Adams didn’t end up producing Southeastern comes to mind), the idea that he is just too ego-maniacal seems needlessly judging.

My two cents.

I love some Jason Isbell songs. But sometimes it seems he’s made a career on the “If there’s blood on the ground, buy real estate (or write a song about it)” mantra. Poverty porn esque. Sure it might open eyes to world apart, but damn that high horse he sits on.

I can’t stand his internet persona and it’s kept me from digging into his recent offerings. And I do align with a lot of his views

I can’t take it anymore… the Isbell clan is out in full force here and evidently can’t see how this guy hurts everyone in his path. I loved his music, discovered Truckers in 2004, but look at the wreckage he has left in his path. Truckers, Tucker, JTE, Shires, and now JTE family. He’s toxic, hypocritical, arrogant, self absorbed and represents what is wrong with today’s society.

Someone said above this whole thing is really just a Rorschach test for how people feel about Isbell. I think that sounds about right. I know Trigger keeps saying that the song itself isn’t really the problem, but that certainly isn’t how Jenn Marie Earle feels. To be clear, I get what she’s saying. The song is really is a really explicit reflection of “damn, I did all the same things as him and I’m still here.” I also get that it’s painful that Isbell mentions (not by name) JTE’s daughter, but I mean, Isbell also has a daughter so it hits him differently. As the father of a young daughter myself, I get it. But if we’re picking out songs that broach JTE’s death that we find hard to listen to, why aren’t we also talking about “We’ll Never Wake You Up in the Morning” by Patterson Hood? Is it because outsiders don’t typically associate Patterson with JTE? If so, then Isbell’s and JTE’s relationship does matter. Jason certainly thinks it does.

And to the point of the estrangement of JTE and Isbell, I don’t think that all of a sudden makes their relationship and how Jason feels about it now off limits. I remember when Jason talked about it in an interview where he explained the falling out, he even said that he assumed at some point they’d work things out. That obviously never happened, and you can detect a fair amount of frustration from this song. I don’t think that feeling is invalid just because JTE died. I lost an estranged friend to drugs and ultimately suicide a number of years ago and I have some really complicated feelings about it and yes, anger and frustration is one of them.

Look, I get it, hearing about JTE’s death is obviously painful for his family. I mean, of course it is. But we’re not talking about fun days of touring like New South Wales. The song is about someone dying, how it could have been the author, how the author isn’t sure why it wasn’t him instead, how he’s coping with their estrangement (“it’s not up to me to forgive you…now you’ll never need to look me in the eye”).

Justin’s death reminds me a lot of how Jason Molina died. There was an extensive story written about his final years that was gut-wrenching. You could see the end coming like one of the trains he used to write about. He tried to get clean, friends tried to help him, family loved him no matter what, but man, addiction is a mother fucker. Molina, apparently, died penny-less and only had his grandmother’s number in his cell phone. I can only imagine how his family would have felt reading that story. But that story needed to be told. In a similar way, Jason probably felt like his story needed to be told. Is that narcissistic? I dunno? The dude is a writer and he can only write about his experiences.

As an anecdote, the first time I ever saw Amanda Shires play live was when she was in a three piece band with Justin and Brynn Davies in Lynchburg, Virginia. To this day it was still one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Like it or not, Justin and the now former Isbell/Shires families were deeply intertwined for a long time. They were all self-destructive in their own ways for a long time. It’s almost something someone should write about sometime. Might be an interesting story.

…i can understand that justin townes earle’s untimely death got jason isbell to remember a friendship that sadly became estranged and trying to deal with it his way. at the same time i can also understand the grieve and distress the result – a rather graphic piece of musical art – causes with jenn marie earle and her little daughter. she is clearly intitled to raise the issue but jason isbell was also intitled to express his feelings the way he believed was appropriate, frankly, i felt more uncomfortable with the tribute album of jte’s father. then again, that was his way of coming to terms with his son’s death.

the elephant in the room is not isbell’s song – it’s the family’s failiure to prevent a not unlikely tragic outcome that has been looming for a long time. this is, however, a lot easier said than done, when it comes to heavy drug addiction. it just happens that isbell knows exactly what he’s singing about through his own experience and what strong support can achieve. perhaps, it’s that what makes the song so hard to bear for jte’s widow.

