GRAMMY-Award winners Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have announced the upcoming release of their eighth album, Weathervanes, out June 9 via Southeastern Records/Thirty Tigers. Written and produced by Isbell, Weathervanes features 13 brand new tracks. “Death Wish,” the debut release from the collection, is available now.
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. 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. Isbell 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.
“There is something about boundaries on this record,” said Isbell. “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.”
“Death Wish” is about being in love with someone suffering from depression, with a powerful universal undercurrent about the fragility of life and the power and limits of love. That grown-up kind of love. Musically the track is beautiful and fascinating. Now it feels complicated and intricate, yet never fragile, like the subject of the song itself. As the first track it announces that Isbell is an artist growing, exploring new musical frontiers. The Sylvia Massy-added strings make it bold and ambitious, with the cinematic tone of a Bond theme.
“Oh and did you ever love a woman with a death wish
Something in her eyes like flipping off a light switch
Everybody dies but you gotta find a reason to carry on
Oh and did you ever catch her climbing on the rooftop
Higher than a kite, dead of winter in a tank top
I don’t wanna fight with you baby but I won’t leave you alone”
Pre-save Weathervanes HERE
Weathervanes was recorded at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio and features Isbell’s GRAMMY-winning band, the 400 Unit: Derry deBorja (Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Accordion, Synthesizers, Therevox, TackPiano, Background Vocals), Chad Gamble (Drums, Percussion, Congas), Jimbo Hart (Electric Bass, Bass), and Sadler Vaden (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric 12 String, Acoustic 12 String, Background Vocals). Special guests include GRAMMY winner Amanda Shires (Fiddle, Background Vocals) and acclaimed harmonicist Mickey Raphael (Harmonica on “Strawberry Woman”) with Background Vocals on “If You Insist“ by renowned producer and engineer Sylvia Massy & Ian Rickard and Strings on “Death Wish” by Morgan O’Shaughnessey. See the full track listing below.
Also announced today, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will be hitting the road throughout the summer with additional headline dates and festivals added to previously released slate of shows. Tickets go on-sale Friday, February 24 at 10:00am local time. For more information and dates, visit https://www.jasonisbell.com/shows.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 2023 Tour Dates
3/1 – Calgary, AB / Jack Singer Concert Hall *
3/2 – Edmonton, AB / Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium *
3/4 – Kelowna, BC / Kelowna Community Theatre *
3/5 – Vancouver, BC / Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
3/6 – Victoria, BC / Royal Theatre *
3/8 – Boise, ID / Morrison Center +
3/9 – Jackson Hole, WY / Jackson Hole Center for the Arts +
3/10 – Bozeman, MT / The Elm +
3/11 – Billings, MT / Alberta Bair Theater +
3/12 – Rapid City, SD / The Monument – Fine Arts Theatre +
3/14 – Joliet, IL / Rialto Square Theatre +
3/15 – Joliet, IL / Rialto Square Theatre +
4/5 – Sydney, AUS / Enmore Theatre (with Allison Russell)
4/6 – Melbourne, AUS / Palais Theatre (with Allison Russell)
4/8 – Tyagarah, NSW / Bluesfest **
4/22 – Miramar Beach, FL / Moon Crush: Seascape Beach Resort **
4/28 – Cincinnati, OH / Andrew J Brady Music Center ^
4/29 – Cincinnati, OH / Andrew J Brady Music Center ^
4/30 – Scaly Mountain, NC / Bear Shadow Music Festival **
5/2 – Omaha, NE / Orpheum Theater ^
5/3 – Morrison, CO / Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
5/4 – Morrison, CO / Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
5/6 – Salina, KS / Stiefel Theatre ^
5/7 – Lubbock, TX / Helen DeVitt Jones Theater at The Buddy Holly Hall ^
5/9 – Dallas, TX / The Factory in Deep Ellum ^
5/11 – Austin, TX / Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater ^
5/12 – Austin, TX / Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater ^
5/13 – Austin, TX / Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater ^
5/14 – Little Rock, AR / The Hall ^
6/15 – Fayetteville, AR / JJ’s Live (with Adeem The Artist)
6/16 – Kansas City, MO / Boulevardia **
6/18 – Indianapolis, IN / WonderRoad Festival **
6/22 – LaGrange, GA / Sweetland Amphitheatre ~
6/23 – Birmingham, AL / Avondale Brewing Company ~
6/24 – Birmingham, AL / Avondale Brewing Company ~
6/25 – Ann Arbor, MI / A2SF **
6/29 – Palo Alto, CA / Frost Amphitheater %
6/30 – Quincy, CA / High Sierra Music Festival **
7/1 – Bend, OR / Hayden Homes Amphitheater %
7/2 – Canby, OR / Clackamas County Fairgrounds %
7/4 – Bonner, MT / KettleHouse Amphitheater %
7/5 – Seattle, WA / Woodland Park Zoo %
7/6 – Spokane, WA / Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox %
7/9 – Dillon, CO / Dillon Amphitheater %
7/11 – Tempe, AZ / Marquee Theatre %
7/14 – Los Angeles, CA / Greek Theatre %
7/15 – Paso Robles, CA / Vina Robles Amphitheatre %
7/16 – Las Vegas, NV / Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas %
7/26 – Harrisburg, PA / Riverfront Park ~
7/27 – Boston, MA / Roadrunner ~
7/28 – Port Chester, NY / The Capitol Theatre ~
7/31 – Huntington, NY / The Paramount ~
8/1 – New Brunswick, NJ / State Theatre New Jersey ~
8/2 – Washington, D.C. / Wolf Trap ~
8/4 – Toronto, ON / Massey Hall ~
8/5 – Lewiston, NY / Artpark Mainstage Theater ~
8/8 – Richmond, VA / Brown’s Island ~
8/9 – Salem, VA / Salem Civic Center ~
8/12 – St Augustine, FL / The St. Augustine Amphitheatre &
8/13 – North Myrtle Beach, SC / House of Blues &
*w/ Kathleen Edwards
+An Evening With
^w/ Amythyst Kiah
#w/ Angel Olsen
% w/ Deer Tick
~ w/ S.G. Goodman
& ??w/ The Baseball Project
**Festival date
Weathervanes Track Listing:
- “Death Wish”
- “King of Oklahoma”
- “Strawberry Woman”
- “Middle Of The Morning”
- “Save The World”
- “If You Insist”
- “Cast Iron Skillet”
- “When We Were Close”
- “Volunteer”
- “Vestavia Hills”
- “White Beretta”
- “This Ain’t It”
- “Miles”
*All songs written and produced by Jason Isbell. Additional production by Matt Pence on tracks 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10.
For more information on Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
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