From the studio rock of James McMurtry’s recent albums The Horses and the Hounds and The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy to the post-Guy Clark narratives of Noel McKay’s 2024 collection You Only Live Always, the Texas-meets-Tennessee singer-songwriter tradition is thriving these days. For Texas-born and Nashville-residing songwriter Hayes Carll, the personal lyrics and folk-based music pioneered by Clark and Townes Van Zandt are stepping stones to understanding a world that seems like it’s gone awry. Carll’s superb 2025 album We’re Only Human stands tall with the work of McMurtry and Clark, and what might be most notable about the record is Carll’s mastery of tone. He recorded We’re Only Human in Austin with producer Gordy Quist, himself a member of the Americana ensemble The Band of Heathens. If We’re Only Human makes art out of the confessional tone that singer-songwriters often employ — check out the self-revealing “I Got Away With It” — Carll’s work with The Band of Heathens on their 2024 release Hayes & The Heathens reveals his rock ’n’ roll side. Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl, Carll marks his birthday, and the proceedings will include the alt-country duo Chaparelle along with some special guests.
8 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl
925 Third Ave. N.
