Nationally acclaimed singer-songwriting folk artist Sean Hayes is finally coming to the San Juan Islands to perform.
Sean has family members living on Lopez and he is combining a visit with a solo concert at historic Woodmen Hall, south of Lopez Village.
If there were a map of Sean Hayes’ 20-plus year career, it would be circuitous. A tangled criss-crossing of backroads and blue highways denoting place, influence, and trajectory. You can hear it in the deep-roots syncopation, in the dusty folk-stomp and in the biorhythmic pulse that ebbs and thumps throughout his soul-tinged songs.
For Hayes, it’s never been about the destination. It’s always been about the journey: The words on paper, fingers on strings, impromptu dance parties, darkened clubs, late night mysteries, firing synapses, human connection, deeper meaning and the kind of beats that really make a body move. “I got moves the kids ain’t seen,” he sings on “Magic Slim vs. Dynamite.” The smoke-and-sparklers dance party video for the song aptly captures the serious fun of his music.
Born in New York and raised in North Carolina, Hayes headed for California two decades ago. It was in San Francisco that his career blossomed. But Hayes credits the Carolinas towns like Asheville and Charleston — places where he first wrote and performed tunes such as “Mary Magdelene” — with imprinting him as an artist.
Hayes forges songs that, even to the uninitiated, sound like hits. He’s been compared to Bill Withers for his rhythmic sense and his soulfulness. His “Powerful Stuff,” got a lot of mileage in a Subaru commercial. “Dream Machine” was re-mixed by DJ Mark Farina, “A Thousand Tiny Pieces” was covered by folk group named The Be Good Tanyas, another single landed on the soundtrack to HBO’s “Bored to Death.”
He has dueted with Aimee Mann, toured with the likes of Ani DiFranco and the Cold War Kids, and his breathlessly sexy slow dance, “When We Fall In,” inspired pop star Justin Timberlake to blog rhapsodic.
Listening to Hayes’ songs on recording is one thing, live is another experience altogether. He is at once dynamic and laid back on stage. The musician has covered a lot of ground in his tenure, but now, eight albums in, he shows no sign of slowing. A new album, Low Light will be released on August 17. Samples of his music can be heard at www.seanhayesmusic.com and many of his music videos can be viewed on YouTube.
The concert is a family friendly event. Tickets can be purchased at Blossom Grocery, Paper Scissors on the Rock, or the Lopez Bookshop or online at: https://seanhayeslopezisland.eventbrite.com.
Doors open at 7 p.m. The concert will start at 7:30. Admission is $15 adult, children under 12 free.
