Jason Isbell w/Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band Almost half a decade into the clear headedness of sobriety, former Drive-By Truckers frontman Jason Isbell stands as one of the most important voices in American songwriting.

The 37-year-old with deep, northern Alabama roots is a master of the melancholy and uses songs like “Flying Over Water” and “Cover Me Up” from his 2013 masterpiece Southeastern to deliver heartbreaking, astonishingly transparent reflections on the dark times he somehow survived. Isbell admits not remembering a lot of his time with the Truckers, citing being lost in a haze of whiskey and cocaine, and even mentions our neck of the woods on “Travelling Alone,” a highlight from Southeastern.

“Damn near strangled by my appetite in Ybor City on a Friday night,” he sings, “Couldn't even stand upright So high, the street girls wouldn't take my pay…she said come see me on a better day.”

Expect all of that honesty and a lot from his most recent, equally compelling 2015 LP Something More Than Free, at this intimate Clearwater show. Idaho songwriter Josh Ritter brings his quick wit and colorful humor to the opening set, making this a must-see hump day show.

(Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO