Talks & Entertainment

This event will take place in our Downstairs venue with mostly standing room. For those that require seating, please call 202.408.3100 in advance.

Sean Hayes’ 20-plus circuitous career has been characterized by deep-roots syncopation, in the dusty folk-stomp and in the biorhythmic pulse that thumps throughout his soul-tinged songs. The singer-songwriter showcases his bluesy, soulful sounds on his seventh and latest album, Before We Turn to Dust.

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 The Be Good Tanyas; “F–ked Me Right Up” 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.