About Anders Osborne & Hayes Carll
Singer-songwriters
Anders Osborne's six-string virtuosity, inventive musicality and poetic songcraft underpin an ever-expanding three-decade catalog celebrated by fans and critics alike. The New Orleans-based guitarist and singer-songwriter is headed on tour to promote his latest release, Buddha and Blues. Joining him for part of the tour is country-folk singer-songwriter Hayes Carll. With a career full of critical acclaim and popular success, Carll could've played it safe on his sixth record What It Is, but he didn't. The result is a musically-ambitious and lyrically-deep statement of an artist in his creative prime.
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ANDERS OSBORNE
At one point on his 2019 album, Buddha and the Blues, Anders Osborne sings, “Oh, it’s a miracle we still care. Oh, it’s so wonderful we’re still here. We’re still here!”
He’s not going anywhere either…
Osborne’s six-string virtuosity, inventive musicality and poetic songcraft underpin an ever-expanding three-decade catalog celebrated by fans and critics alike. As a sought-after studio talent, his writing resounds through Keb Mo’s GRAMMY® Award-winning Slow Down, Tim McGraw’s number one “Watch the Wind Blow By,” and covers by Brad Paisley, Jonny Lang, Edwin McCain, Aaron Neville and more. His output live and in the studio spans working with everyone from Eric Church, Toots and the Maytals, and John Scofield to The Meters, North Mississippi Allstars and Galactic. His extensive touring history encompasses gigs, collaborations and performances alongside everyone from Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes and Stanton Moore to the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh and Jackie Greene. Not to mention, he lights up the screen on an episode of the HBO hit "Treme." Plus, he has garnered acclaim from USA Today, Guitar Player, Relix, Offbeat and more.
He also gives back whenever possible via the Send Me A Friend Foundation and through writing music for New Orleans Children’s Museum. A pair of 2016 albums — Spacedust & Ocean Views and Flowerbox — maintained his prolific output at a record pace. Now, 2019’s Buddha and the Blues references the full scope of the creative and personal duality at the heart of everything this maverick does.
“I came up with the title early on, so I knew what the vibe of the record should be,” he explains. “Buddha and the Blues means the duality of our existence.”
As Osborne crafted the music, he pondered an existential struggle we all face. On the one hand, humans do good, but it’s under the expectation of personal gratification. On the other hand, they desire success and wealth, but they attempt to maintain an appearance of humility. This constant push-and-pull led him to write about “not getting lost in a sunken path or idolizing an intangible future, but instead to be present in this moment and to be fully alive.”
These thoughts filtered into the words, especially.
He goes on, “The lyrics are supposed to be true, conversational and uplifting with clean, classic and thumpin’ sounds. That’s what I set out to accomplish.”
In order to do so, he joined forces with “a world-class ensemble” of Waddy Wachtel [guitar], Bob Glaub [bass], Benmont Tench [keys], Windy Wagner-Cromwell [background vocals] and Chad Cromwell [guitar]. Chad also assumed the role of producer. Like “a big brother” to Osborne, the producer and artist leveraged years of friendship, trust and creative kinship to “make a record [they] wanted to do for many years.”
“I didn’t have to push,” admits Chad. “It was his idea to let me ‘drive the bus,’ so to speak. That allowed him to focus on songs and his performances. The freer he is to write, play and sing; the better the record. He really trusted me. To trust someone to help you make a record is an act of faith, it’s a big responsibility to make sure that happens. That’s a mighty thing Anders did, and I appreciate his trust. All signs pointed to this team, this time and this music.”
The setting proved to be as instrumental as the players did. From the beginning, Osborne envisioned making the album in California, but not the big screen vision of Hollywood. It made perfect sense to zero in on a location just far enough from the city. Ojai felt perfect to siphon the soul of SoCal into wistful sun-soaked soundscapes. You can practically hear Ojai in the aural fabric of the album.
“The Southern California vibe was essential to the record,” Osborne continues. “Early on, Chad and I agreed it had to be tracked out there. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and we needed to go out there. You can hear the influence. It’s played with a gentle breeze and tight precision. Cutting it in, Ojai was crucial to achieving the right atmosphere. I usually write with a location in mind, so it helps me stay focused and guides me to craft a body of tunes rather than individual songs.”
That “body of tunes” kicks off with the dusty dynamics of “Alone.” In the pocket of a steady beat, the twang of clean guitar offsets his gruff delivery as the track unfurls towards a discordant guitar lead highlighted by organ.
“‘Alone’ was a meditative prose I wrote in my backyard,” he says. “It had a circular vibe to it, When I added the music, I wanted it to match the poem: a small word with an epic impression.”
Elsewhere, “Escape” captures the tension prior to his California trip with its off-kilter groove and roots-y shuffle. A wail of slide guitar cuts through sunny strumming as an idyllic narrative unfolds on “Traveling with Friends.”
He adds, “I wrote ‘Traveling with Friends’ on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, while on vacation with my family. We had an amazing spot on top of a mountain overlooking a big part of the island and I felt inspired and really grateful. I had a moment of relief from all of my searching and dissonance. I saw us all for what we are — beautiful, fragile and in this tumultuous space trip all together.”
