Jason Isbell reinvents himself with the 400 Units

For almost six years singer/songwriter and guitarist Jason Isbell was a pivotal part of the Drive-By Truckers, writing tunes and contributing heavily to a series of successful releases.

But since leaving in 2007, Isbell has been honing his own work, and now heads a new band known as Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. They'll be doing an in-store appearance at Grimey's Monday, one day before their new CD is officially released.

While Isbell says that his parting with his former band was an amicable one, he adds that in some ways he's able to do some new and different things with his own group.

"I knew what the Truckers wanted and had gotten very familiar with their style and sound, so I tailored a lot of the things I wrote to fit what they wanted to do," Isbell said. "At the same time being with them certainly helped me as a writer. But with the new band we're able to try some things musically that I wouldn't have attempted in another situation.

“The main thing that I wanted to avoid was the whole audition thing. I just wasn't up for any of that. Fortunately I knew all these guys and was able to get them in the group and establish something strong musically fairly quickly."

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit was recorded at the celebrated Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., not far from Isbell's home town of Greenhill. It's a great showcase for both his gritty, soulful singing and blues-tinged guitar work, but Isbell also emphasizes that "it's a group record, not just about me or what I'm doing."

The single "Seven-Mile Island" is already available on their MySpace page (you can also hear Isbell music and get info on Facebook, iTunes, iMeem and iLike) and other tunes like "Cigarettes and Wine," "The Blue" "No Choice in the Matter," "Streetlights" and the harder-edged cut "Soldiers Get Strange" are numbers that reveal the band's ability to mix and merge idiomatic references without ever sacrificing cohesion or energy.

"All these guys have played in a lot of groups and really listen to many different types of music," Isbell continued. "These days I don't know too many people out there who only listen to country or only listen to hip-hop or world. There are so many things out there that it's impossible not to be influenced by different styles and silly not to utilize them in the writing."

Besides Isbell, other members of the 400 Unit include keyboardist Derry DeBorja, bassist Jimbo Hart, guitarist Bronan Lollar and drummer Matt Pence.

Isbell cites Wilco, Calexico, Iron & Wine, Radiohead, Jay-Z and Outkast as personal favorites. A veteran of the road, Isbell and company already have about three and one half months worth of engagements booked, and he estimates they'll play about 200 dates before the end of the year, a pace that he's maintained since beginning his solo career.

"Sure, there are times when you get tired of the grind, and that's when you know you've been on the road too long," Isbell said. "But this is your job as well as your life and something you love. People get up every day and go to work doing things a lot harder and less enjoyable than playing music, so there's no way I'd ever complain about what we do."

He's now concentrating on the band material, but Isbell says he's also got some material that he'd eventually like to try out in some other collaborative settings. But for now, everything's keyed around the 400 Unit, which he feels is "a great band that's only going to get better."

Who: Singer/songwriter and guitarist Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Where: An in-store appearance at Grimey's New and Preloved Records, 1604 Eighth Ave. S.

When: 6 p.m. Monday

Cost: Free

Info: 254-4801