I interviewed Isbell in London in January and asked him about this song. He chose his words carefully when answering and didn’t mention JTE by name – it’s interesting how he talks about how difficult the song was to write. The relevant section of the interview is about 24minutes in https://soundcloud.com/ricardoleadieri/leaders-american-pie-5-feb-2024-the-one-with-jason-isbell

Thanks for sharing.

Jason Isbell being an asshole? I’m shocked!

I wonder if JTE asked his father if it was OK to write and record “Mama’s Eyes.”

“Mama’s Eyes” is specifically mentioned in this interview, originally published by the NYTimes, with Steve Earle. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/steve-earle-on-his-son-justin-townes-earle-i-ve-never-loved-anything-in-this-world-more-than-him-1.4449768

Boring dad rocker Isbell is up his own ass all the time. For him, empathy and understanding is a concept, not a reality. Just like his politics.

Turns out he’s just a dick.

First time I heard it I thought it was a good song. Catchy tune. Loved the reference to Rexs Blues and Ft Worth Blues… didn’t know any backstory. Now i know the backstory and the Ft Worth Blues nailed it. Great song. Many layers. And now getting a Jeanene VZ vibe.

One can sympathize with JTE’s family’s feelings towards this and also wholeheartedly believe that Isbell has just as much a right to express his grief using the form, language, thoughts and feelings he is experiencing to do so without apprehension.

I believe Isbell was speaking from the perspective of a songwriter/craftsman in that interview which can come off as vapid or cold when considering the subject matter and real life people depicted. But that perspective is the responsibility listener’s have placed on him so it’s different than simply having a candid conversation about loss.

You can’t tell art what to be, you can’t tell grief how to feel and if you expect either to be expressed or withheld bc of unintended reactions you risk insincerity. Which defeats the purpose of expressing either.

At the end of the day, it’s all gonna hurt anyway

I think there are two separate issues when it comes to this matter. The first is the song itself, and the second is Jason Isbell’s actions before and after the song was released.

Similarly, there are two separate perspectives on this matter. The first is from folks who glean that Justin Townes Earle’s widow is mad about the song, and the second is the people who take the time to read her statement, and watch the video to understand that it’s not just about the song, but Isbell’s behavior subsequently.

I think most everyone believes that Jason Isbell has a right to write a song about whatever he wants to, and I think any objective observation of the song would conclude that it is not actively callous towards Justin’s family, even if they also conclude after reading Jenn Marie’s perspective how it could be triggering to them due to how the details of Justin’s death are portrayed, especially if they are incorrect.

But if we are to believe Jenn Marie, it’s the fact that her emails and correspondences abut the song have gone unreturned, that Isbell did not attempt to make amends with Justin’s family after his death, and even though he knew Jenn was unhappy with the song, decided to push it as a single and make it a focal point of the “Weathervanes” release. This also seems to speak to a deeper pattern of behavior from Isbell to place himself and his interests above others, despite the continued characterizations in the press that present Isbell as morally superior in a way that he doesn’t appear to be living up to.

I know I am fighting an uphill battle trying to convey the double nature of this story and the nuance behind it. But I think it’s important to separate the song from the man when trying to understand this situation. When you have the widow of one of your old friends writing 12-paragraph dissertations and posting videos about what an asshole you are, there is probably an underlying reason. And in this case, it’s likely an underlying reason that could have been resolved before the situation got to this point.

I get it and I read, an empathize with her statements. But I don’t see it’s presence on the album, release or public performance as separate from the grieving process.

One of the main things an artist decides with their work, besides simply creating, is if or how to present it. This is just as much a part of expression as creating itself, imho. Especially when that work is the expression of one’s grief, it’s just as much a part of the grieving process.

If he communicated with them prior, during or asked for their blessing it almost absolutely would’ve had an effect on how he felt about the song itself, his ability/comfort level recording it, performing it live or even including it on the album at all. Maybe rewriting a line or two to suit real or perceived sensibilities rather than expressing it directly in his own words.. Especially since we know how brutally honest that verse is and the effect it’s had on the family.

If your role as an artist and songsmith is to use the tools, format, skills and trust given to you by your listeners to be as honest with them as possible, anything that may inhibits that path has to be set aside.

