“Hayes & The Heathens” does not mean Hayes Carll with “opening act” The Band of Heathens or the other way around. It means ONE hellaciously talent-stacked band from downbeat to encore, fronted by three acclaimed singer-songwriters (Carll and The Heathens’ Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist), armed to the teeth with guitars, swagger, and some of the most irresistible American rock ’n’ roll, folk, country, and soulful blues anthems of the last two decades. Far from coming out of nowhere, Hayes & The Heathens is a union born out of years from mutual respect. Their respective award-winning careers have run parallel and criss-crossed many times, most recently back in October of 2023, when Carll and The Heathens shared a freewheeling family jam in Luckenbach, Texas. “We had such a blast collaborating and playing together out in Luckenbach, that we wanted to take this on the road and share it with more people,” says Quist. Whether through combining their celebrated catalogs, writing and recording new music, or reinterpreting their favorite musical works by others…There’s a whole lotta roots-rocking funky coolness coming your way. The kind gets exponentially cooler when two of the scrappiest and most respected acts to ever tumble out of Texas — Hayes Carll and The Band of Heathens — join forces. “We’ve played a lot of music together over the last 10 years,” says Carll, “and our creative relationship continues to evolve into its own thing. Hayes & The Heathens is that thing.” “This sort of medicine show, revival, rock and roll circus is a unique presentation of our music,” adds Jurdi. “I think anyone who loves the spontaneity and chemistry of a live performance is going to be in for a magical evening. I know we’re going to have a good time!” And whether that magical good-time lasts for one quick fling or continues to evolve into who knows what more down the road, this much is a given: The collective stomp and holler of Hayes & The Heathens is gonna be righteous.