On March 2, the Cochrane Alliance Church will be rocking to the acoustic sounds of singer songwriter, Hayes Carll.
“Well, I don’t juggle or do impressions — I should probably get that out there straight away,” wrote Carll in an email. “I do play guitar, tell stories and sing songs about alcohol, depression and sex.”
Known for his clever lyrics and raw, honky-tonk sound, the Texas native is no stranger to the life of a touring musician, travelling from town to town and bedding down in hotel rooms. All of these elements come to play in his latest album, 2011’s KMAG YOYO, named after a military acronym for “kiss my ass guys, you’re on your own.”
While Carll admitted that life on the road is tough, it appeared to be the inspiration he needed to put pen to paper for the album, which garnered the attention of a number of “best-of” lists and music critics.
“Well, when you spend a couple of hundred nights a year on the road, it’s hard to forget,” said Carll, whose Cochrane show is hosted by the Cochrane Valley Folk Club.
The Texan got started in music after getting his hands on his first guitar at the age of 15.
“It was a 12-string Alvarez with only six strings,” he remembered. “I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.
“I had fooled around with rhymes from a pretty early age. Once I learned a little guitar, I started putting them to music.”
He lists great storytellers like Bob Dylan, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson as his influences.
After chalking up a degree in history from Arkansas’ Hendrix College and facing a lack of career choices, Carll began his adventure as a troubadour.
Since then, he’s racked up a fair share of accolades and his song “She left me for Jesus” (from the Trouble in Mind album) was called “the greatest country song ever written” by radio personality Don Imus.
In addition, the southerner had his hand in four songs featured on the soundtrack of the Gwyneth Paltrow flick, Country Strong — both as a writer and a performer.
Carll’s acoustic performance is slated to get underway at 7:30 p.m. March 2, with doors opening at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at cochranefolkclub.com, or in-person at Cochrane Coffee Traders and Phantoms Music, for $25.