If your process for dealing with grief is through that process, then the process(up to and including performance and presentation) has to be prioritized… That may mean you’re going to look like an asshole and sound like one when you say it out loud in interviews. That may mean you are an asshole…

But I will say, when I heard that verse, I felt deeper for JTE’S family than I ever would’ve been able to had it not been expressed the way it was. It’s fucking brutal and I get it. But I’ve felt that same feeling around friends who left children and loved ones behind and I’ve known that sorrow for the berieved through the anger and guilt of a friend’s unnecessary passing, followed by guilt for feeling angry at them… That verse does exactly what art is supposed to do in revealing the harsh reality that is too difficult for someone without Isbell’s craft and perspective to put into words.

And a lot of people wouldn’t have experienced it if it had been influenced, altered, interrupted or not presented in the way it was featured to the public.

JI is an unhappy person whose “art” is intended to make other people unhappy. I don’t like is songs and think the hype about him is overblown

To me, this entire controversy is caused by the human condition of estrangement. Estrangement can do as much damage to people as addiction. Maybe Jason wrote When We Were Close, to try and resolve his own estrangement with his fromer friend. Estrangement hurts more than the people directly involved. I simple heads up to the family, also estranged, could have gone a long way to healing. Both Jason’s and Justin’s songwriting speak to the human condition with an emotion and understanding that not just anyone can articulate. Being a songwriter myself, I know how difficult it is to discard a really clever phrase, line, rhyme, etc.. I believe Jason is gifted enough to let go of a verse that does not serve the spirit of a tribute. Reaching out to Jenn, aknowledging and her concerns, could serve the resolution of past estrangement.

I’d like to view the entire interview with JI that was referenced in the article. Could you post a link? Thanks…

I have been looking for video of the entire interview to no avail. If/when I find it, I will link to it in the article.

You can find the video portion Jenn Marie references here:

Thanks for the effort, I appreciate it. Good luck…

In January 2022, Trigger and I went back and forth with me defending Jason. I may have been wrong. Put aside the artistic license versus sensitivity to JT’s family debate for a second – did you catch how completely full of shit JI sounded in that clip? He thinks he has the power to create victims out of thin air if he’s a little more eloquent and sensitive in his lyrics about JT’s death? And that the concern for these imaginary victims that he’ll create outweighs what the pain he acknowledges will be felt by actual victims – JT’s family? And he NEVER responds privately to the widow? Lordy. He’s lost much over the last couple of years: Amanda, Jimbo, empathy, and any shred of humility. If he loses his sobriety, it will be the least shocking news ever because sobriety is unsustainable with empathy and humility – as I know from experience. I’ll be hoping JI finds his way back from whatever self-made desert he’s wondering in now.

Firstly would you really play a six year old this song and tell them it was about their father ? Its a dubious parenting decision in the first place. Justin isnt actually mentioned in the song by name and neither is the daughter so even if it is about JTE it doesnt specifically tell you that Jenn’s put that in his child’s head.

The song doesnt even have a nastiness in it, its a song of a lost friendship and the regret that Jason made it through but his friend didnt . He isnt singing about how great it is that his friend died hes lamenting the loss and proclaiming how lucky he was to come through. Its raw but thats art for you.

Its doubtful that Sara Dylan played a 6 year old Jakob Blood on the tracks and then went hey and this is about your parents divorce.

Jason will get slagged off whatever he does on here anyway, the song will be a heck of a lot easier for Justin’s daughter to hear it when shes actually old enough to understand it at 6 you definately arent . And the subject matter and sense of loss of a good friend might help other people beat their addictions so its a good thing.

Granted its more controversial than Save the world off the same album I mean every sane american would want strict gun control brought in thats not controversial at all. Its more controversial every time theres a mass shooting in America and the lame president offers an apology but does absolutely nothing about it . And Jason gets slagged off for being political then but then there should have been laws brought in years ago .

@Desolation I’d say you are correct. There is no way that a 6-year-old could have been hurt by the song “When We Were Close” unless and adult–presumably Jenn Marie–played it for her and “explained” to her why she “should” be hurt by it.

If a 6-year-old had somehow managed to play this song on her own, she would not be able to understand it and she would have no way to connect the song to her father or her mother or herself.

