Amanda Shires
Amanda Shires Addresses ‘Our Problem’ on New Pro-Choice Song
Amanda Shires has never been afraid to showcase her personal life, which has made both her and her husband Jason Isbell entertaining follows on social media. And she’s also outspoken about their politics and personal opinions. In the past few months, Shires has been especially vocal about women’s reproductive rights, particularly abortion rights. She’s never been shy to share her personal experiences with the issue — and she’s willing to write about it, even if it alienates some of her fans. “I’m privileged enough that what little of a career I have, I can’t really fuck it up,” Shires tells SPIN over the phone from her Tennessee home. “What was gonna happen? Less people are gonna come? Good. I didn’t want y’all there anyway.” Last November, Shires teamed with Isbel...
Amanda Shires Offers New Song ‘The Problem’ for International Safe Abortion Day
Amanda Shires’ new song “The Problem,” featuring Jason Isbell, is out today (Sept. 28), to coincide with International Safe Abortion Day. All proceeds from “The Problem” benefit The Yellowhammer Fund, an abortion fund and reproductive justice organization based in Alabama. In a statement, Shire says, “This song is about making tough decisions and not having to go it alone.” Isbell, Shires’ husband and a former Drive-By Truckers member, adds in a statement, “To me, ‘The Problem’ is a song about supporting someone you love through a difficult time It’s about helping without exerting your own will. I support a woman’s right to choose, and I know these choices are never easy.” The lyrics feature a “conversation” between Shires and Isbell that includes: [Shires] I’m scared t...
Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires Mock Van Morrison, Share ‘Into the Mystic’ Cover
Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires shared a new Van Morrison cover… but not before giving a warning first. The married musicians opted for a cover of Morrison’s “Into The Mystic” on Isbell’s I So Lounging show on the Sept. 18 live stream. Given Morrison’s recent behavior — including releasing three anti-lockdown protest songs to the press last week — it was only fitting that Isbell shared a little disclaimer. “There was a time in the past when our dear Van Morrison had such beautiful music, such beautiful songs, that everyone paid attention to him,” Isbell said. “Now that time has passed, and I fear that our dear Van Morrison is still desirous of the attention that he once received. So now he likes to say things, like the government asking you to not give everyone the COVID-19 v...
Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and More Demand Clearance for Campaign Songs
Pearl Jam, R.E.M. Sia, Lorde and more have joined forces with the Artists Rights Alliance to demand that the political parties “establish clear policies requiring campaigns to seek the consent of featured recording artists, songwriters, and copyright owners before publicly using their music in a political or campaign setting,” the Artist Rights Alliance announce in a statement. The letter also points out “the fundamental right of music creators to decide who can use their music and on what terms.” And if they do not comply, the political parties risk legal action. The ARA furthered their point in the following statement: “We’ve seen so many artists and estates dragged into politics against their will and forced to take aggressive action to prohibit the use of their music – usually songs th...
