Jason Isbell and his wife, Amanda Shires, were walking around last weekend in Newport, Rhode Island, where they played the Newport Folk Festival. SHIRES: (Singing) Trying not to think of names. SHIRES: I feel like its a little nasally, and I wish it was, like, a little bit lower. On August 9, 2021 And I know I can take it like a man. Warblers and wrens, hymn at my throat, shook and quivering. (SOUNDBITE OF AMANDA SHIRES SONG, HAWK FOR THE DOVE), GROSS: Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. So I started just taking notes on the radio because in 22 songs, [I heard] one womans voice and it was a Carrie Underwood song from six years before that or something. GROSS: Lets take another break here. Its a great song, so I thought wed play some of it. And I am still alive. Im not joking. I was learning orchestra and classical music in school and privately. Why didnt more people show up and speak up? And then you also youve got guys thatll back you up. FRESH AIRs executive producer is Danny Miller. You can call me serious trouble. Amanda Shires, performing during the Americana Awards at Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 22, 2021 in Nashville. But and after you did the main melody part, you get to improvise. ", In the bruising roots rocker "Eve's Daughter," propelled by a tense groove and serrated, scraggy guitar riffs, Shires plays the part of a woman so desperate to expand her horizons and satisfy her hunger that she's unafraid to take risks in the name of escape. We have Olivia Rodrigo and Phoebe Bridgers speaking up, and Ariana Grande. SHIRES: But I like it because I like to imagine like, if he was alive and I got to play this for him, I would be singing Im your Amanda. GROSS: So that was the Highwomen, which is a song performed by the supergroup The Highwomen, which was co-founded by my guest, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile. And from there, he introduced me to Frankie McWhorter. We just couldnt get along. But his voice is much stronger and clearer than it was in the Truckers. SHIRES: I dont know that well, I dont know that I was going to leave or that Jason was going to leave. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. She gets pregnant and wants to have an abortion, although she doesnt feel great about it. I wouldnt go back and change it. She sings of the excruciating awareness of both mirroring and superseding her own mother. On August 9, 2021 my fallopian tube ruptured. She was going to school. Shed been learning to play classical music on the violin at school when her music teacher introduced her to some of Frankie McWhorters fiddle tunes. We try to have as much fun as possible singing a bunch of sad-ass songs, he said from the stage with one of the few grins hed allow himself. Since writing that op-ed, I have had reproductive healthcare that some might call an abortion when I was hospitalized in Texas on August 9, 2021, with a ruptured fallopian tube caused by an ectopic pregnancy. Well, why dont you sing some of it for us? Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires say they've turned in their memberships with the Country Music Association, due to the organization's "failure" to acknowledge the When her distinctive vibrato appears on To the Sunset, as a subtle emotive tool or punctuation in her storytelling, it feels like an electrical charge shuddering through the live wire of her voice. Bergen is a reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek. Because thats not how I go into songwriting. A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. And thats when the fertilized egg stays in the fallopian tube. Wherever you get that support whether in a relationship or friends no matter what you believe, you can believe to support somebody through something hard.. However, Rapinos memo notes that Live Nation and artists can only make vaccines a requirement where permitted by law. Artists performing at government-operated venues in states where lawmakers have prohibited vaccine mandates will be prohibited from enforcing such measures. Thanks., RELATED: Jason Isbell slams Morgan Wallens appearance at Grand Ole Opry: Not surprised Just sad, Jason Isbell on the road, hummingbirds, fan requests and critical thinking in America, Jason Isbell on COVID vaccine mandates at concerts: No, were not taking away your freedom. We would sleep on the floor in the closet there because she would do the night shift, because she would was going to school in the daytime for being a nurse. Thats the percentage of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 who have not had a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalization or death, according to the CDC. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Well close with the opening track from Amanda Shires new album. I know I can take it like Amanda. And I dont know how I feel about that. This fight is about more than just abortion. And you got your start professionally at age 15 playing fiddle with the Texas Playboys. I was doing fine, and then, I was just like no sound would come out of my mouth. All the time, the want, the overwhelming volume of breathing. No more? But through the process of making the record and all the things that go with that, the hours and the tedium, it got easier for us to have conversations, not because we were doing the work of addressing the problems, but because we found common ground on something again, which has always been music and words.. Shires new album, Take It Like A Man, includes several songs she wrote that came out of a difficult period in her marriage to Jason Isbell. Home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974, the Ryman earned the moniker \"Mother Church of Country Music\" as the genres of country and bluegrass developed on its stage and found a national audience on radio and television. When Shires was in the hospital giving birth to their daughter, Mercy, in 2015, she had to disclose to her doctor, with her husband and mother in the room, that shed had an abortion. GROSS: Oh, thats so funny. