His bio says he’s from Texas, but singer-songwriter Hayes Carll might as well be an Arkansan.
Carll made his way to Arkansas by way of Conway when he attended Hendrix College in 1998. Since then, he’s spent a lot of time in the state touring and visiting family, and his music is infused with mentions of Arkansas and his experiences here — not to mention his second album, Little Rock, named after a very familiar capital city.
After his college graduation, Carll returned to Texas and gained a following playing in and around Houston and Austin. He signed with Compadre Records and released his debut, Flowers & Liquor, in 2002.
He’s been compared to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, John Prine and Guy Clark. But what sets Carll’s music apart from the seas of Southern-influenced Americana and folk-country singer-songwriters are his smart, irreverent lyrics. In every line is a deliberateness and a stroke of humor, and much of the time, he’s laughing at himself. Take, for instance, “Hard Out Here” from his most recent album, KMAG YOYO: “Everybody’s talking about the shape I’m in. They say, ‘Boy, you ain’t a poet, just a drunk with a pen.’” Then there’s “She Left Me For Jesus” from 2008’s Trouble In Mind, in which Carll details how his lover left him for the messiah (“If I ever find Jesus, I’m kicking his ass”). He’s not only funny, but a brilliant storyteller.
But there’s also, at times, a deep sadness and beauty to his music. In “Beaumont,” off Trouble in Mind, is the story of wishing things could be different; there’s a sense of regret and despair in Little Rock’s “Long Way Home.”
KMAG YOYO, released in 2011, was named the No. 1 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association and received positive reviews from Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and Spin. In 2010, four of Carll’s songs were featured in the film Country Strong starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund (who performed Carll’s songs, one of which was “Hard Out Here”).
Carll visits Rev Room on Friday with Austin, Texas, outfit The Band of Heathens opening. Music for the 18-and-up show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20.