SUMMARY
- UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Nashville-based Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with special guest Shawn Colvin
- Jason Isbell is a four-time Grammy winner
- Georgia Blue, Isbell’s latest album with the 400 Unit, is a charity covers collection celebrating music from the state of Georgia
- Shawn Colvin is a three-time Grammy winner, recipient of the Americana Association’s Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award, and recent inductee into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame
- Saturday, February 26th / 8:00 p.m. Pacific / The Arlington Theatre
- $48.50 – $128.50 : General Public / $28.50 : UCSB Students (Current student ID required)
- Health & Safety: Proof of full vaccination is required for all attendees. Proof of booster vaccination will be required for all eligible attendees beginning February 4, 2022. Masks are required indoors at all times. N95, KN95, KF94 or FFP2 face masks are strongly recommended. Regardless of the mask type, it is only effective if it is worn over your mouth and nose. Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/SeasonFAQs/ for updates and further details.
- Tickets/Info: (805) 893-3535, www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu or (805)963-4408, www.AXS.com
▶ ▶ ▶ Editors/Reviewers: Please include the full name of UCSB Arts & Lectures in all media coverage, including reviews.
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UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Nashville-based Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with special guest Shawn Colvin on Saturday, February 26th at 8:00 p.m. Pacific at The Arlington Theatre. This presentation is part of the 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative.
Four-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell is at the top of his game. His music – whether solo, with former band the Drive-By Truckers or fronting the 400 Unit – shows his Alabama soul as he drifts between rock, country and roots. Georgia Blue, Isbell’s latest album with the 400 Unit, is a charity covers collection celebrating music from the state of Georgia.
ABOUT JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT
“One of the most consistently excellent songwriters in the country and rock landscape.” PopMatters
After six years with the Southern rock outfit the Drive-By Truckers, singer and guitarist Jason Isbell left the group in 2007 to pursue a solo career, becoming one of the most successful and respected figures in the alt-country and singer/songwriter communities. While full of Southern grit, Isbell’s songs also show off an introspective side and a gift for nuanced storytelling. His early solo efforts boasted a raw, rootsy flavor and after coming to terms with a dependence on alcohol and drugs, Isbell’s songwriting gained greater depth, his albums were stronger and his work won increased recognition from the listening public. Isbell’s first solo album, 2007’s Sirens of the Ditch, was a bluesy, punk-infused lesson in guitar tones and Southern swagger, while 2013’s Southeastern, his first album after getting sober, was a major critical and commercial breakthrough and 2021’s Georgia Blue saw him honoring artists from the state of Georgia.
After parting ways with the Drive-By Truckers in 2007, Isbell wasted no time launching a solo career and a collection of songs he’d been tinkering with for years formed the basis of Sirens of the Ditch, which was co-produced by DBT’s frontman Patterson Hood and featured former bandmates Brad Morgan on drums and Shonna Tucker on bass. (The latter was also Isbell’s former wife.) Backed by a new band dubbed the 400 Unit, Isbell took his songs on the road and soon began penning another album, which he recorded with the 400 Unit in 2008. Released the following year, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit was another step away from his work with the Drive-By Truckers, relying as much on sad, melancholic country ballads as the familiar Muscle Shoals sound.
In 2014, Isbell issued Live at Austin City Limits, a video release documenting a set he played for the long-running PBS music series. Later the same year, he returned to the studio to record the follow-up to Southeastern. The resulting Something More Than Free appeared in July 2015 and took home the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album the following year. In March 2017, Isbell released “Hope the High Road,” the first single from The Nashville Sound, which arrived in June. Credited to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, the album was fittingly more band-oriented than Isbell’s previous two efforts, boasting a bigger and more musically diverse sound. More touring followed and Isbell and the 400 Unit played a sold-out six-night stand that year at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. Several of the shows were recorded and a 13-song concert souvenir, Live from the Ryman, was released in October 2018.
May 2020 saw Isbell bring out his sixth full-length studio effort, Reunions, a more production-savvy set that mixed introspective personal numbers with songs addressing larger political and social concerns. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Isbell pledged that if Joe Biden prevailed in Georgia’s election, he would record an album of songs by his favorite artists from the Peach State, with a share of the proceeds donated to non-profit progressive organizations. Biden and the Democrats took back the White House, and true to his word, Isbell cut Georgia Blue, a 13-song set including tunes made famous by R.E.M., Otis Redding, the Black Crowes, James Brown, Cat Power, the Allman Brothers Band and more. The LP, released in October 2021, included guest appearances from Brandi Carlile, Béla Fleck, John Paul White of the Civil Wars and Adia Victoria.
ABOUT SHAWN COLVIN
Shawn Colvin won her first GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album with her debut album Steady On. She has been a mainstay of the singer-songwriter genre ever since, releasing thirteen superlative albums and establishing herself as one of America’s most revered live performers. Her songs are slow-release works of craft and catharsis that become treasured, lifetime companions for their listeners. Colvin triumphed at the 1998 GRAMMY Awards, winning both Record and Song of the Year for “Sunny Came Home”.
Colvin was recognized for her career accomplishments when she was honored with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award by the Americana Music Association. Presenting the award was Bonnie Raitt. Said Raitt, “She’s simply one of the best singers I’ve ever heard – and a truly gifted and deep songwriter and guitarist.”
In Sept. 2019 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Steady On, Colvin released a newly-recorded solo-acoustic version. The Steady On 30th Anniversary Acoustic Edition strips each song to the core, placing Colvin’s songwriting masterclass on full display.
Colvin was recently inducted into the 2019 Austin City Limits Hall of Fame alongside legendary artists Lyle Lovett and Buddy Guy. In a moving induction speech, Jackson Browne extolled, “Not many writers are able to do what Shawn does. It’s a very special way of relating what really matters. It takes an original to get our attention. Shawn is utterly original in her singing and original in what she speaks about in her songs.”
See A&L’s full 2022 lineup here
This is a moment that calls for Optimism, Resilience, Courage and Vision.
Santa Barbara needs Hope, and Arts & Lectures is uniquely positioned to respond.
A&L’s 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative has already inspired our community with presentations by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, chef José Andrés and author Anne Lamott. We will continue to inspire, through shared experiences with thought leaders, creative problem solvers and arts visionaries who will guide us forward. CREATING HOPE programs strengthen human connection, promote emotional well-being, joy and compassion, and envision positive change. Learn more about the CREATING HOPE: https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/CreatingHope.aspx
ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A&L annually presents more than a hundred public events, from critically acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures.
This presentation is part of the 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative.
$48.50 – $128.50 : General Public / $28.50 : UCSB Students (Current student ID required)
For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
Special Thanks:
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners the Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2021-2022 season.
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