Forget 6–I challenge anyone to play the recording to a 12-year-old and then ask him what he understood about the song. I’m sure the answer would be nothing. And then you could try giving him the lyric sheet. The answer would probably be close to the same.

Perhaps Jason Isbell should have made contact with Jenn Marie before releasing the song, but at this point, I can fully understand why he would not let himself be dragged into this toxic swamp.

“When We Were Close” is about Justin Townes Earle. Nobody is disputing this.

No, Justin nor his daughter are mentioned by name, but…

I saw a picture of you laughing with your child And I hope she will remember how you smiled But she probably wasn’t old enough, the night somebody sold your stuff That left you on the bathroom tiles

…definitely makes reference to Justin’s daughter, and as Justin’s widow says, is an incorrect portrayal of how Justin was found.

I agree this song is not “nasty.” It was meant to be a tribute, and a way for Isbell to process through his survivor’s guilt. But that lyric was very triggering to Earle’s widow, and it seems like Isbell could have handled this situation better.

That wasn’t the point. The point is that while we all understand who the song is in reference to, there’s no chance a six year old would piece that together by themselves, regardless of how precocious they are.

Not going to get in a semantic argument here, but Desolation clearly stated, “even if it is about JTE,” so the subject of the song was being called into question.

As for playing it for a six year old, I don’t know that I would play that song for any six year old, especially if that six year old was referenced in the song. I can’t really speak to how that happened, but Jenn Marie brings this up specifically in her video. I’m guessing the implication here is that she is either embellishing to lay it on Isbell harder, or she should have shielded her child from the song. Perhaps that’s the case. But the song exists, it’s probably safe to assume that at some point Justin’s daughter will interact with it, and Jenn Marie is doing what most all mothers do, which is to protect their children.

LOL it wouldnt be obvious to a six year old Trigger unless someone had planted the idea in her head , and thats as questionable as Justin recording the song! Makes them as bad as each other really.

Trigger is obsessed with Jason Isbell. That this is a publication called “saving country music” and Isbell doesn’t consider himself a country artist, or really make what would be considered classic country music means his obsession runs deep. Maybe Trigger should go cry on his Trump pillow and wait for the latest guilty verdict.

You’re completely right William Rick. I am pretty obsessed with Jason Isbell. That why I named his song “King of Oklahoma” my 2023 Song of the Year, and called his last album “Weathervanes” the best overall album of 2023.

I find it interesting that so many folks make these moments about me, when this was all instigated by the grieving widow of Justin Townes Earle. I saw a guy post this on Twitter, and I think it’s a really great take on the matter:

https://twitter.com/BenGardner87/status/1779261692880331024

“Idea that is too difficult for some cultists to understand: when Justin Townes Earle’s widow puts out a statement sharing the anguish that she and her child are experiencing as a result of a Jason Isbell song about JTE, one can simply opt not to defend Isbell and argue with her. I admire Jason Isbell a lot. I am a believer in art being honest even when painful and inconvenient. But the man is not God. He is not beyond reproach. And arguing with JTE’s widow as she shares her pain is a WILD decision.”

If Jason was on the side of the road with a flat tire, it would be really hard for me to stop and help. It appears this guy can’t help but cause pain in other people’s lives.

Sometimes the best songs are never played.

Isbell is an insufferable prick, but as an artist he has the right to deal with his former friend’s death and grieve the way he wishes (which Trigger has said). I think it’s insensitive the way he has acted toward Justin’s widow, but Isbell has never come across as a good guy, so it’s not surprising.

Isbell stating that he doesn’t want those who disagree with his holy opinions listening to his music is just silly. He’s a good songwriter, but he doesn’t come across as very smart. One day when he realizes he doesn’t know everything, he might actually learn a thing or two.

The division is so great in the world now. People don’t seem to understand that it’s not left vs. right; that’s what the powerbrokers and politicians want us to believe. They love for us to be hating each other, because if both sides ever came together things would really change for the better.

Isbell is easily one of the best songwriters alive. He also speaks his mind and has a lot of political enemies and angered the mainstream “country” establishment.

I don’t know what happened between Earle and Isbell and I wouldn’t take anyone’s word on it. The whole thing seems personal and not newsworthy.

The key takeaway for me is the song was written based on memories while the complaint is focused on legacy. Those two things don’t always align.

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