9 minute read
THE FRONT
HAYES CARLL ON SANITY, SONGWRITING AND CONNECTING WITH PANDEMIC-ERA AUDIENCES.
Hayes Carll, country/Americana/rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter and Hendrix College graduate (‘98), has had a busy couple of years, pandemic be damned. Carll capped off 2021 with “You Get It All,” a record that jumps to the head of the line of work by a musician with an enviable reputation built over nearly two decades of recording and touring. “You Get It All” opens with a satirical peek at planet Earth from the perspective of a disappointed female God and then settles in with relationship songs: the highlight being “In the Meantime,” a duet with Brandy Clark that calls to mind peak George Jones. “You Get It All” arrives after last year’s “The Alone Together Sessions,” where quarantined Carll revisited and reimagined a selection of his old songs. No surprise, then, that when we spoke to Carll late last year, the art of songwriting came up in conversation.
Before speaking about the new album, you are back on the road now, right? Does it feel normal yet?
We’ve been at it for a minute. We had a few gigs over the summer. The last couple of months we’ve been back on the road, eating not-the-best food and staying at Holiday Inn Express. Does it feel normal? Not really. There are some things that aren’t that different. Like riding a bike, I suppose. It is different from night to night. People seem hesitant. Definitely something as a nation happened. We underwent a huge change.
Are audiences the same as they were before?
I don’t know. I went to see a friend, BJ Barham, doing an American Aquarium show. It was a show I wasn’t performing in. Going out again, I found I’m more of an introvert than I realize. I am not used to being in crowds. I was used to being in my house with my wife, friends and children. [Our circle] got much smaller.
But you didn’t stop completely from performing, did you?
I was out on tour in mid-March 2020 with the “Alone Together” tour. A solo show was the idea. We were in Seattle and we canceled a show and then had to cancel the rest of the tour. Clubs just started shutting down. We had no idea at the time how long it was going to go on. The question is, how to make a living and keep my sanity? It was definitely scary. It was a very strange and, in a lot of ways, troubling time. We started to raise money for the band and crew. We did a Kickstarter. Then I started to do the livestream shows — the “Alone Together” sessions, every Tuesday. We ended up doing 67 episodes. It was a huge thing for me. It was a lifesaver. Even if I couldn’t see the audience, I knew something special was happening. Now I am touring, and every night I will run into a decent part of the audience that was there on those Tuesdays. They are telling me that was their lifeline, not feeling so alone. That’s very special to me.
Hayes Carll
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: My 2000 Gibson J-45. I bought it the day I made my first record, and it’s still my primary guitar.
DAVID MCCLISTER
Talk about “In the Meantime,” the Brandy Clark duet, which sounds like an old school classic country song. How did that collaboration happen?
I wanted to write a country song, a double entendre, heartbreak song. I just had the phrase “in the meantime” in my mind, and I had the chorus. I’d been saving that idea. I got CURRENTLY READING: “How to together with Brandy and pitched it to her. We Write One Song” by Jeff Tweedy. finished it together. I loved what we did. That is an interesting thing about songwriting: If I had FAVORITE TOUR FOOD: It depends written with anybody else, it wouldn’t be what on the city, but probably sushi. it is. There’s some kind of magic and mystery that comes with collaborative work. You have to sync up and get on the same page. When you do, that’s an incredible feeling.
Is “You Get It All” a record with a preconceived theme, or is it a record of the best songs you have on hand at the time?
Every record, I’m expected to have a narrative, but sometimes that doesn’t exist. With this one, I think it was afterwards that I was looking over the record and realized that these are songs about relationships. Whatever that relationship is, that’s the thing they all have in common.
Has your songwriting process changed much over the years?
I’m just trying to figure shit out these days. Todd Snider has this expression, “I don’t write to change minds but to ease my own.” When I started, I was just writing because it was fun to be creative. More and more I take songwriting a bit more seriously. It’s more important to me to have a point. I’m a lot more intentional than I used to be. I’m 45. That is just part of growth and where I am at. — Werner Trieschmann
INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE GUIDE
When we last put together an Arkansas bookstore guide a decade ago, we worried it might soon be worthless. Brick-and-mortar book purveyors seemed moribund, soon to be devoured by ebooks and Amazon. But, hooray, not only have our favorite independent Arkansas bookstores survived, a bundle of new ones have popped up in recent years.
