The marriage of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, two pillars of the country and Americana music worlds, has struck its final chord.
Isbell filed for divorce from Shires after nearly 11 years of marriage on Dec. 15, 2023, according to court records reviewed by Rolling Stone. Isbell is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who, for the last decade, has led his band, the 400 Unit; Shires is both a respected solo artist, a member of the Highwomen supergroup, and an occasional member of Isbell’s band. At last Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Isbell and the 400 Unit won two Grammys,...
Isbell filed for divorce from Shires after nearly 11 years of marriage on Dec. 15, 2023, according to court records reviewed by Rolling Stone. Isbell is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who, for the last decade, has led his band, the 400 Unit; Shires is both a respected solo artist, a member of the Highwomen supergroup, and an occasional member of Isbell’s band. At last Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Isbell and the 400 Unit won two Grammys,...
- 2/8/2024
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Jason Isbell was sitting backstage in Memphis in September, watching the Georgia/South Carolina football game on his laptop when a rock song with a killer riff started playing as CBS went to commercial. “At first I thought, ‘That sounds great, what is that?’” says the four-time Grammy winner. “And then it occurred to me, ‘That’s me! That’s the old band.’ ” The song in question: 2004’s “Where the Devil Don’t Stay” by Drive-By Truckers, Isbell’s former band.
Isbell’s Truckers era is just one period of...
Isbell’s Truckers era is just one period of...
- 11/8/2023
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
Jason Isbell has a new album out, “Weathervanes,” and he says, “I’m happy to be talking about it. You know, I’ve been talking about a lot of other stuff lately, and it’s nice to actually discuss the job that I chose for myself.”
Nothing against the Other Stuff on his part, mind you. He’s proud of the much-heralded HBO Max documentary that director Sam Jones made about him, “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” even if it did open him and his wife, Amanda Shires, up to a huge amount amount of personal scrutiny. And he’ll sure be spending an even bigger part of the year than he is now talking about his dramatic role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which he now feels confident did not leave him in the position of “be(ing) the one guy that screws up this $200 million movie.
Nothing against the Other Stuff on his part, mind you. He’s proud of the much-heralded HBO Max documentary that director Sam Jones made about him, “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” even if it did open him and his wife, Amanda Shires, up to a huge amount amount of personal scrutiny. And he’ll sure be spending an even bigger part of the year than he is now talking about his dramatic role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which he now feels confident did not leave him in the position of “be(ing) the one guy that screws up this $200 million movie.
- 6/9/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
A version of this story about “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed” first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.
The latest installment in the HBO Max Music Box series created by Bill Simmons, “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed” finds director Sam Jones following the writing and recording of singer Jason Isbell’s 2020 album “Reunions.” But the film is about far more than one of the gifted musician and writer’s best albums, delving into his self-destructive days with drugs and alcohol and his marriage to fellow singer Amanda Shires, a charged creative and personal partnership that nearly fell apart while Jones’ cameras were rolling.
Sam, why a film about Jason Isbell?
Sam Jones: He was on my interview show (“Off Camera With Sam Jones”), and once I chatted with him, I felt like not only did he have an interesting story, but...
The latest installment in the HBO Max Music Box series created by Bill Simmons, “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed” finds director Sam Jones following the writing and recording of singer Jason Isbell’s 2020 album “Reunions.” But the film is about far more than one of the gifted musician and writer’s best albums, delving into his self-destructive days with drugs and alcohol and his marriage to fellow singer Amanda Shires, a charged creative and personal partnership that nearly fell apart while Jones’ cameras were rolling.
Sam, why a film about Jason Isbell?
Sam Jones: He was on my interview show (“Off Camera With Sam Jones”), and once I chatted with him, I felt like not only did he have an interesting story, but...
- 6/1/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
More than ever, rock stars were TV stars in 2023 — in the form of subjects for television documentaries — and so were their brethren in pop, hip-hop, K-pop and Latin music. Some of these TV films or docuseries were vanity projects used to promote new albums, of course; others started off as “making of” projects and ended up catching a star in a moment of real psychological crisis. It wasn’t all cinema verité; historical overviews capturing the full breadth of an artist’s career or even a genre still had their place in the pop-doc landscape.
Four films or limited series stand out in the subgenre of docs that were initially commissioned to capture an album or tour and, through circumstances, evolved into something deeper or darker. “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” (Apple TV+) was going to be a tour documentary, but then, when an emotional breakdown caused her to pull off the road,...
