Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbellis an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Green Hill, Alabama, in Lauderdale County. He is best known for his solo career and as a former member of the Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth1 February 1979
CityGreen Hill, AL
CountryUnited States of America
cringe mind mostly music phrase popular stranger
I think I'm writing for an intelligent stranger - you know, in my mind I can't remember who coined that phrase first. I don't want to write anything that makes me cringe, first of all. I cringe a lot - mostly when I hear popular music.
case life lives point realized
When I was still drinking, I thought I was kind of in control of everything in my life and other people's lives and realized at some point that that just wasn't the case at all.
both face good lose realize stopped
When I stopped drinking... there were so many things I had to face that I didn't even realize were part of my makeup before. When you do that and have any changes that severe, you lose a lot of things, both good and bad.
age appeal credit great kids love people quality recognize songs tom wrote
I think great songs appeal to people at any age. Kids love the Beatles, too. Kids love Tom T. Hall. Of course, Tom T. wrote some things that were specifically for kids. But I think kids recognize quality more than they get credit for sometimes.
people using
I think a lot of people are scared, and I know I was scared to get sober, at least using this as an excuse; 'I don't want to be one of those sober people.' And I don't think you have to be. I think you can be one of those people who happens to be sober.
imitate influences people record whether
I think sometimes I write to impress my influences. Whether they're actually acquaintances of mine, people that I think will hear the record or not, I still write - not to imitate my influences - but to write something that would live up to their standards.
hours school six wound
I went to school for creative writing in college, and I wound up about six hours short of my degree.
people wake
There are so few people that wake up every day and go do something that they don't dread... I'm very lucky.
bands family focused musical south
The south is very focused on family... the musical heritage of Muscle Shoals especially and the bands from the region.
certain concern fictional frame songs work
I'll take a certain concern of my own or a situation and try to frame it around a fictional story, but sometimes just straight-up autobiographical songs work well, and sometimes a story is better. I like stories. I like to hear them. I don't think there are enough of them in songs anymore.
hard lucrative people performance roll sound work
I know it's financially lucrative to go out on my own, but I don't like it. It's really hard work, just the performance aspect. I like people who look like they've been together for too long and sound like they've been together too long. I like rock n' roll bands.
hard moved people steer takes trying wherever
I'm not trying to steer people in a direction. I'm just trying to move them. Wherever it takes them, it doesn't matter to me. I just want them to be moved in one way or another, and that's a hard thing to do, I think.
kinds levels mean movies open songs stories
I like those kinds of songs that have details that you remember and that have stories that mean something and that open up into different levels philosophically. I like those kinds of movies, and I like those kinds of books.
country guy hit life people songs terrible written wrote
I know people who have written big hit country songs that are really kind of terrible songs, but for the rest of their life, they're the guy who wrote that. You've got to be careful; if you don't want that to happen, don't write those songs.