He crafted the perfect soundtrack to the trip with Buddha and the Blues, illuminating his own duality like never before. The message ultimately becomes clear in the music.
“Learn to choose,” he leaves off. “Be happy or continue suffering.”
Check out Osborne's website for more!
HAYES CARLL
The chorus to the title track on the new Hayes Carll album, What It Is, is a manifesto.
What it was is gone forever / What it could be God only knows.
What it is is right here in front of me / and I’m not letting go.
He’s embracing the moment. Leaving the past where it belongs, accepting there’s no way to know what’s ahead, and challenging himself to be present in both love and life. It’s heady stuff. It also rocks.
With a career full of critical acclaim and popular success, Carll could’ve played it safe on this, his sixth record, but he didn’t. The result is a musically ambitious and lyrically-deep statement of an artist in his creative prime.
Carll’s list of accomplishments is long. His third album, 2008’s Trouble In Mind, earned him an Americana Music Association Award for "Song of the Year" (for “She Left Me for Jesus”). The follow-up, KMAG YOYO was the most-played album on the Americana Chart in 2011 and spawned covers by artists as varied as Hard Working Americans and Lee Ann Womack, whose version of “Chances Are” garnered Carll a Grammy nomination for "Best Country Song." 2016’s Lovers and Leavers swept the Austin Music Awards, and was his fourth record in a row to reach No. 1 on the Americana Airplay chart. Kelly Willis and Kenny Chesney have chosen to record his songs, and his television appearances include "The Tonight Show," "Austin City Limits" and "Later w/Jools Holland." Carll is the rare artist who can rock a packed dance hall one night and hold a listening room at rapt attention the next.
“Repeating myself creatively would ultimately leave me empty. Covering new ground, exploring and taking chances gives me juice and keeps me interested.”
He knew he wanted to find the next level. On What It Is, he clearly has.
It wasn’t necessarily easy to get there. Carll’s last release, 2016’s Lovers and Leavers, was an artistic and commercial risk — a bold move which eschewed the tempo and humor of much of his previous work. The record revealed a more serious singer-songwriter dealing with more serious subjects — divorce, new love in the middle of life, parenting, the worth of work. What It Is finds him now on the other side, revived and happy, but resolute — no longer under the impression that any of it comes for free.
“I want to dig in so this life doesn’t just pass me by. The more engaged I am the more meaning it all has. I want that to be reflected in the work.”
And meaning there is. Carll sings “but I try because I want to,” on the album’s opening track, “None’Ya.” He’s not looking back lamenting love lost, rather, finding joy and purpose in the one he’s got and hanging on to the woman who sometimes leaves him delightedly scratching his head. “If I May Be So Bold,” finds him standing on similar ground — lyrically taking on the challenge of participating fully in life rather than discontentedly letting life happen.
"Bold enough to not surrender bold enough to give a damn
Bold enough to keep on going or to stay right where I am
There’s a whole world out there waiting full of stories to be told
I’ll heed the call and tell’em all if I may be so bold."
There’s no wishy washy here and he’s not on the sidelines. In fact, he’s neck-deep in life. On the rambunctious, fiddle-punctuated, “Times Like These,” he laments political division in America while delivering a rapid-fire plea to “do my labor, love my girl, and help my neighbor, while keeping all my joie de vivre.” Carll’s signature cleverness and aptitude for so-personal-you-might-miss-it political commentary is as strong as ever. The stark, “Fragile Men,” co-written with singer-songwriter Lolo, uses humor and dripping sarcasm to examine his gender’s resistance to change in less than three minutes of string-laden, almost Jacques Brel invoking drama. It’s new musical territory for Carll, and the result is powerful. His voice is strong and resonant on these songs and it’s thrilling to hear him use it with a new authority. He is alternately commanding and tender, yet always soulful.
Carll returned to trusted producer Brad Jones (producer of 2008’s Trouble in Mind and 2011’s KMAG YOYO) and Alex the Great Studio in Nashville, Tenn., to record What It Is, and recruited singer-songwriter, author and fiancee Allison Moorer as co-producer. The production is adventurous while keeping the focus on the singer and his songs and providing a path for him to go where he wants to go. Where that is, is forward.
That’s evident in the songwriting. Carll continues to hone his singular voice, but is also a flexible co-writer. Matraca Berg, Charlie Mars, Adam Landry and Moorer have co-writing credits here, but it was Moorer’s inspiration that provided the largest impact.
“On the songwriting front she’s just a pro. She helps me cut through the noise and she does it with wit and style.”
Carll’s own wit and style has never been more evident. Whether it’s with the put-you-in-picture detail of, “Beautiful Thing,” the not quite sheepish enough, dude-esque defense of dishonesty in, “Things You Don’t Wanna Know,” or the strong as a tree trunk declaration of love on, “I Will Stay,” he displays an increasing command of his poetic lexicon.
Writers most often wrestle with experience and expectations, either romanticizing the past or telling us how good it’s going to be when they get where they’re going. What It Is is a record that is rooted solidly in the present, revealing an artist in the emotional and intellectual here and now.
Check out Carll's website for more!
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