This week at Friday Cheers: Jason Isbell / Horsehead

Music. On an island. On Friday. With sad Alabaman yodel rock and Tom Petty-ish music to listen to.

May 8, 2015; 11:14 AM • by Ross Catrow

Things kick off at 6:00 PM; tickets are $10, and children under 12 are free. Here’s a quick preview of what to expect this week, and, of course, there’s more info on their Facebook page.

— ∮∮∮ —

Jason Isbell

Genre: Sad Alabaman yodel rock
Sounds kinda like: Watching a summer rainstorm from the porch.
Sweet jam: “Elephant”
Listen to the album: Southeastern on rdio »
jasonisbell.com

Steel guitars and yodely vocals are a thing that exists and are a thing that may or may not drive you wild–Jason Isbell provides both. The content of his songs is pretty dark, like something Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter would’ve written. This is fitting as he kind of looks like a young Christopher Walken in some of his press photos.

PS. You might remember Jason from his days with the Drive-By Truckers!

— ∮∮∮ —

Horsehead

Genre: Southern rock
Sounds kinda like: Tom Petty, if you squint your ears
Sweet jam: “Hard Hand to Hold”
Listen to the album: Sypmathetic Vibrations on rdio »
horseheadmusic.com

If you wanna hook me, you throw an organ into your tunes. Add to that some weird, gravely Tom Petty-style vocals, and you’ve got something that I find oddly compelling. Sure, I can’t relate to anything Horsehead sings about–every song seems like it has to do with heartbreak, records, and cigarettes–but hey! I can still drink a beer while nodding along sympathetically.