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. And he was there for 25 years. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires perform at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. My guest, Amanda Shires, is a singer, songwriter and fiddle player. So I would be studying my pieces. The spurs of hip bones Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Thats abundantly clear on his breakout new album, Southeastern, one of the years best in any genre. And then in my mind I thought, well, if he couldnt hear the frequency of my voice before, maybe he could hear it through music, you know? OK. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Kitty Eisele adapted it for the web. Oh, I could have crowed. SHIRES: Yes. Theyve ended shows with Neil Youngs Like a Hurricane or Van Morrisons Into the Mystic. Tonight its the Rolling Stones Cant You Hear Me Knocking, and its ecstatic. It goes, (singing) I woke up this morning, and I looked out my door. While Shires might not have set out to make an album that reminds us of the power of women pursuing their own impulses, desires and ambitions with abandon, that perspective enlivens this bracing 10-song set. GROSS: Well, I want to take a short break here. Ninety-five percent of study participants who did have an abortion still stood by their decision. On August 9, 2021 my fallopian tube ruptured. It could be something you played. Shires would go on to make a name for herself, both as a solo artist and as the founder of the country supergroup The Highwomen, which includes Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby. And so I got to do that basically because I was willing to work in a group and play a part and do just that thing and show up on time. And because of that, I felt like we should make it something thats as safe as it can possibly be. I could tell my milk cow I could tell by the way she lows. All rights reserved (About Us). And I know that he likes to help. Im glad to hear it. Interracial marriages cant happen. Privacy rights are going to be gone. Theres not a lot of filler, not a lot of songs I would skip through, he says. And (laughter) I, like, played the part. And I said, OK. And then I fell in love. GROSS: Were you nervous about being on stage or just about singing? And I was really into that. The subject isnt talked about enough, Shires says. I also received responses from trolls. I was like, Thats what I want to do, because you play this song and then you get to improvise you just play what you feel within the chord. It doesnt have to be Im Your Man. I just know that youve done that. I didnt believe it. Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Sunshine returns to SoCal on Thursday but cold temps stick around, AccuWeather: AM showers before a mild afternoon, Opening arguments heard in court for 2020 Conway fatal shooting that killed a 19-year-old. Look at Texas' Primary. Never one to shy away from his beliefs, Isbell implored his fellow man, in Alabama or otherwise, to get vaccinated, that is, if they wanted to see him perform in person, hoping to make a difference. Do you think you would have been able to have the surgery if abortion had already been banned in Texas? Thank you for your songs. I recorded my interview with her last week. And we met. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. And then, we did it, sing the song. But it was true. SHIRES: Yeah. The most-watched episode was from April 8th, filmed the day after John Prine And how did you figure out what you wanted your point of view to be, you know, like, who the song would be about? Where does that get us with our Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights? That way, there could be a more kind of a wider effort to try and have the conversation with folks and realize that youre not alone. Where are our Nashville folks? When I would write the songs, I dont know whats going to come out, but sometimes I was just so down that the only way I could get better was to take it out on writing a song., Shires sings and plays fiddle throughout this interview. SHIRES: Theres this song called Milk Cow Blues. Its blues, you know? She performs in several settings and has received awards in each of them. And we had a TV that wed watch, you know, Saturday Night Live on Saturdays. Shires has released seven solo albums starting in 2005, her most recent being Take It Like a Man in 2022. So theres thinking my thinking is that my granddad married my grandmother knowing that she was pregnant with somebody elses child. Its a lot like writing a song about it. And we would be quiet so that she wouldnt get in trouble because it was a lot then to be a single mom and deal with the difference in pay for men versus women. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. But I had about seven different album sequences going on. If writing came easier sober, playing live was terrifying at first, he says. Lets get back to the interview I recorded last week with singer, songwriter and fiddle player Amanda Shires. And this is after some kind of nebulous argument. There were probably 2,500 people, and Im just standing there with a guitar, elevated and facing everyone. Its pretty obvious.. And in this certain period of time, there was a lot. In 2020, The Highwomen won album of the year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony. And she also plays in her husband, Jason Isbells, band. Video Playlist: Drive-By Truckers Play Pared-Down Southern Rock, You can still find those adventures if you surround yourself with the right people, Isbell tells Rolling Stone, sitting at a picnic table on the roof of the Port City Music Hall in Portland, Maine, where hell perform in a couple of hours, a few days after his Newport set. It is not trapped in your throat. The next time Jason Isbell told Amanda Shires he wanted to quit, she began talking with his manager about facilitating a trip to rehab. However, the "night-before bender" nearly broke them. Shires told WNYC Studios, "He wanted to do every drug, drink every thing, drink the moonshine, all the late night stuff, it was crazy. SHIRES: I just I have never been a fan of the way my voice sounds. AMANDA SHIRES: (Singing) Youre leaving now through the hole of an argument. And it took me back to the reason I came to writing and doing music in the first place, which is expression and trying to do something for me that could make me make sense, I guess. This part of my life and our marriage was difficult and it took me back to the reason I came to writing and doing music in the first place, which is expression, she says. Im your man. