The Hole Story is a new series from KUTX. Taped live on the front stage of Hole in the Wall – we’ve invited artists to not just perform, but also share the inspiration, meaning, or backstory behind each one.
Opened in 1974, Hole in the Wall is one of Austin’s most legendary dive bars. It continues to be a launchpad for generations of Texas songwriters — from Blaze Foley and Doug Sahm to Spoon, Shakey Graves, and Gary Clark Jr. It also happens to be right across the street from the KUT/X Studios.
Texas-born, Hayes Carll has built a career on sharp wit, emotional honesty, and songs that find humor inside hard truths. When he joined us at Hole in the Wall in August of 2025, it was release week for his tenth studio album, We’re Only Human — and he shared with the audience that he’d be moving back to Austin the following week.
First living in Austin in the early 2000s, Carll hustled through various jobs, including a stint waiting tables at Red Lobster and selling Kirby vacuums door to door, while chasing gigs around town. He told the story of spotting Ray Wylie Hubbard walking into Greene Hall where he was playing and quickly launching into one of Ray’s songs, passing it off as his own just to get his attention.
In the years that followed, Hayes built his life and career elsewhere, spending significant time in New York City and Nashville. Roughly twenty-five years after first arriving in Austin, this appearance at Hole in the Wall, with a new album out and a move back ahead, felt like a full-circle moment.
Recorded live at Hole in the Wall August 5, 2025, this episode captures Hayes Carll in a moment of reflection, humor, and return.
New episodes of The Hole Story drop weekly on the KUTX YouTube channel and on-air Tuesdays at 10 pm on KUTX 98.9fm.
Taped Aug. 5, 2025, at Hole in the Wall
Set List:
“Stay Here A While”
“Progress of Man (Bitcoin & Cattle)”
“High”
“Good People”
“We’re Only Human”
Album: We’re Only Human (Hwy 87 Records – Aug. 8, 2025)
Musicians: Hayes Carll – vocals, guitar; Noah Jefferies – fiddle; Gordy Quist – bgv, guitar
Credits: Producer: Deidre Gott; Audio Engineers: Rene Chavez; Audio Mix: Jake Perlman; Cameras: Patricia Lim; Lorraine Willett, Leila Saidane; Edit: Lorraine Willett
Special thanks to Harry Anderson and the staff at Hole in the Wall.
