Hayes Carll - Tonight Show performance, 01/21/11

The Hayes Carll performance on The Tonight Show last night turned out to be a bit of a Who's Who for the Texas/Red Dirt music scene. Featured in the lineup were Travis Linville, a well respected guitarist who also does great solo work, as well as Houston-turned-Austin-rocker John Evans, on baritone guitar.

With the new album and his connection to the movie Country Strong, Hayes Carll looks to have strong prospects for a very successful 2011, and this was a great way to start.

Note: Video won't play in Google Reader, but should work fine on Windfarm itself.

HC - KMAG YOYO EPK

Yes, that's way too many acronyms. Nonetheless, check out the Electronic Press Kit for Hayes Carll's new record, KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories). Record is out Feb. 15th, 2011.

In addition, Hayes just announced on his Facebook that he'll be playing the Tonight Show one week from tonight, on Friday, January 21st. Well deserved.

New Hayes Carll! KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) out 02/15/11

Great news! New Hayes Carll Album, KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) will be released Feb. 15, 2010. And no, I don't have any idea what the title means. Preorder is available now here (or click the image).

West Texas area music calendar

Lots of great shows coming up around West Texas the next few weeks. Here are a few good ones I know about. Send West Texas area music listings to windfarmblog(at)gmail(dot)com if you want your show listed on Windfarm.

Go see Lucero in Lubbock this Sunday if you can. They are one of the better touring bands who regularly visits the Hub City, and even better, The Lusitania will be opening.

Lubbock
Oct. 8 - Hayes Carll - Blue Light
Oct. 10 - Lucero, The Lusitania - Bash Riprocks
Oct. 12 - Thrift Store Cowboys - Blue Light (CD Release)
Oct. 15 - Wovenhand - Bash Riprocks

Midland/Odessa
Oct. 14 - Eli Young Band - Dos Amigos
Oct. 21 - The Deftones - Dos Amigos

San Angelo
Oct. 15 - The Derailers - Steel Penny Pub

Abilene
Oct. 16 - Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - Lucky Mule Saloon

Alpine/Marfa
Oct. 7 - Dale Watson - Padre's
Oct. 8 - Jon Langford - Railroad Blues
Oct. 8 - The Gourds - Padre's
Oct. 9 - Jon Langford - Padre's
Oct. 15 - The Derailers - Railroad Blues
Nov. 3 - Monotonix - Padre's
Nov. 19 - Ray Wylie Hubbard - Railroad Blues
Dec. 3 - Black Joe Lewis - Padre's

Hayes Carll - The Blue Light Lubbock, 10/08/10

Live singer/songwriter music in West Texas tends to be in the Texas Country/Red Dirt vein and rarely includes artists with a broader Americana appeal. However, if you're patient, some great acts will come through the region eventually.

In this case, one of the best up-and-coming roots rockers on the circuit, Austin-based Hayes Carll will be at the Blue Light in Lubbock this Friday, Oct. 8th, 2010. I've seen Hayes a number of times, and his shows are always well worth the money. Not only is he a great songwriter, but perhaps even better, he is a great storyteller between songs. Who knows how much of that he'll be doing given the sometimes loud Blue Light environment, but I suspect you'll get a great show nonetheless.

Last I heard, Carll was in the process of working on a new record, although I've heard no details about that release. Hear "Drunken Poet's Dream" by Carll and cowriter Ray Wylie Hubbard in the video below. And please check him out at the Blue Light this Friday.

Hayes Carll - Denver, CO, 02/03/10

(Image from HayesCarll.com)

The long-anticipated (for me at least) return of Hayes Carll to Denver was essentially everything I had hoped it would be. I chose not to see him open for Steve Earle in my own backyard of Boulder yesterday, as my hope was that I would get to hear a lot more of Carll's songs at his solo show in Denver. That turned out to be one of the better decisions of the decade thus far, as he played a solid 75 minute set, as opposed to the 30 minutes he was playing with Earle.

For some bands, 30 minutes is the perfect length, but for someone like Hayes Carll, who has three albums of great material, the longer set is needed to keep from coming away from the show saying "I just wish he had played...." Though he was clearly fighting off a bit of laryngitis, Carll never complained to the audience or tried to cut the show short on account of any vocal problems. It didn't affect the show other than not hitting a few high notes, which wasn't really what any of us were there to hear anyway.

As is one of his strong points, Carll managed the audience very well. At times, the crowd volume crept up a bit too loud, and rather than being the pretentious songwriter who tells everyone to be quiet, he simply told good stories (of course in his dry and sarcastic tone) and got everyone to listen, so the problem fixed itself. It's the only show I've been to in Colorado where the performer mentioned Texas and people cheered.