Four films or limited series stand out in the subgenre of docs that were initially commissioned to capture an album or tour and, through circumstances, evolved into something deeper or darker. “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” (Apple TV+) was going to be a tour documentary, but then, when an emotional breakdown caused her to pull off the road,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
When HBO hosted a special screening of Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, the intimate documentary about the singer-songwriter’s personal and creative journey during the making of his 2020 album Reunions seemingly met with unanimous approval. But as applause and whistles rippled over the closing credits, one person sitting in the center of the theater was thinking, “I don’t think I want to watch it again for at least a decade.”
That person was Jason Isbell.
Three days later, the film screened again — this time in Nashville, the town he calls home. True to his word, the five-time Grammy winner and his wife, fellow musician Amanda Shires, showed up for the Q&a, but skipped the movie itself.
Jason Isbell
“There are two different kinds of music documentaries,” Isbell tells Deadline from his home in Tennessee. “There’s the kind that the artist is comfortable with,...
That person was Jason Isbell.
Three days later, the film screened again — this time in Nashville, the town he calls home. True to his word, the five-time Grammy winner and his wife, fellow musician Amanda Shires, showed up for the Q&a, but skipped the movie itself.
Jason Isbell
“There are two different kinds of music documentaries,” Isbell tells Deadline from his home in Tennessee. “There’s the kind that the artist is comfortable with,...
- 4/10/2023
- by Denise Quan
- Deadline Film + TV
In 2002, director Sam Jones made what is widely considered a benchmark for 21st century music documentaries with “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco,” a movie that lucked into just about all the subject matter that could make B-roll footage of the making of an album into A-list material. It had conflict within the band, between an auteur and another member of great talent; conflict with the soon-to-be-ex-record label, over the basically unwanted classic-to-be “Yankee Foxtrot Hotel”); and said auteur doing his own demon-wrestling, outside foils notwithstanding.
Now, it’s easier to see that Jones’ good fortune in happening upon all that wasn’t all luck. More than 20 years later, Jones has come up with another gold-standard music doc, in the form of “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” newly streaming on HBO Max. This time, as the creation of another amazing record — Isbell’s...
Now, it’s easier to see that Jones’ good fortune in happening upon all that wasn’t all luck. More than 20 years later, Jones has come up with another gold-standard music doc, in the form of “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” newly streaming on HBO Max. This time, as the creation of another amazing record — Isbell’s...
- 4/8/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
In the opening scene of Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed, the new HBO “Music Box” documentary out this Friday, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires can’t seem to get on the same page. As they fumble through a quarantine performance on their front porch, something is always off: the placement of the camera, the key they’re playing in, or the way the intro of the song goes. It seems innocuous enough, but it’s an ominous sign: By the halfway point of the film, the couple is inching closer to divorce.
- 4/6/2023
- by Jeff Gage
- Rollingstone.com
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have dropped the latest track off their upcoming album Weathervanes. Titled “Middle of the Morning,” it’s an easy-like-Sunday-morning jam that finds Isbell tapping into the power-singing he does on his live staple “Cover Me Up.” It’s also a contender for a new Isbell classic.
“Well, I’ve tried to open up my window/and let the light come in,” Isbell howls to open the song, while drummer Chad Gamble keeps a gentle beat. The guitar playing is particularly gorgeous here: Sadler Vaden lays...
“Well, I’ve tried to open up my window/and let the light come in,” Isbell howls to open the song, while drummer Chad Gamble keeps a gentle beat. The guitar playing is particularly gorgeous here: Sadler Vaden lays...
- 3/29/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
While most contemporary music documentaries fall into the realm of self-produced hagiography, no one will be making that charge about “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” a clear-eyes/hearts-full documentary coming from HBO Max documentary that had its world premiere at the Grammy Museum.
At a Q&a with Isbell and director Sam Jones following the screening of the film, which begins streaming April 7, moderator Colin Hanks, a big Isbell fan, asked the doc’s star: “What was it about this that made you go, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do a doc,’ and really make yourself a little bit more raw than maybe you had even in your songs?”
“It’s because I didn’t know what was about to happen,” responded Isbell. “The whole reason I did this was because I was not informed of the consequences of doing this.” He was half-joking. “I just told Sam before...
At a Q&a with Isbell and director Sam Jones following the screening of the film, which begins streaming April 7, moderator Colin Hanks, a big Isbell fan, asked the doc’s star: “What was it about this that made you go, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do a doc,’ and really make yourself a little bit more raw than maybe you had even in your songs?”
“It’s because I didn’t know what was about to happen,” responded Isbell. “The whole reason I did this was because I was not informed of the consequences of doing this.” He was half-joking. “I just told Sam before...
