Jason Isbell is returning to the Shoals this weekend for ShoalsFest at McFarland Park in Florence, bringing a lineup that includes Jeff Tweedy, S.G. Goodman and Willow Avalon. The weekend will also feature a reunion nearly two decades in the making. Isbell will join his former Drive-By Truckers bandmates for a performance of the band's 2003 album Decoration Day in full.
“It'll be a blast. I love playing those songs,” said Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood. “I've missed playing them, you know, because they're his songs, so he took them with him, and there's always been a little sadness of the fact that we don't really get to play ‘Outfit’ or ‘Decoration Day.’”
Isbell joined the Drive-By Truckers in 2001 and remained with the group until 2007. Decoration Day was the first of three studio albums the band released during his tenure and includes “Outfit” and “Decoration Day” written by Isbell. The six time Grammy winner talked about those days with APR's Pat Duggins, during "APR Notebook."
Drive-By Truckers are also known for playing shows without a setlist, making a full-album performance a departure from their typical shows. Hood said Decoration Day includes some songs the band still performs regularly, along with others that have become rarities.
“We've played those songs. Most of those songs get played fairly regularly, although I don't think we've done ‘Your Daddy Hates Me’ in a really long time,” Hood said. “‘Careless’ is an extreme rarity, and ‘Loaded Gun in the Closet’ is definitely a rarity, and is one of my very personal favorite songs Mike Cooley has ever written. I'm so excited.”
The music at McFarland Park is only one part of the weekend. Events surrounding ShoalsFest will also give visitors an opportunity to explore the area's music and arts community. Rocker Gallery is hosting an exhibition featuring photography by Derry deBorja, keyboardist for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Gallery owner Alan Daigre said deBorja's work combines his background in visual art with his career in music.
“Derry deBorja, who is Jason Isbell's keyboard player, of course, is a really incredible photographer and went to art school before he really started getting heavily into music,” Daigre said. “He's got a really interesting background and really has got some great work here in the gallery.”
The gallery will host an opening Friday night featuring a Q&A with deBorja.
