Hayden
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Hayden
| For The Record... |
| Born 1971 in Toronto, Canada. Released debut CD, Everything I Long For, 1996; The Closer I Get, 1998; Elk-Lake Serenade, 2004; In Field & Town, 2008. Addresses: Record company—Justin McGuirk, Fat Possum Records, justin@fatpossum.com; Publicist—Stephen McGrath/Brendan Bourke, Canvas Media, press@canvasmedia.com. Web site—Hayden Official Web site: http://www.wasteyourdaysaway.com/. |
Guitarist, composer, singer
Toronto singer-songwriter Hayden (born Paul Hayden Desser) has forged a career mining the universal themes of heartbreak and relationship woes, arranged in folk-rock settings that bring to mind the classic 1970s confessional mode established by fellow Canadians Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, with a touch of British icon Nick Drake thrown in for good measure. In an interview with Bruce Walker writing for Contemporary Musicians, Hayden explained that the darker subject matter just seems to come to him naturally: "Most of my songs aren't even based on actual relationships. They just come from my imagination." The songs on In Field & Town, for example, catalog various stages of relationships, many of them veering between inertia and unhappiness. They feature Hayden's distinctive voice that alternately brings to mind Neil Young's high-pitched whine and Leonard Cohen's late-night basement café crooning, a characteristic often noted by critics since Hayden's appearance on the musical radar in the mid-1990s. Hayden's dark and brooding good looks also match his lyrical content, and have prompted further comparisons to Nick Drake.
Hayden re-recorded many of the songs that appeared on his self-released cassette for his 1996 CD debut, released on his own Hardwood label in Canada and the Outpost label in the United States. Everything I Long For prompted All Music Guide critic Richie Unterberger to describe the effort: "Solitary, rootsy post-punk of the best kind, delving into somewhat dark and twisted terrrain, but invested with a lot of passion and unflinching grit….It's one of the relatively few releases of this type that will find a comfortable home in the collections of those with an ear for either stark folk-rock or grunge."
Hayden conducted tours supporting such acts as Guided by Voices, Julianna Hatfield, the Tragically Hip, and Feist, which led to his building a strong audience in North America. He also contributed the title song to Steve Buscemi's 1996 film directorial effort Tree's Lounge. By many accounts, Hayden's career nearly derailed after an ill-fated major label signing for his 1998 release The Closer I Get. Hayden disagreed, however. "I had an opportunity to work with three guys that I really like and respect who had a small imprint [Outpost] on the Geffen label," he explained to Walker in the Contemporary Musicians, interview. "After the album was released, they decided not to have a label anymore. So they closed shop. I was secretly hoping something like that was happening, because I didn't want other people too involved with my music regardless of how much I liked and respected them." While recognizing the difficulties of trying to start from scratch, Hayden later believed the situation enhanced his career. "The timing worked out well," he said. "I was paid enough money to go back to Canada and work the way I preferred."
Independence from a major label allowed Hayden to pursue his muse unfettered, resulting in mini-masterpieces Skyscraper National Park (2001), Elk-Lake Serenade (2004), and In Field & Town (2008). His reputation for depressing subject matter aside, each album managed to squeeze in dollops of humor. "I've tried to integrate humor to lighten up some of the darker lyrical material," he told the interviewer. Notable on In Field & Town was the inclusion of trumpet instrumentation on several of the songs. When asked by the interviewer whether this was a conscientious attempt to replicate the sound of Sufjan Stevens, he confessed to not knowing anything about the independent multi-instrumentalist or his music. "I don't make any attempt to listen to new music," he said. "I like listening to the albums that turned me on to music in the first place, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, [the Byrds]; Blue [Joni Mitchell]; and After the Gold Rush [Neil Young]. The recordings of that time had a very warm sound with rich instrumentation." The influence of Young is apparent on his 2004 release, Elk-Lake Serenade. All Music Guide critic Tim Sendra noted: "Elk-Lake Serenade is the kind of album Neil Young wishes he could still make. It's an intimate, heartfelt, and organic record with one foot in the lo-fi camp of Beck and Will Oldham and the other in the classic rock sound of Crosby, Dylan, Petty, and Young. Especially Young." Sendra added: "The mostly subdued tempos are very conducive to his late-night feel and never get boring. … Not that one comes to a Hayden record looking for excitement. You come looking for introspective tunes with a fresh sound and unique lyrical bent. Elk-Lake Serenade delivers on this expectation in full. It may just be his finest record yet."
For his tour for In Field & Town, Hayden enlisted fellow Canadians Cuff the Duke for support. The band is comprised of guitarist Wayne Petti, bassist and violinist Paul Lowman, guitarist and pedal steel player Dale Murray, and drummer Corey Wood. "Working on the road with a band is good," Hayden remarked to Walker. "I'm having a lot of fun. We're slowly becoming more comfortable with the music, which allows us to expand and improvise a bit more and opens up the sound and structure of the songs. When I record, I'll usually layer ten different guitar tracks on any given song or spend a lot of time looking for the right keyboard sound."
