Ward Hayden & The Outliers playing free outdoor concert in Union Dale

By: Gabrielle Lang,, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Jun. 1—UNION DALE — Ward Hayden and The Outliers go on tour to support their new album out May 5, "South Shore", and stop in Susquehanna County for a performance at Arlo's Country Store on Sunday, June 4.

The 3:00 p.m. Union Dale show for this American alt-country band takes place outdoors and is free to attend.

In the long, rich history of country music, life in a small town is a major theme in many of its finest songs. On "South Shore," the ninth album from singer, songwriter Ward Hayden and his band The Outliers, they deliver a rich and rewarding new chapter within that tradition and much more on the essential matters of life, love and the world around us.

"(Breaking Up With) My Hometown","Write a Song", and "Can't Wake Up" from the new album hold great personal meaning to songwriter Ward Hayden.

The collection as a whole represents a very personal journey for Hayden who notes, "It's the closest thing I've ever done to a concept album. I wanted to just recount my experience of growing up in a small town and what it meant and what it took to get out and leave that behind and try to pursue something, chase after something that was and is a dream. I used to joke that my greatest achievement was I got out of here because it was no easy feat."

Glide Magazine says "Ward Hayden & The Outliers are a musical force to be reckoned with. From heart wrenching ballads to foot-stompin' rock 'n' roll, whether live or on record, Ward Hayden & the Outliers deliver every time."

Soon after starting his band in his mid-20s, Hayden got out of Scituate to Boston, just up the coast. Known as a great American music city, it proved to be an ideal launching pad for his group. Ward Hayden & The Outliers (formerly known as Girls Guns and Glory) are the only act to win both a Boston Music Award for Act of the Year (as well as with six other BMAs) and legendary Beantown radio station WBCN's annual Rumble.

The group went on to later win an Independent Artist of the Year at the French Country Music Awards plus an Americana Music Awards nomination for Album of the Year. Playing some 200 dates across America over the last two decades as well as more than a dozen tours of Europe, they've won over a loyal following by melding country music's and rock'n'roll's finest roots with contemporary authenticity and appeal.

Ward Hayden & The Outliers roll into Arlo's Country Store Sunday afternoon on June 4 for a cover-free show. The Boston-made country rock band is also set to play NEPA on Saturday, June 3, at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem.