Hayes and the Heathens visit Gainesville

Long-time friends embarking on their first formal tour together stopped in Gainesville for an outdoor show at Heartwood Soundstage . Texas native Hayes Carll has been an Americana hero for decades. He’s won Americana Awards since 2008 and was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. He’s released 8 studio albums, and more recently, some of his songs have been featured in the soundtrack for the Yellowstone TV series (which is basically a Who’s Who of Americana music).

The Band of Heathens are also from Texas and started playing together in 2005. Featuring founders and songwriters Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist, they quickly developed a following. Their folk and country-tinged rock and a 2009 appearance on Austin City Limits led to their Americana Music Awards nomination as “New Emerging Artist of the Year” in 2009 and “Best Duo/Group of the Year” in 2010. They’ve released eight studio albums and a number of live and EP releases. And the rest of the band was spectacular as well, with Trevor Nelson on keyboards, Richard Millsap on drums, and Scott Davis on bass.

Carll had played with the Band of Heathens multiple times over the years, but in October of 2023 they were at a jam party and had so much fun they decided it would be fun to put together a joint tour. The show at Heartwood was only the fourth stop on their new tour and in spite of that, Hayes and the Heathens pulled off a great show after a one-hour rain delay. The crowd waited patiently, and in fact seemed to grow after the rain stopped things after their first two songs.

Kicking things off with the Heathen’s “Jackson Station,” they proceeded to romp through both catalogs. They have written several songs specifically for this tour (and one presumes an album), and the most recent release (last week) has been the un-cautionary tale, “Nobody Dies from Weed.” With great four-part harmony, shared lead singing parts and classic country rock, it’s already doing well on the charts.

Carll did a solo verson of one of my favorite songs, “Beaumont,” with bass player Scott Davis switching to guitar to add some fine backup. Carll’s environmental missive “Nice Things” sounded great with the Heathens assisting, and his “Leave It All Behind” featured some Allman-style twin guitar breaks with Jurdi and Quist. The Heathens did a great version of “The Man in Me”.

Then came another song I had been waiting for, Carll’s “Drunken Poet’s Dream.” One of his songs that was used in “Yellowstone”, it’s almost an anthem for many of his fans.

I got a woman, she’d wild as Rome
Aw, she likes to lay naked and be gazed upon
Well, she crosses a bridge then sets in on fire
Lands like a bird on a telephone wire

I’m gonna holler, and I’m gonna scream
I’m gonna get me some mescaline
She brings me roses and a place to lean
A drunken poet’s dream
A drunken poet’s dream

They did a fine version of the Heathen’s Katrina-inspired “Hurricane,” almost a love song for New Orleans.

I was born in the rain on the Pontchartrain
Underneath the Louisiana moon
I don’t mind the strain of a hurricane
They come around every June

The high black water, a devil’s daughter
She’s hard, she’s cold and she’s mean
But nobody taught her, it takes a lot of water
To wash away New Orleans
Nobody taught her, it takes a lot of water
To wash away New Orleans

They finished off the set with Carll’s “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart.” After returning for an encore, the crowd got a little wistful as Carll sang lead on a Guy Clark classic, “LA Freeway” with great harmony support and the crowd singing along. They ended the night with Carll’s “Stomp and Holler,” a wired Southern rock number.

This tour was a great idea. Jurdi and Quist are fantastic songwriters, and Carll is legendary. The Heathens have a huge cult following; there were people at this show who had driven from North Carolina to Florida just for this event. Jurdi and Quist are also both kick-ass guitar players and singers, and their music drips with Texas influences, just like Carll. They have a number of dates coming up in North and South Carolina before returning to Texas in mid-May. If you get a chance, this is a night of great music from veteran road warriors, together for the first time on tour. Don’t miss it.