Hayden added that playing with a group as opposed to performing as a solo artist produces different results. "It also makes me play guitar differently," he said. "When you play concerts solo, you tend to adjust your playing to your limitations as an instrumentalist. When you have a band behind you, it allows you to stretch yourself. You may hit a wrong note, but the band covers it up. I think it definitely lends a bit more excitement, and it takes the music to a new place. This is the best band experience I've had in 15 years."
Selected discography
Everything I Long For, Outpost, 1996.
The Closer I Get, Outpost, 1998.
Skyscraper National Park, Hardwood, 2001.
Live at Convocation Hall, Badman, 2002.
Elk-Lake Serenade, Badman, 2004.
In Field & Town, Fat Possum, 2008.
Sources
Online
All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (October 14, 2008).
Additional information was obtained from a June 2008 telephone interview with Hayden, from which quotations used in this entry were drawn.
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- Genres: Rock
Biography
Toronto's Hayden Desser spent the bulk of two decades creating uniquely affecting music through a combination of rock and folk flourishes, personal sentiments, and a voice that channeled both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen. The critically acclaimed musician first appeared in the early '90s, armed with only a four-track tape recorder like his heroes in Sebadoh and Pavement. Coupling his unnaturally low range with an extremely detuned guitar, Hayden recorded a self-released cassette, In September, in 1994, and much of the material included evolved into his first official LP, Everything I Long For. Released in 1995 on his own imprint, Hardwood Records, the debut disc was simultaneously beautiful and horrifying, with insights into the humanly mundane as well as more troubling tales that retained an oddly personal edge. A few lucky breaks, including a U.S. tour with Guided by Voices and some MTV airplay, brought Hayden further into the spotlight and generated enough interest for the disc to be reissued by Outpost Recordings, an offshoot of Geffen Records.Over the next few years, Hayden remained remarkably productive, issuing a slew of indie singles and EPs that have since become out-of-print collectors' items. 1996 saw the release of the four-song Mild and Hazy 7" (Hardwood Recordings), which included a thunderous cover of the Pixies' classic "Gouge Away," as well as a hard to find split 7", Lunar Landing Confirmed, whose track list also featured Canadian cohorts Poledo. Two Poledo members, Mitch Roth and Kid Lunch (aka Joshua Malinsky), went on to become fixtures of Hayden's touring and recording band. Meanwhile, Hayden was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 Steve Buscemi-directed film Trees Lounge, for which he provided the moody but decidedly rocking title track.
Hayden ushered in 1997 with yet another 7", Carry on Mentality on the Canadian label Landspeed Records. The same year also saw the release of the singer/songwriter's first EP, Moving Careful (Sonic Unyon Records/Hardwood Records). A fitting continuation of the first LP, Moving Careful was a mostly acoustic, eight-song outing that continued the Hayden tradition of finding haunting beauty and heartbreak in things as simple as a haircut or a shared cigarette. As the year closed out, the artist began working on his second LP, which would represent both a mild stylistic divergence and the beginning of a series of unfortunate events.
The Closer I Get, released by Outpost in 1998, was Hayden's first international release, as well as his first completely major-label outing. The record was a slight shift from his past efforts and featured a full band on most tracks, along with a more rock-oriented feel in comparison to his earlier folky efforts. The first single, the drum machine-powered "The Hazards of Sitting Beneath Palm Trees, received modest airplay, and touring stints with Juliana Hatfield and the Tragically Hip brought Hayden to a slightly larger audience -- but as critical applause and adoration from his disarmingly loyal fans increased, major commercial success continued to elude him. Within the next year, Outpost was dissolved and Hayden was dropped from the Geffen imprint altogether.
Over the next few years, he disappeared from the public eye and was rarely seen outside of his hometown. An absence of new material was disheartening, but despite his reclusive status, a growing Internet fan base kept hope alive and waited patiently to hear anything at all. A few mysterious rumblings began in early 2001, and by the middle of the year it was announced that Hayden was at work in his home studio on some type of new recording. 100 handmade copies of Skyscraper National Park, Hayden's third full-length album, surfaced at the end of the summer -- and based on the instant buzz, a second limited-edition run of 1,500 were created for a short Canadian tour that fall. Despite his long absence, the shows were a series of well-received and mostly sold out affairs, and the disc's second pressing disappeared almost as quickly as the first. With such positive feedback welcoming him back to the music scene, Hayden was finally persuaded to release the record to a wide audience through the now Universal-distributed Hardwood Records in October 2001. The 11-track disc aligned itself with his quieter early material, albeit with a newfound sense of playful happiness and a greater reliance on the higher range vocals that were previously avoided.