Carll mentioned at one point that this was the first time he had played a solo show in Denver, and so it was all the more impressive that the Walnut Room was sold out for this first headlining gig. A large number of older folks were in attendance, or as Carll noted, his primary fan demographic of "65 to 80 year-old men." However, there were also a good number of younger people who, if they were in Texas, would be classified as the "Texas country crowd," but since it's Colorado, they are not quite so annoying or fratty and fall into more of a general classification of Americana fans. Plenty of Ray Wylie Hubbard and Ragweed shirts were to be seen. Oddly the guys who cheered the loudest when Carll talked about Arkansas, because they had apparently gone to the same college as him, decided that they were such big fans that they should talk through the entire show. It was okay though because they were talking about how cool they were.

At one point, Hayes said that he was getting ready to release a new album in the spring, and after a short pause, followed that with "of 2013." Hopefully we won't have to wait quite that long, but given his typical 3 years between albums, it may be well into 2011 before we hear a new record. Nonetheless, he played 3 new songs in his set that indicate he's got a fair amount of good material in the works.

Lost Highway definitely has a good thing going with Hayes Carll, and judging from the crowd he drew, he has used the label to his advantage in building a strong base of Americana fans across the country. Never pretentious and always humble, Hayes Carll is one of the finest young songwriters in the country, and I look forward to many great albums to come.


Setlist for the Walnut Room show:
Beaumont
Drunken Poet's Dream
Wild as a Turkey
I Got a Gig
Rivertown
Morrissey Falls in Love at First Sight
It's a Shame
Arkansas Blues
Little Rock
Girl Downtown
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Willing to Love Again
Flowers and Liquor
Knockin' Over Whiskeys
New song
New song
New song
Easy Come, Easy Go
She Left Me for Jesus
Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long

Encore
Bad Liver and a Broken Heart
Down the Road Tonight

Hayes Carll returning to Denver

Ever since he came through Denver as an opener for the Old 97s a couple of years ago, I've been anxiously awaiting Hayes Carll's return to Denver. Recently, I found out that he would be touring with Steve Earle and playing the the Boulder Theater in early February. While initially excited, I was a little bummed thinking about how expensive it would be to see Carll, as I would have to pay $35 or more just to see him open the show for Steve Earle. Not that I wouldn't want to see Steve Earle, but I've seen him in the last year, and don't really have much interest in paying that much to see him again so soon.

BUT, there's a happy ending to this story. As it turns out, during an off night on the tour, Hayes Carll will be playing his own show at the Walnut Room in Denver on February 3rd. As you might expect, this show will be much cheaper than the Boulder show, and hopefully he'll play a longer set than he's playing as Earle's opener.

Whether you prefer the show with or without Steve Earle, I can't recommend Hayes Carll highly enough. He has gone from a guy touring across the country by himself in his car to one of the more respected songwriters in Texas, all in the span of less than 10 years. Carll's 2008 Lost Highway Records debut Trouble In Mind stands as one of the albums that I still can't stop listening to. Having lost touch with his music for some time in the mid '00s, I happened to catch a free show of his at Stubbs in Austin a couple of years ago, and the song "Beaumont" brought me back to his music in an instant. Trouble stands as one of the strongest LPs released in the last 5 years, and if you've not heard it I highly recommend you check out the previously mentioned "Beaumont," as well as "Drunken Poet's Dream" and "It's a Shame." The album includes a number of strong covers as well, including "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart" and Tom Waits' "I Don't Wanna Grow Up."

In short, consider what you are missing if you don't see Hayes Carll in Boulder or Denver on Feb. 2nd or 3rd, respectively, as he hasn't been here since June 2008, and it's not worth waiting two more years for another live show. And try not to get too confused by the fact that he has a first name for a last name and a last name for a first name.

(Photo courtesy of Hayes Carll's Web site.)

Update: Review of Hayes Carll's Denver show here.

Hold out your hand

Check out a number of new recordings:
from lots of great artists on the Coal Country Music compilation. Performers include Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, John Prine, Justin Townes Earle and many others. Proceeds go toward helping to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.

You should do yourself a favor:
and go check out the just-posted Lucero Daytrotter session.

If you're a fan of Son Volt:
check out drummer Dave Bryson's tour blog.

Man this song gets stuck in my head:
Not sure what's going on the video, but it's still a great song. Monsters of Folk - "Say Please."

Another cool blog I just ran across:
called Superlative Lunacy. Lots of good retro pictures and great songs posted as well.

So many amazing spring shows announced recently:
02/02 - Steve Earle w/ Hayes Carll - Boulder Theater, Boulder (honestly a bit more excited about the opener)
02/13 - St. Vincent - Bluebird Theater, Denver
02/17 - Guy Clark - Swallow Hill, Denver
02/19 - Justin Townes Earle - Bluebird Theater (headlining tour), Denver
04/20 & 04/21 - Avett Brothers - Boulder Theater, Boulder

For Rent, Spelling Proficiency Optional:

3 albums I should have reviewed last year

As I note from time to time, the usual music listener doesn't exactly get to listen to new albums right away, and sometimes it takes a while to get around to everything you want to listen to. Not everyone gets advance copies of the album and then has the time and ability to write a snide review about it after two listens (you know to whom I refer).















Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind

Hayes Carll's new material came back onto my radar about a year and a half ago when I had the opportunity to see him at a free show in Austin. I had seen him perform solo before, and loved his stage presence, but had lost interest as some of his more recent material I had heard sounded very "roadhouse," I guess you could say. But to be honest, I didn't exactly give it much of a chance. However, that all changed at this live show when I heard him play "Beaumont" off of his new album. This track is an amazing standout among great songs, and on its strength alone I was drawn back to giving Carll another listen. Suffice to say, I'm glad I did. Trouble is a fantastic collection of 15 songs, with a number of gems that include "Drunken Poet's Dream" and "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart." Another great moment on the album is the cover of Tom Waits' "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," and true to form, Hayes shows his comedic writing abilities on "She Left Me for Jesus." This album may be one of the best Americana albums released in the last 5 years or so.















DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling

As is standard practice, DeVotchKa never ceases to show me how much more they know about music than I do. My first few listens of AMAFT left me wondering exactly what it was they were doing rather than wanting to hear more. As with most any album that I am not immediately drawn to, I put it aside for a time. I think some of my initial distaste was from my dislike of the first single "Transliterator," which I'm still not a huge fan of. However, I've come to recognize that the album has many strengths. It took listening to the songs toward the end to hook me on the album, as I consider "New World" and "Undone" to be the strongest tracks by far. Additionally, "Head Honcho," a remake from Super Melodrama, "Along the Way," and "A Clockwise Witness" are standout tracks that make this a work that shows DeVotchKa's strengths as a band and firmly hold AMAFT in place along with their best work to date.














Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - The Lonesome Dirge

If you have found the common theme among these albums yet, then you get the award. Yes, they are mostly albums that just didn't take for me right away, and the latest from Rodney Parker is no different. The more I listened to this album, however, the more irresistible it became. One can hardly have any difficulty rocking along with the band's cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City," or playing train beat air drums along with "Firefight," but the rest of the album takes a bit longer to sink in. At times, I found myself trying to figure out exactly what was up with the guitar shredding on "Brother," but now I generally accept that it just rocks a little country and a little bit of 1983 at the same time. No one ever said there was anything wrong with that. The Lonesome Dirge is extremely well produced, but not overly so, and the rhythms on the album make it a strong listen that sets it apart from other Americana records. This album is a great record to drive to, so what more do you need to know?

Surely not?

While randomly searching for Hayes Carll and what he is up to these days, I ran across this blog that says that he is releasing a Neil Diamond tribute album on 5/5/09. I don't have a problem with it if he is releasing such an album, but I can't find anything else about it, as the story that they cite as the news source is a broken link. I'm going to lean toward the opinion that this might not be true until I get confirmation from a few more places. In the meantime, I guess I'm just helping to spread news that may just be a rumor.

Old 97s live at the Gothic Theatre in Denver (Englewood), CO

It always feels good to see a good solid Old 97s show. Caught them last night in Denver, and as always, they delivered. For a band that never really gets that much radio play, they have really built a following off of their great albums and solid live shows over the years.

Kind of funny how, even though they are done with major labels, likely for good, they have this solid fan base of people in the range of ages from about 30-45, who incidentally are a demographic that has money. Hence, I would speculate that touring and merch sale income may be as good for them as it has ever been.

Hayes Carll, who I've seen a number of times, but many years back when he was still playing solo, did a great opening set. His music is really growing on me. The songwriting is top notch, and I think he's found a good sound for his voice. (although take a little bit of the roadhouse sound out and it would be absolutely perfect, in my opinion.) Before him, I Love Math, featuring Philip from Old 97s and members of the Deathray Davies, played a short opening set...which I missed. and am really bummed about. Saw them about 4 years ago and loved the show, so I'm really sorry I didn't get to see it.

The 97s were obviously pushing their new record, so lots of material off of that. Sorry not to hear the best song off of that album "This Beautiful Thing," one of Murry's songs, but the new album has got some great material. As with any Old 97s show, they push the new stuff, always mixing in the older stuff. Through that process they figure out what's great live and what's less great, and next time you see them, they'll have the new stuff more fine-tuned and cut out those that don't get the crowd's attention.

Now this is not in order, but since I'm an official Old 97s junkie, here's the set list they played off of each album:

Hitchhike to Rhome:
Stoned (it's just not the same in Denver as a Dallas show, where everyone sings along)

Wreck Your Life:
Victoria
Big Brown Eyes

Too Far to Care:
Timebomb
Barrier Reef
Salome
Big Brown Eyes
Niteclub

Fight Songs:
Lonely Holiday
Indefinitely
Crash on the Barrelhead (this made my night)
Valentine

Satellite Rides:
Rollerskate Skinny
Question

Drag It Up:
Won't Be Home
Smokers
The New Kid

Also, to start the encore, Rhett played "Come Around," from his first solo album The Instigator, and "Wave of Mutilation" by the Pixies and "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones.

Like I said, lots of stuff from the new album, which I won't list off, but overall a fantastic show. Hope they stay on the road a while with this one and maybe come back through town.