Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit announce new album ‘Weathervanes’ & tour, share “Death Wish”
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have announced a new album, Weathervanes, their first since 2020's great Reunions. It comes out June 9 via Southeastern Records (pre-order), and first single "Death Wish" is out now. "Did you ever love a woman with a death wish?," Jason asks in the anthemic, heart-wrenching chorus. "Everybody dies, but you got to find a reason to carry on." It's Isbell at his most instant-classic, and you can hear it below.
A trailer video narrated by ESPN’s Wright Thompson describes the album as "his latest 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. Life and death songs, played for and by grown-ass people. 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 or majestic old theater, united in the great miracle of being alive." Check that video out below too.
Jason adds via press release, "There is something about boundaries on this record. 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."
The album was written and produced by Jason, and made with his longtime band members Sadler Vaden, Derry deBorja, Chad Gamble, and Jimbo Hart. Jason's wife and frequent collaborator Amanda Shires contributes fiddle and backing vocals, and the album also features harmonica by Mickey Raphael on "Strawberry Woman," background vocals on "If You Insist' by Sylvia Massy and Ian Rickard, and strings on "Death Wish" by Morgan O’Shaughnessey.
The 400 Unit also announced several new tour dates. His schedule includes shows with S.G. Goodman, Deer Tick, Angel Olsen, Amythyst Kiah, Kathleen Edwards, The Baseball Project, and Allison Russell, and tickets for all newly-added dates go on sale Friday (2/24) at 10 AM local time with presales beforehand.
The NYC-area gets three shows with S.G. Goodman: Port Chester's Capitol Theatre on July 28, Long Island's Paramount on July 31, and New Brunswick's State Theatre on August 1. All dates are listed below.
Tracklist
1. Death Wish
2. King Of Oklahoma
3. Strawberry Woman
4. Middle Of The Morning
5. Save The World
6. If You Insist
7. Cast Iron Skillet
8. When We Were Close
9. Volunteer
10. Vestavia Hills
11. White Beretta
12. This Ain’t It
13. Miles
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