In 2002, Hayden switched his label alliances to Badman and surfaced with a concert recording entitled Live from Convocation Hall. The double-disc record captured a sold-out stint in Toronto and included material from Hayden's three previous albums, as well as a cover of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why." His next studio recording, 2004's Elk-Lake Serenade, proved to be his best album to date, while 2008's In Field & Town saw him returning, once again, to his acoustic roots. In an uncharacteristic move, Hayden made a quick return to the studio, where he recorded The Place Where We Lived in time for a May 2009 release. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Hayden (musician)
| Hayden | |
|---|---|
 Hayden performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest, July 2008. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Hayden Desser |
| Also known as | Hayden Desser |
| Born | February 12, 1971 |
| Origin | Thornhill, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Indie folk, alternative country, acoustic rock, folk rock, lo-fi |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter record label owner |
| Instruments | vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, Mellotron |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Hardwood Records Universal Music Canada Sonic Unyon |
| Website | wasteyourdaysaway.com |
Paul Hayden Desser (born February 12, 1971[1]) who records as Hayden, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Thornhill, Ontario.[2]
His early works are a largely eclectic mix of genres from grunge to alternative country, as demonstrated by his first full album, Everything I Long For, released in 1995. Since then his work has become progressively more refined.
Hayden received a B.A.A. in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Ryerson University) in 1993.
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Contents
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History
In 1996, Hayden performed both nights of Neil Young's annual Bridge School Concert.
In 1998, Hayden toured North America with a full band in support of The Closer I Get.
In 2001 (and with no label support), Hayden very quietly distributed 100 hand-written, packaged and numbered copies of Skyscraper National Park to friends and independent record shops throughout Toronto. This was quickly followed by an additional 1,500 hand-numbered copies (this time with professionally printed liner notes). These copies were primarily sold at live shows. The critical success of these two limited-edition runs led to a full commercial release of the recording later that same year.
In 2004, Hayden released his long awaited follow up album, Elk Lake Serenade, and toured North America with Oshawa's Cuff the Duke acting as his back-up band.
From November 1–3, 2007, Hayden performed three small pre-European tour "warm-up" shows in Ontario and Quebec.[3] They were the singer-songwriter's first official performances in three years.[citation needed] He followed up with In Field & Town,[4] released on January 15, 2008.[5] His most recent album, The Place Where We Lived, was released on May 26, 2009.[6]
His father is Sherwin Desser, a retired University of Toronto professor of parasitology and current visual artist.
Hayden turned to music after his song "Take" was selected for the album New Music Search, compiled by Toronto radio station CFNY in 1993. Hayden played guitar on the track and enlisted two friends to sing vocals. Hayden continued to recruit vocalists until 1995 when he began to showcase his grainy baritone. Take has never been officially released on any of Hayden's albums.
Hardwood Records
In Canada, each of Hayden's albums have been issued by Hardwood Records, a small music label he owns. From its inception in 1994 until 2005, Hayden's own albums were all that the Hardwood label carried, but in 2005, Cuff the Duke released their second album on Hardwood, and Basia Bulat released her first full-length album on Hardwood in 2007.
Discography
Studio albums
- Everything I Long For (1996, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
- The Closer I Get (May 12 1998[7], Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
- Skyscraper National Park (October 16 2001[8], Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
- Elk-Lake Serenade (2004, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
- In Field & Town (January 15 2008[9], Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
- The Place Where We Lived (May 26 2009, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
EPs and singles and others
- In September (1994, Cassette, Paul Records/Hardwood Records (1994)
- "Mild and Hazy" (1996, 7", Hardwood/Lunamoth)
- "Lunar Landing Confirmed" (1996, 7", split with Poledo, Squirtgun Records)
- Moving Careful (1996, EP, Sonic Unyon/Hardwood)
- "Carry On Mentality" (1997, 7", Landspeed Records)
- Live at Convocation Hall (2002, Live album, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)
Notes
- ^ Biography at Billboard.com, Retrieved: 26 December 2006
- ^ CBC Radio 3 Podcast #139, Chapter 2
- ^ Past Tour Dates, www.wasteyourdaysaway.com, 12 November 2007
- ^ Whibbs, Chris."Naturally Hayden", Exclaim!, February 2008.
- ^ News, www.wasteyourdaysaway.com, 12 November 2007
- ^ [1]
- ^ Discography at Billboard.com, Retrieved: 25 December 2006
- ^ wasteyourdaysaway.com Retrieved: 25 December 2006
- ^ wasteyourdaysaway.com Retrieved: 16 December 2007
External links
- Waste Your Days Away − Official Hayden website.
- Hardwood Records − Official Hardwood Records website.
- Sherwin S. Desser − Hayden's father and artist.
- [http://radio3.cbc.ca/concerts/Hayden-2004-05-09 Hayden in Session at Radio 3" CBC Radio 3 Session
- Hayden article February 2008
- The Toronto Star article
- Canoe article
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