HAYDEN
Live at Convocation Hall
Hardwood
· Indie-rock bedroom balladeer grows up in public.
· Hayden performs at Calgary Folk Music Festival on Sunday, July 28.
Considering that much of Hayden’s early press revolved around the quaint slacker notion that he still lived in his parents’ basement, the solidity of Live at Convocation Hall comes as a bit of a surprise. Stripped down to his voice and an amplified acoustic guitar or, alternately, piano, "our kid" Hayden Desser makes the official leap from musical underachiever to bona fide songwriter (with chops). In the context of a live album – in this case, a double-disc set capturing the entirety of Hayden’s March 9, 2002 performance at the University of Toronto – this feat of transformation is even more remarkable.
Building upon last year’s beauty, Skyscraper National Park, his finest studio album to date, Hayden opts for quiet nuance instead of the overbearing awkwardness of his earliest acoustic grunge howls. There’s still the odd dash of pity-party emoting (that Hayden’s a sensitive chap), but we’re leaps and bounds from his break-out single "Bad As They Seem," which disappointingly garners the biggest reaction from the crowd here.
Nearly all of it works out beautifully, though. Backed by sombre horns and even faking the album fade-out on "Between Us To Hold," Hayden proves he’s more than a studio creation. "Streetcar" and "Lullaby," cavernous spectacles in the studio, work equally well, or better in these intimate versions. Even the between-song chatter is worth a listen – granted, Hayden speaks in a nearly inaudible mumble, so you may need to crank it up to understand everything he says. (You’ll want to turn it back down when a particularly fanatic fellow screams "Marry me Hayden!")
Joined by Julie Doiron and Howie Beck for a climactic cover of his patron saint Neil Young’s "Tell Me Why," Hayden stakes a claim to his place alongside his heroes. (Bonus points for wrapping up his tribute with, "Fucking Crosby never returned my call anyway.")
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