On Friday, August 1, southern singer-songwriter Jason Isbell will bring his cutting-edge alt-folk to the stage of Door Community Auditorium (DCA). Isbell, who originally gained fame as a member of the alt-country band Drive-By Truckers, has met with enormous success as a solo artist, with his 2013 album Southeastern landing him on hundreds of top-ten lists across the country. The New York Times calls Isbell “one of America’s thoroughbred songwriters, with a knack for rueful melodies and the kind of grainy blue-collar detail that pins a song in your mind.”
Rolling Stone, NPR, and American Songwriter are just three of the many news outlets that named Jason Isbell’s record Southeastern as one of the best albums of 2013. The album delivers stark and poignant story songs against an alt-country and blues backdrop, weaving in powerful characters in a southern gothic vein. His fourth solo outing and his first since getting sober after a long and public struggle with alcoholism, Southeastern explores themes of struggle, loss, and redemption.
The record led Spin magazine to name Isbell as “one of the finest lyricists working today, excelling at wordplay in the purest sense of the term, finding the music in language, how it sounds and flows and fits within the surrounding sounds.” The Boston Globe says Isbell writes “lyrics that could break hearts.”
Alabama native Isbell embarked on a solo career after six years of playing with Drive-By Truckers, with whom Isbell gained a reputation as a skilled guitarist and incisive songwriter. After setting out on his own, Isbell first funneled his songwriting talents into Sirens of the Ditch, a bluesy, punk-influenced album infused with guitar tones and Southern swagger. Backed by a new band dubbed the 400 Unit, Isbell took his songs on the road and soon released two more solo albums. His latest album, Southeastern, marks the latest chapter in a career that is still very much on the rise.
Jason Isbell’s performance is sponsored by Main Street Market, Peninsula Pulse and Door Country FM 97.7.
Jason Isbell will perform at DCA at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 1. Tickets for the concert range from $22 to $38. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.
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