Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit will perform at Wave on Thursday, July 11.
The group, led by acclaimed singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, issued its latest effort, “Weathervanes” in 2023. Filled with Isbell’s examinations of life’s more trying moments (“White Beretta” involves a character reflecting on their partner’s abortion; “Save the World” examines the fears of parents in the age of school shootings), the LP won a Grammy for Best Americana Album.
There was some tumult in the wake of the record’s release. Longtime 400 Unit bassist Jimbo Hart officially left the band at the end of 2023. Isbell filed for divorce from Amanda Shires, a solo artist and longtime member of The 400 Unit, who contributed backing vocals and violin.
Hart’s replacement came in the form of bassist Anna Butterss and Will Johnson (Centro-Matic) has added percussion and additional guitars to the live shows.
Longtime guitarist and backing vocalist Sadler Vaden says, “Those changes were big for us. This was a change that was for the positive for everyone involved. Anna and Will are both great people to be around, which is 70 percent of the equation when you’re in a band traveling around.”
Vaden, who recently issued his first solo album in four years, “Dad Rock” recently spoke with KMUW about The 400 Unit’s approach to live music, how he creates parts for Isbell’s songs, and the song that audiences seem to always want to hear.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
I think this is one of those bands where, yes, the records are great but then you get something different from the live show. There’s a different energy to the music.
I think when we’re making records we’re really focusing on a great record, knowing that once we hit the road with the songs and we bring them out of the studio that they grow and change shape and transform into something else. We pride ourselves in being a band that’s able to make really great studio records but we can also really lay it down live. You can get, I would say, a more fully realized version of the studio recordings.
The interplay between you and Jason is something that I latched onto when I first saw you live. Can you talk a little bit about that?
I think when we made “Weathervanes” we were trying to capture a little bit of that live guitar interplay. It’s not the main part of our show but it is a part of the show that I think our fans enjoy. We certainly enjoy doing it. We wanted to get a little bit more of that on record because we really haven’t done that before. It’s been able to translate live greatly. When we recorded “This Ain’t It” and “Save The World” and some of those songs, we said, “Well, this is going to be really fun live.” We set ourselves up for success.
Can you talk a little bit about what happens when Jason comes in with a new song. How does he present it and then how do you go about coming up with a part, figuring out what you’ll play?
We don’t really hear the songs before we go into the studio. He brings them in fresh that day. We’re all hearing it [for] the first time. He usually sits on a couch with an acoustic guitar and we all get our notepads out or I might grab a guitar to play along a little bit, wrap my head around it. Jason will usually have a little bit of direction but we usually go out there and start playing it. What I’m usually thinking about is, “How am I going to fit into this mix?” I’m listening more than playing.
I’m listening to what Derry [deBorja], our keyboardist, is doing. What kind of guitar Jason’s playing, where he’s going to be playing on the neck of the guitar. I’m just trying to find my way around. “How am I can I add to this and not get in the way of a great song?”
You don’t want to be that person who says, “Hey! This is a great time to show you all what a great guitar player I am” and showboat.
[Laughs.] I’m here to make music. All my favorite guitarists were songwriter guitarists. They were part of a band and worked in that system. I’m just trying to find a memorable part to play. To me, that is further reaching than a bunch of notes in a guitar solo.
I listened to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers for years before I really stepped back and appreciated what a great player Mike Campbell is.
Yeah, yeah. What makes him great?
Exactly what we were talking about. He has these parts that perfectly fit the song; he adds just the right touch at the right time. Consistently.
He’s always playing the right part and then he remembers to not play. For me, that’s really important: Maybe I don’t have to play right now. And then even when I do play, even if it’s three or four notes, I make sure it counts.
You have this rich body of songs at this point. You’re not going to be able to play every song that people want to hear every night. So how much do you think about changing the show up from night to night?
I think that’s been a big challenge for Jason after “Weathervanes.” On the first night of a [tour] leg we might go with kind of a standard thing and then the next night say, “OK, everybody’s comfortable, let’s throw in some different things.” We’ve been throwing in some deeper cuts. We don’t have radio hits. We have songs that are hits among our audience. [Laughs.]
Is there a song that has surprised all of you for the way that people have embraced it and how they react when you play it?
“24 Frames.” Every time we bust into that one you can kind of see the joy. That’s one that I don’t ever get tired of playing. I don’t think anyone gets tired of playing that one. It’s one of our big standards.
