By: Bob Longmore
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| Hayden - Photo courtesy of myspace.com/hayden |
One lonely winter, unemployed, spending my days and nights in a cramped basement apartment without much light (literally and metaphorically), I discovered Hayden. The Canadian lo-fi wonder can spin the dourest tales about love and loneliness, as well as wring feeling out of abstract stories like being chased by a bear (“Killbear”), the perils of choking (“Choking”), or an origami-obsessed rent-a-cop (“Lonely Security Guard”). Hayden’s lonesome falsetto and lush instrumentation gave solace to me those lonely days of that winter. In the intervening years, I’ve turned to Hayden time and time again to commiserate with fears, insecurities and general depression. I’ve tried something different here—I’m giving a blow-by-blow description of the show that I saw.
“Home by Saturday” – It was a bit jarring to hear Hayden live for the first time. I realized that I’ve spent most of my listening relationship with him via headphones or quiet contemplation, so to see a loud, vibrant rock band bringing my memories and imagination to life seemed surreal. Hayden and his band, who were introduced as the Champagne Wishes, but are actually fellow Canadian rockers Cuff the Duke, sounded bigger and better than any recording.
“Where and When” – From Hayden’s new album In Field and Town, this song was introduced with the first Haydenism of the night, “Try to do this handclap, it’s really complicated….” Then with impeccable comic timing he deadpanned, “Oh! You got it. Ok, now don’t speed up; this song lasts for eight minutes.”
“In Field and Town” – The up-tempo opening track from the new album was preceded by another funny Hayden story. He dedicated the song to a waitress in a diner in Melrose, MN. Hayden said he ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and the waitress asked the singer to take her with him. An audience member yelled out, “Did you do it?” Not missing a beat, Hayden said, “No, but it was good grilled cheese sandwich.”
“More Than Alive” – I was talking to a fellow Hayden fan after the show, and I was wondering why more people aren’t obsessed like we are. He pointed out that Hayden’s voice can be a bit much to take. This song is an example of that, although it’s full of emotion, his raspy falsetto is definitely unique. The people who are into Hayden, are really into him. It was so quiet during this song that I swear I could hear the scratch of my pen on paper.
“The Hazards of Sitting Beneath Palm Trees” – From the album The Closer I Get, the tom-heavy drum intro leads into the noodly guitar hook. This showcases Cuff the Duke’s contribution to the live experience—they rock.
“Dynamite Walls” – We are definitely in the rock portion of the evening. Three guitars make the instrumental interlude a swirling, almost cacophonous, break from the steady churning of the rest of the song.
“Barely Friends” – “How You Doing?” said Hayden before this song. Someone from the audience yelling random obvious facts said, “It’s Friday!” Hayden responded, “It is Friday—a perfect night for a depressing song like this one.”
“Worthy of Your Esteem” – Kind of a new-wave, UFO sounding piano fill complements the lyrics mention of aliens.
“Damn this Feeling” – Hayden alone on piano and harmonica flubbed the chorus and stopped midway through the song exasperated. “Oh shit! That was terrible. I’m going back—pretend you’re rewinding a cassette.”
“Bass Song” – His shoulders are tensing up to the rhythm of this bouncy winter story song.
“Trees Lounge” – This song is from the underrated Steve Buscemi movie of the same name. This is another loud rocker that incorporates lines from the movie into the song.
“Lonely Security Guard” – Lyrics that talk about a security guard that makes, “a cricket out of a parking ticket / makes a bird from some thrown out words” would be absolutely ridiculous in most other people’s voice. But to butcher the old saying; Hayden could make the phone book sound like the end of the world.
“Did I Wake Up Beside You?” – The last song of his main set, Hayden gushed about how well the Cedar Cultural Center had treated them.
“Weight of the World” – Haley Bonar joined Hayden for the first two songs of his encore.
“Bad as They Seem” – Bonar introduced the song by saying, “This is the most beautiful song in the world. I make him play it and let me sing on it.” Bonar’s voice matched Hayden’s superbly—both are unique and are able to wring desperation out of every syllable.
“Carried Away” – The last song of the night, in which Cuff the Duke guitarist Dale Murray absolutely killed the guitar solo, turning the lilting piano ditty into a southern-fried jam, then gently settling it down again. This was my first Hayden show, and it has totally re-invigorated my adoration of him.
Location Info:
Cedar Cultural Center
Artist Info: Haley Bonar, Hayden
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