The 'Southeastern' Experience

I should probably start from the beginning. A few Saturdays ago I was at my friend Jeff’s place for one of our gatherings of typical summer behavior, which involves hanging out, barbequing and having some beers. The conversation came around to music, as a lot of times it does when we get together. There had recently been new albums released by some of the rock bands we like, including Alice in Chains, Queens of the Stone Age, and Black Sabbath’s first studio album with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years. I asked Jeff if he had a chance to check out to any of these new records. Instead he gave praise to the new album by Jason Isbell, a former member of the cult Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers. Considering that Jeff and I share many similar tastes in music, I decided to give it a listen.

I downloaded the album, titled Southeastern, and listened to it once to gain a feel for it. Then I listened to it a second time because I enjoyed the first listen. After the third time I knew it was a keeper. Eventually it was all I was listening to, being continuously on shuffle on my iPod. Southeastern is full of mostly laid back ballads with some somber themes, but the songs are catchy as hell. The songwriting is personal, honest and packs an emotional punch. It’s an album that you can listen to without skipping any songs. I can’t remember the last record I can say that about.

Fast forward to the present day. This past Monday Isbell was scheduled to play at The Sinclair in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. Jeff and I, not thinking the show would ever sell out, waited until the last minute to buy tickets. That was a mistake. The night before and the whole day of the show, I was shut out on Ticketmaster. We decided to make our way to the venue and try our luck with anyone that might be looking to sell extra tickets. When we arrived at The Sinclair, we were informed by a girl soliciting for a ticket with a sign made out of a Starbucks coffee sleeve that the box office already sold all the tickets they had available. Things weren’t looking too promising.

We went to another bar to have a beer and kill some time. When we returned to The Sinclair about half an hour later the girl was gone, but a guy in a Big Lebowski t-shirt had found her sign. The doors had just opened, and people were starting to file into the venue. I had a feeling we needed to find tickets soon, or we’d be going home.

The guy in the Lebowski t-shirt quickly scored a ticket, and he kindly gave the sign to me. I was having flashbacks to my first Phish show in 1995 in Worcester, MA, looking for the same “miracle” outside the arena. But eventually our patience paid off. I bought the first single ticket from a fellow patron heading into the show, and Jeff inherited the coffee sleeve. The sign must have been good luck, because Jeff scored a ticket about ten minutes after I did. We passed the sign on to the next hopeful fan and made our way inside.

The show was definitely worth the effort. Isbell opened with “Flying Over Water,” one of the heavier songs from Southeastern, and continued to mix it up from there. The crowd favorites were definitely his work with the Drive-By Truckers, such as “Decoration Day,” “Danko/Manuel” and “Goddamn Lonely Love,” but he played much of Southeastern as well as selections from his 2011 release Here We Rest (another solid record, by the way). At one point between songs Isbell told the audience that during a show when a band announces they’re going to play a song from the new album is usually the time people bolt for the bathroom or hit the beer line. That was not the case here. Fans were as eager to hear material from Southeastern as much as his stuff with the Truckers.

By the time we left The Sinclair after the show, most of the venue had already cleared out and there wasn’t much of a lingering crowd. Outside just happened to be Isbell himself and the rest of his band enjoying a post-show cigarette. We told him we enjoyed the set and that he made a great new album. He came across as a real down to earth guy, and thanked us both for coming to the show. A little mesmerized, we made our way to the train to head home.

Jason Isbell and Jeff

I have said in a previous post that in today's music world many rock acts are lacking, which is somewhat evident if you peruse Billboard’s single and album charts. It also doesn’thelp when many rock radio stations are being shut down and converted to different formats. But I’ve been told many times by another friend that there is great rock music out there. You just have to go out and find it. I'm starting to agree. Popular music isn’t dictated as it used to be by radio play and MTV. I learned about Southeastern by word of mouth, the way that a lot of music is discovered these days. That and the Internet. So with the prospect of going to the show, I began streaming Isbell’s other solo albums Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (the name of his band) and Sirens of the Ditch along with Here We Rest. I can tell you they’re all really good. This guy just has a knack for songwriting. But Southeastern is Isbell’s finest work to date, and the album is beginning to earn its accolades. It definitely deserves the recognition.