WORDSWORTH BOOKS Little Rock Little Rock’s oldest and largest independent bookstore is an essential destination for Central Arkansas bibliophiles — and the place you’re most likely to run into local literary superstars Kevin Brockmeier, Ayana Gray and Trenton Lee Stewart. It’s cozy and carefully stocked with plenty of signed first editions, an extensive collection of Arkansas books and a delightful children’s nook. 5920 R St., 501663-9198, wordsworthbookstore.com
THE GALLERIES & BOOKSTORE AT LIBRARY SQUARE Little Rock Our employment history in downtown Little Rock has almost entirely overlapped with the lifespan of Central Arkansas Library System’s used bookstore, which means that our bookshelves are filled with finds from its winning selection of half-priced (or more deeply discounted) used books. Open since 2001, the bookstore moved in early 2021 from its original home in the Cox Building across the parking lot to the ground floor of the Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art. That meant a dramatic reduction in floorspace, but not in quality. 401 President Clinton Ave., 501-320-5790, cals.org/the-bookstore-atlibrary-square. DOG EAR BOOKS Russellville Every college town needs a thriving indie bookstore; Russellville got a great one in 2016 when the Young family opened Dog Ear Books. Located next door to Retro Roasts, a coffee shop also owned by the family, Dog Ear specializes in new books with an impressive children’s section full of books and toys, including plush Dog Ear mascot pups with one bent ear and glasses. 110 N. Commerce Ave., 479-219-5123, ilovedogear.com.
BOOKISH Fort Smith With two locations in downtown Fort Smith, Bookish — full name “An Indie Shop for Folks Who Read” — is a stylish and well-curated operation that celebrates local authors. The flagship store in Brunwick Place sells new and used books, gifts and has a growing children’s section. The newer spot in the Bakery District specializes in new books and local presses, and is next door to Fort Smith Coffee Co. and a food truck park. 115 N. 10th, Suite H-119-C, 479-434-2917; 70 S. 7th St., 479-434-8631; bookishfs.com.
BOOKS A PLENTY: (From left) Little Rock bestselling author Ayana Gray and a stack of signed copies of her debut novel, Russellville’s Dog Ear Books, Fayetteville’s Dickson Street Bookshop and Bentonville’s Two Friends Books.
CHAPTERS ON MAIN Van Buren A three-story shop in downtown Van Buren that sells new and used books, Chapters On Main also offers a full-service espresso bar with plenty of seating for lounging or special events. Owned by Alan and Deborah Foliart and their grandson Christian Westbrook and his wife, Malachi, Chapters has a friendly, welcoming vibe. 816 Main St., 479-471-9315, chaptersonmain.com.
DICKSON STREET BOOKSHOP Fayetteville A fixture in downtown Fayetteville since 1978, Dickson Street Bookshop is a required stop for book lovers in Arkansas — and beyond. It’s massive and labyrinthine, home to more than 100,000 used books organized by subject from aeronautics to zoology, and because it’s in a college town, the stock changes often. During the pandemic, the store only buys books for cash or credit by appointment only. 325 W. Dickson St., 479-442-8182, dicksonstreetbooks.com. PEARL’S BOOKS Fayetteville One happy byproduct of the pandemic: people are buying more books. Daniel and Leah Jordan say that their dream for Pearl’s, the bookstore just off the Fayetteville square they opened in October 2021, “became a reality as our understanding of life, work, community and connection began to shift in that fateful month of March 2020.” Pearl’s sells new books and gifts, coffee, wine and beer and pastries and charcuterie. They’ve already hosted a number of events featuring local authors in the well-appointed shop. 28 E. Center St., 479527-6984, pearlsbooks.com
TWO FRIENDS BOOKS Bentonville Another shop that opened amid the pandemic, Two Friends draws its name from owners Monica Diodati and Rachel Slaton (“We don’t know a Phoebe, so it’s just us Two Friends,” they joke), and sells new and used books. Located downtown, the store includes a cafe that sells coffee, tea, wine, beer, pastries and a handful of tasty looking sandwiches. 234 SW 7th St., No. 106, 479-367-2442, twofriendsbooks.com. ONCE UPON A TIME BOOKS Tontitown and Bentonville Literary treasure hunters, don’t sleep on Once Upon a Time Books. With a massive warehouse retail store in Tontitown (technically Springdale), a smaller storefront in downtown Bentonville and an extensive online store, it’s a power player in regional used book sales. If you have at least a box of books to sell, Once Upon a Time will consider them for purchase or trade. For more than six boxes, set up an appointment. 462 E. Henri de Tonti Blvd., 479-927-6001 (Springdale), 116 W. Central Ave., 479-367-2595 (Bentonville), onceuponatimebooks.com.
BLYTHEVILLE BOOK COMPANY Blytheville Stepping into the void left by the closure of That Bookstore in Blytheville, a regional institution for more than 40 years that John Grisham once called his favorite bookstore, Blytheville Book Company sells new books, toys, vinyl records, gifts, Rozark Coffee, tea and beer and wine (happy hour is every day, 4-6 p.m.). Every Saturday at 11 a.m., the shop hosts story time followed by a craft related to the book. 429 W. Main St., 870-763-3333, blythevillebookcompany.com.