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Amy Salit, Phyllis Myers, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Heidi Saman, Therese Madden, Ann Marie Baldonado, Thea Chaloner, Seth Kelley and Susan Nyakundi. And if you want another kind of love, Ill wear a mask for you. As they talked, Isbell was struck with a realization. You can say I lost my grip. But anyway so I went and I sat down in my barn of internal wandering. And she came over and I showed her. Like, dont cry; dont show your emotions; be stoic; be strong; everything else is weakness. (Playing fiddle). And I was still dealing with all of it two and a half weeks later. ISBELL: (Singing) And all I could think to say was. They do tell you that going out and helping other people really helps you a lot. And I was like, my granddad was in Alcatraz? Trending SHIRES: I didnt know I was going to work it into a song until I got to the to writing it. And how come you didnt know before? GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. And I was thinking about how much the stories matter. During the #MeToo moment, much emphasis has been rightly placed on the need for women to guard themselves against the unrestrained appetites of male perpetrators. I cant see a thing from here. And I got awarded a scholarship to be able to go to those. Shes not really a rock & roll kid, for lack of a better term. And Frankie and Lanny, my teachers we were at Lannys house the first time Tommy came over, and then, I met him. In Portland, he led the band (including his wife on fiddle) through charging, heartfelt songs that often sounded like the cavalry was coming. Related feeling fine but well have to cancel the next few shows, He then shared his symptoms and expressed his gratitude for getting vaccinated: Lotta sinus drainage type stuff, scratchy in my throat and some muscle aches but no cough or breathing issues fyi. Too caught up in the way I want you rolling over me. AL.com spoke to Isbell last September about when he decided implementing these COVID restrictions at his shows was the right thing to do, how this stance has affected the relationship with some of his fans, what its like to finally hit the road and play again and what it will take for Alabama to have a change of heart on getting vaccinated. And that, to me, was incredible, because they had abortions in what was a pre-Roe v. Wade environment and theyre only now sharing their stories for the first time. And when I would write these songs, it was never in my mind, oh, I have to record them. GROSS: Oh, yeah. We found music, and then being in the Shoals area just gave us an early look at all the places music can take you. SHIRES: And I think Sheryl Crow plays bass on that one. Then I told my friend Dave Cobb about my idea and he really liked it, and he said, Im going to have you meet Brandi Carlile. And I think they probably had conversations that you would, if you were that close to each other, about that stuff and didnt bring it up. I dont care if somebody wants to put a target on me. In the first half of the 20th century citizens from every walk of life gathered at the Ryman to enjoy the greatest preachers, entertainers, speakers and politicians of the day. And it also made me stronger in the fact that I could feel comfortable singing about it and talking about it. SHIRES: Oh, yes, Mercy is my daughter. Isbells grandfather and uncle were both musicians, says Tompkins on the phone from Nashville. Maybe I was asking for a little too much. I was gifted as a girl. He still cant seem to notice when the dishwashers unloaded and all the dishes are put away. Ive found and scrounged and continued to for every interview that hes done in any form and any language. Also, during this time when I was leaving, I was thinking about how [my daughter] Mercy picked up a kazoo and she could play a kazoo. ISBELL: (Singing) Im on your side. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Thank you for performing for us. If you see my milk cow, please drive her on home cause I had no milk and butter no since my cows been gone. People forget, Shires says. McWhorter, who had played fiddle in Bob Wills band, became her teacher, and when Shires was just 15, he asked her to join The Texas Playboys. I dont understand why its such a big issue, as big of an issue as it is. And any policing will disproportionately affect people of color, low-income folks and other marginalized groups. "I'm daring to do what she couldn't bring herself to do," Shires ruminates, shadowed by her own feathery harmonies. Amanda Shires has become a coveted presence at the intersection of nervy artistry and activism, folk and country acclaim, rock attitude and Nashville influence. I want to talk with you about The Highwomen. It was love at first listen, Shires says of the fiddle songs. GROSS: Oh, I wish he could have heard you do it. And he married my grandmother. Its not more threatening than the idea of taking away the services and the work that doctors and nurses do. And even on the charts, theres one spot usually I think in 2016, there was 13% representation of women to men on country radio, and now it still sits pleasantly at 16% on a good week. And one day we wound up in the studio and we cut the song. 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