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<\/p>\nGuitarist Sadler Vaden has been a member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit since 2013. He’s part of the Grammy-winning team that made 2015’s Something More Than Free<\/i> and the band’s 2017 album The Nashville Sound<\/i>, both of which earned Album of the Year awards at the Grammys. Each of those albums spawned a single that would earn a Grammy for Song of the Year: \u201c24 Frames\u201d and \u201cIf We Were Vampires,\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n
Vaden doesn’t write songs for the 400 Unit; leader Isbell has that covered. Before joining that group in 2013, Vaden was a member of Kevn Kinney’s Drivin N Cryin. Vaden contributed to a series of four loosely thematic EP the group made: Songs About Cars, Space and the Ramones<\/i> and Songs From the Laundromat<\/i> (both 2012) and a pair of releases from 2013, Songs for the Turntable<\/i> and Songs From the Psychedelic Time Clock<\/i>.<\/p>\n
All Drivin N Cryin releases feature group credit on songwriting, so it might seem difficult to judge from those just how much he contributed in terms of creative input. But as you’ll learn when you keep reading, Kevn Kinney made plain just how an important creative force the guitarist from the South Carolina guitarist was for the band.<\/p>\n
That was clear, too, as Vaden launched a solo career in 2012 with Radio Road<\/i>, his debut EP. He followed that up in 2016 with the full-length album Sadler Vaden<\/i>. And even amid the demands of touring and recording with Isbell \u2013 as well as producing other artists \u2013 the 34 year old musician found time in early 2020 to record and release his second full-length, Anybody Out There?<\/i> The years have only sharpened Vaden’s songwriting and instrumental capabilities. He’s managed to strike a healthy balance between providing musical support for top-notch songwriters and pursuing his own creative vision.<\/p>\n
When I spoke to Sadler Vaden, he was gearing up for a tour in support of his album. No one yet knew that all of the live dates would be postponed or canceled.<\/p>\n
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When I interviewed Kevn Kinney five years ago, he brought your name up. This is part of what he said: \u201cThis guy is a genius. We had him in our band, and I knew that this kid was going to be big. So I wanted to make as many records as fast as I could with the guy while he was with us. You\u2019re going to hear about him for the rest of your career and his career.\u201d <\/b><\/p>\n
Wow \u2026<\/p>\n
What did you learn about songwriting, performing, and just being in a band during your time in Drivin n Cryin?<\/b><\/p>\n
First off, getting compliments like that from Kevn Kinney \u2013 whether they be true or not \u2013 that\u2019s a high honor for me; that\u2019s high praise. And his words mean a lot to me.<\/p>\n
I learned about all<\/i> of those things from being in that band. But I learned so much about the craft of songwriting. I learned how to be a little bit more free onstage, and how to let things happen musically that aren\u2019t rehearsed. Not to say I didn\u2019t know how to improvise before, but most nights, Drivin n Cryin goes out there every night without a set list. So, you\u2019ve got a catalog of over 100 songs to be able to jump in and play.<\/p>\n
And then, in terms of being in a band, it\u2019s \u2026 what\u2019s the word I\u2019m looking for? I commend them for staying together for so long and making it work. And you see what their music means to people. So, I guess I learned that if your music means something to people, you can always go out and play it.<\/p>\n
One thing that Kevn Kinney and Jason Isbell have in common is that they\u2019re both great songwriters. What kind of things have you been learning as a member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit? <\/b><\/p>\n
Well, I\u2019ve put my tried-and-true method of serving the song into full play in that band, because Jason\u2019s such a great songwriter. He\u2019s also a great guitarist, great singer. You know, my role in that band is to be a part of a unit<\/i>. A unit where there\u2019s a lot of different pieces of the puzzle. I\u2019m not the sole lead guitarist or the front man. So, I\u2019ve learned how to really fulfill my sideman role.<\/p>\n
You got your start in a power trio. Obviously, the dynamics of playing in a three-piece are very different from being a guitarist in a five- or six-piece band. When you first started playing with Drivin n Cryin, did you find that you had to modify your playing to \u201cmake room\u201d for other players, or did that come naturally? <\/b><\/p>\n
In a power trio, when I\u2019m singing, I\u2019m playing rhythm guitar. So I didn\u2019t really have to modify it too much, because when Kevn or Jason is singing, I\u2019m still playing some rhythm guitar. Maybe a couple lead lines here and there, lead melody lines.<\/p>\n
But I guess the difference is, when I joined a band that had more instrumentalists, when I wasn’t the only guitar player, I learned a lot about how to not play anything<\/i>. I tell people that my favorite guitar effects pedal is the mute switch.<\/p>\n
Right! Knowing when not<\/i> to play is every bit as important as knowing when<\/i> to play \u2026 <\/b><\/p>\n
Yeah, it\u2019s kind of funny. This is a trick I\u2019m going to let you in on. If you just stop playing and then start playing again, it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re playing a G chord, or you\u2019re starting a solo: it\u2019s amazing either way. People will think it\u2019s amazing. [laughs] Just stop playing, and then start playing again. Anywhere in the song.<\/p>\n
Do you feel the need to write and make your own music in a way that sets it apart from the kind of things that the 400 Unit does?<\/b><\/p>\n
Well, I feel like we\u2019re in the same galaxy. But I don\u2019t consciously go, \u201cI need to set this apart.\u201d I think naturally I make rock ‘n’ roll that\u2019s a little bit different from Jason\u2019s, and probably a little bit different from Drivin n Cryin, too. I think that people can hear influences or hear that there\u2019s some cross-pollination going on there, but no, I don\u2019t really have to try too hard to make it different.<\/p>\n