- 3/27/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will release the new album Weathervanes on June 9, but it’s the creation of Isbell’s 2020 album Reunions that’s depicted in a new documentary coming to HBO. Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed debuts April 7 at 8 p.m. on the premium cable network and will stream on HBO Max. A trailer for the film dropped today.
Directed by Sam Jones, who chronicled the creative tension among the members of Wilco in 2002’s I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Running With Our Eyes...
Directed by Sam Jones, who chronicled the creative tension among the members of Wilco in 2002’s I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Running With Our Eyes...
- 3/22/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
HBO Original documentary film Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed, directed and produced by Sam Jones (HBO’s “Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off”) and executive produced by Emmy® winners Mark and Jay Duplass (HBO’s “The Lady and the Dale”) and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, debuts Friday, April 7 (8:00-9:40 p.m. Et/Pt). The next installment of the Music Box series, which focuses on pivotal moments in music, will debut on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.
In his own words, renowned singer and songwriter Jason Isbell takes us on an unexpected journey through his musical evolution and creative process as he goes into the studio to record his new album “Reunions” with his band The 400 Unit. With striking candor and honesty, Isbell lays bare his difficult childhood, his struggles with addiction and relationships, and funneling all his pain and private battles into his music.
In his own words, renowned singer and songwriter Jason Isbell takes us on an unexpected journey through his musical evolution and creative process as he goes into the studio to record his new album “Reunions” with his band The 400 Unit. With striking candor and honesty, Isbell lays bare his difficult childhood, his struggles with addiction and relationships, and funneling all his pain and private battles into his music.
- 3/22/2023
- by TV Shows Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid - TV
If you’ve been following the Grammys for the past few years, you may have noticed the prevalence of an often overlooked genre in some marquee categories: Americana has had a big resurgence, and the Grammys have been one of the places where this ever-evolving genre has shined through. Thus, the Americana Music Honors and Awards — which will be presented on September 22 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee — have become a good place for Grammy watchers to look if they want to get ahead of the curve and predict those dark horse artists. Let’s take a look at the nominees, the possible winners, and why these matter much more than you might think.
SEEGrammys flashback: When Tay beat Bey for Album of the Year in 2010 – does that win hold up?
Album of the Year is stacked with well-known artists inside the genre. Sarah Jarosz’s “World on the Ground,...
SEEGrammys flashback: When Tay beat Bey for Album of the Year in 2010 – does that win hold up?
Album of the Year is stacked with well-known artists inside the genre. Sarah Jarosz’s “World on the Ground,...
- 8/13/2021
- by Jaime Rodriguez
- Gold Derby
Jason Isbell is often lauded for his immense skill as a songwriter — and rightly so — but he’s also a nimble guitarist who can trade fiery licks with the 400 Unit’s Sadler Vaden when their live shows get loud. On Tuesday, Isbell made it a little easier to get his sound when he unveiled his new signature Fender Telecaster model.
“I think the Telecaster is probably the best guitar design of all time, just because of how durable it is and how versatile it is,” Isbell said in a video introducing the model.
“I think the Telecaster is probably the best guitar design of all time, just because of how durable it is and how versatile it is,” Isbell said in a video introducing the model.
- 5/11/2021
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Grammy-winning musicians Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson have joined the cast of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” that’s set up at Apple.
William Belleau of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and Louis Cancelmi of “The Irishman” have also joined the cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins and Jillian Dion.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is based on David Grann’s novel and is set in 1920s Oklahoma depicting the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.
Isbell is making his acting debut in “Flower Moon” and will play Bill Smith, an adversary of DiCaprio’s character named Burkhart, and Simpson will play an infamous rodeo champion and bootlegger named Henry Grammer. Belleau will appear in the role of Henry Roan,...
William Belleau of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and Louis Cancelmi of “The Irishman” have also joined the cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins and Jillian Dion.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is based on David Grann’s novel and is set in 1920s Oklahoma depicting the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.
Isbell is making his acting debut in “Flower Moon” and will play Bill Smith, an adversary of DiCaprio’s character named Burkhart, and Simpson will play an infamous rodeo champion and bootlegger named Henry Grammer. Belleau will appear in the role of Henry Roan,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Apple Original Films continues to expand the cast for the Martin Scorsese-directed thriller Killers of the Flower Moon.
Joining Leonardo DiCaprio are William Belleau (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) and Louis Cancelmi (The Irishman), along with Grammy-winning singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.
Set in 1920s Oklahoma, Killers of the Flower Moon depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.
Belleau will play Henry Roan, an Osage rancher with close ties to DiCaprio’s Burkhart family. Cancelmi is Kelsie Morrison, a local hustler and friend of Burkhart. Isbell, who makes his acting debut in the film, plays Bill Smith, an adversary of Ernest Burkhart, while Sturgill Simpson joins as infamous rodeo champion and bootlegger Henry Grammer.
