By Dan Nailen
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kuer/local-kuer-999115.mp3
Salt Lake City, UT – Jason Isbell, quite simply, is one of my favorite musicians of the past decade. I first heard of him when he was part of the Drive-By Truckers for five years. But three songwriters and guitarists proved to be too limiting for Isbell, who had plenty more songs kicking around than the 3 or 4 he could get on each Drive-By Truckers album, so he left and went solo.
In 2011, Isbell released his third full-length album, called "Here We Rest," backed up by his band The 400 Unit. HERE WE REST was one of my Top 10 albums of the year, and for anyone who's been following Isbell's evolution as a writer and performer for the past decade can recognize and new maturity and diversity in the sound.
Isbell has always had a way with a great lyric, and he's a genuine guitar ace. And while he's never been afraid of writing a ballad, on HERE WE REST he incorporates fiddles, organs and horns along with typical straightforward rock instrumentation.
Songs like the opening Alabama Pines are indicative of what Isbell has working on HERE WE REST. And the song Codeine, which Isbell played on David Letterman's talk show, inspiring Letterman to proclaim Isbell and the 400 Unit his new favorite band, is one of the best I've heard in a long time.
Jason Isbell plays Thursday at 8 p.m. at The State Room in Salt Lake City. Hope & Tim open the show, and tickets are just $17 at The-State-Room-SLC-Dot-Com
This weekend, there are a few good options. The best is Maceo Parker, the extraordinary sax player who's performed in bands with James Brown, George Clinton and Prince it doesn't get any funkier than that! He's at the State Room Sunday night.
Plan-B Theatre's Student Slam is Saturday night at the Rose Wagner, where you can see the result of a frantic 24 hours of writing, rehearsing and performing from up-and-coming theater kids in the community.
Broadway Across Utah's production of South Pacific continues its run through Sunday at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City. And the Nature of Sustainable Art show opens at Red Butte Garden tonight, with artists using all recycled material.
Dan Nailen is the managing editor of City Weekly