FARGO — When Hayes Carll takes the stage at Sanctuary Events Center Tuesday night, don’t expect a repeat of the last time he played here.
At that 2011 Aquarium show, fans showed their appreciation for the American singer/songwriter by bringing him shots to the stage. He obliged to the point where he couldn’t finish the encore and quietly walked off the stage unable to play.
The singer doesn’t recall much about that show, but remembers coming to Fargo. It was a long time ago, after all, and Carll has come a long way since.
That is evident on his latest album, his 10th, “We’re Only Human,” a call to be more understanding and forgiving.
“I spent a long time thinking I had it figured out and as I got older, I realized I don’t,” he said from his home in Nashville, Tennessee.
The album is inspired by life events, a divorce, his son turning 22 and his own upcoming 50th birthday in January.
“I looked around and a lot of life has happened. I was taking stock of where I was at,” he said. “I’ve struggled my whole life discussing things. I didn’t feel like doing the work. I felt like I couldn’t avoid this conversation any more. I was in a loop of distraction and avoidance.”
He doesn’t get into specifics talking about his experiences or even in the songs, but the topic of self-care and finding peace of mind runs through the new album, from the opening title track to “One Day” and “I Got Away With It.”
He never blames outside forces, but rather acknowledges the decisions he made — and even the ones he didn’t — and recognizes he can do better. Likewise, he doesn’t lecture and keeps the tone from getting too heavy with a wink, like on “Good People (Thank Me).”
“I never wrote from a place of discovery or healing. It crystalized what I wanted to write,” he said. “It was a really powerful experience for me. I was trying to figure out why I long for some peace that has avoided me for so long.”
A native of Houston, Carll broke out nationally with his third album, 2008’s “Trouble in Mind,” and was celebrated for combining melodies with heartfelt and humorous lyrics with a droll, Southern drawl. His songs ranged from rambling roadhouse rave-ups (“Down the Road Tonight” and “KMAG YOYO”) to bohemian boogies (“Drunken Poet’s Dream,” “Hard Out Here” and “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart”) and sentimental ballads (“Beaumont” and “Long Way Home”).
He gained a level of infamy for his comic tune, “She Left Me for Jesus,” sung from the perspective of a guy feeling insecure comparing himself to his ex’s new interest. It included the chorus, “She says I should find him/ And I’ll know peace at last/ But if I ever find Jesus/ I’m kickin’ his ass.”
The number was the Americana Music Association’s Song of the Year in 2008. He would go on to see his music used in TV shows and movies (five times on “Yellowstone”) and earn a 2016 Grammy nomination for Best Country Song with “Chances Are,” as recorded by Lee Ann Womack.
Contributed / Joshua Black Wilkins
He found himself in country music tabloids when he hooked up with singer Allison Moorer after she left her husband Steve Earle in 2014. Earle took a swipe at Carll in 2017, saying Moorer left him for, “a younger, skinnier, less talented singer-songwriter.” Carll responded later playing an unnamed song live with the lyric, “I think she left you because you wouldn’t shut your mouth.”
Of local note, it was Earle who first brought Carll to Fargo in 2010 as an opener for his Fargo Theatre show.
Carll and Moorer married in 2019 after she co-produced his album, “What It Is.” They divorced this past summer.
Carll has long enjoyed musical collaborations, writing with Texas country greats Guy Clarke, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jim Lauderdale and more. In 2024 he co-wrote and recorded “Hayes & The Heathens” with Austin, Texas, act Band of Heathens and took that show on the road.
“It was really liberating. I recovered my enjoyment of writing, playing and singing,” he said. “It got me in a better place to write more personal.”
He closes out “We’re Only Human” with the gospel-tinged affirmation “May I Never,” enlisting musical friends like Hubbard, Nicole Atkins, Darrell Scott, Shovels & Rope and Gordy Quist and Ed Juri of Band of Heathens to sing a verse or join in on the chorus.
“A lot of these songs are mantras, prayers and reminders,” Carll said. “Like any good life lesson, it carries more weight when you have people you respect and love deliver that message. It hits different to have those people express that.”
What helped him get to his current state of contentment? Therapy? Counseling?
Again, Carll won’t get into specifics, though part of the equation may be found in the title and lyrics to “High.”
“I’ve done it all. What helped me the most was to just still my mind,” he said. “For most of my life my mind has been racing. I’d do anything to avoid being myself. In the long term, it was unstable. I needed to address that.”
He credits meditation and journaling with aiding his path of self-discovery, something he approaches, “with honesty and walking the walk.”
“It was a beautiful journey for me,” he said.
What: Hayes Carll with Aaron Raitiere
When: 8 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Sanctuary Events Center, Fargo
Info: Tickets for this all-ages show are $33, plus fees.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.inforum.com ’