Belleau was born in Williams Lake, BC, on Alkali Lake, a small reservation also known to First Nations Secwepemc as Esketemc.
Joining Leonardo DiCaprio are William Belleau (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) and Louis Cancelmi (The Irishman), along with Grammy-winning singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.
Set in 1920s Oklahoma, Killers of the Flower Moon depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.
Belleau will play Henry Roan, an Osage rancher with close ties to DiCaprio’s Burkhart family. Cancelmi is Kelsie Morrison, a local hustler and friend of Burkhart. Isbell, who makes his acting debut in the film, plays Bill Smith, an adversary of Ernest Burkhart, while Sturgill Simpson joins as infamous rodeo champion and bootlegger Henry Grammer.
Belleau was born in Williams Lake, BC, on Alkali Lake, a small reservation also known to First Nations Secwepemc as Esketemc.
- 4/6/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s something utterly unique about all the great new music from the awful year of 2020: Almost none of it has yet been performed in front of a live audience, which makes the recordings feel all the more precious. Our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast rounded up some of last year’s best musical moments over the course of multiple episodes.
To hear the full episodes, press play below, or see all episodes and download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
Jeff Ihaza joined us to go over the year in hip-hop,...
To hear the full episodes, press play below, or see all episodes and download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
Jeff Ihaza joined us to go over the year in hip-hop,...
- 1/29/2021
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
It’s a beautiful day in Grammy land — if you’re Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Phoebe Bridgers, or any of the other artists who deservedly cleaned up when nominations for the 2021 awards were announced. For many others across the world of music, it’s time to call their managers, take a hard look in the mirror, and/or cry out to the heavens in despair and ask how the Recording Academy could have ignored their work. (Anyone who released music between September 1st, 2019 and August 31st, 2020, and filled out the proper submissions paperwork,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Jon Freeman, Dewayne Gage, Joseph Hudak, Claire Shaffer and Simon Vozick-Levinson
- Rollingstone.com
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Indigo Girls are among the next round of performers announced for Live Nation’s Live From the Drive-In concert series. The outdoor, socially distanced shows will be spread across two weekends beginning October 16th at Lot A of Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Isbell leads off the four nights of performances, bringing the 400 Unit out for a Friday, October 16th, show. Isbell is the lone non-Georgia resident among this group of artists, which also includes Blackberry Smoke on October 17th, Indigo Girls on October 23rd,...
Isbell leads off the four nights of performances, bringing the 400 Unit out for a Friday, October 16th, show. Isbell is the lone non-Georgia resident among this group of artists, which also includes Blackberry Smoke on October 17th, Indigo Girls on October 23rd,...
- 9/8/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Jason Isbell will officially release his new album, Reunions, on Friday with a live performance from the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville. The show, an acoustic livestream concert, will air free via fans.com at 8 p.m Et. Viewers are encouraged to make a donation in support of both Isbell’s crew and the MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund.
Isbell’s wife and bandmate, Amanda Shires, will join him for the concert, held in a Brooklyn Bowl devoid of an audience. The venue was scheduled to open this spring, but the March...
Isbell’s wife and bandmate, Amanda Shires, will join him for the concert, held in a Brooklyn Bowl devoid of an audience. The venue was scheduled to open this spring, but the March...
- 5/12/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Jason Isbell appeared on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah on Thursday night to discuss life in quarantine (he’s been playing guitar five hours a day), the state of the music industry (“It’s going to be bad”), and the gradual re-opening of Tennessee, just a week before the official release of his seventh studio album Reunions.
Isbell also performed “Only Children,” a sparse highlight from the upcoming album, accompanied by his wife Amanda Shires on fiddle.
Appearing from his home outside Nashville, Isbell spoke about the toll the...
Isbell also performed “Only Children,” a sparse highlight from the upcoming album, accompanied by his wife Amanda Shires on fiddle.
Appearing from his home outside Nashville, Isbell spoke about the toll the...
- 5/8/2020
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
Good news for fans eager to hear the new Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit album, Reunions: There is now a way to get it early. On Wednesday, the singer announced plans to release the album exclusively to independent record stores in the U.S. and Canada on May 8th, one week ahead of its official street date of May 15th.
Isbell and his label Southeastern Records made the decision as a show of support to independent retailers, many of whom are struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic. Shoppers will have the...
Isbell and his label Southeastern Records made the decision as a show of support to independent retailers, many of whom are struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic. Shoppers will have the...
- 4/22/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
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