Biography

b. Hayden Dresser, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The music of modern day urban folk singer-songwriter Hayden has often been compared to Neil Young's classic acoustic-based recordings of the early 70s, owing to both artist's fragile, high-pitched vocals and stark accompanying music. Nonetheless, Hayden's roots lay in lo-fi indie rock, with the artist citing acts such as Guided By Voices, Sebadoh, and Pavement as an early inspiration, and his voice more often utilises the raspy depths of Leonard Cohen than Young's higher register.
Hayden began writing and recording his own songs on his home four-track set-up during 1992. Shortly thereafter, he created his own record label, Hardwood, and wasted no time in issuing recordings, including 1995's debut Everything I Long For (in addition to quite a few singles and EPs). A distribution deal with the Geffen Records offshoot Outpost followed, resulting in the release of 1998's widely acclaimed (and widely available) The Closer I Get. The album was recorded with a full band and utilised a more rock-based approach than his earlier lo-fi offerings. Despite the critical acclaim, the album failed to break Hayden into the indie mainstream, and the closure of Outpost led to the artist being dropped by Geffen. Hayden disappeared from view for the next three years, only surfacing to play a handful of live shows in his native Toronto. He returned to recording in 2001 with the limited edition release Skyscraper National Park, which received wider distribution through Universal Records later in the year. Although Hayden has yet to break through commercially, his music has received heightened interest along the way, owing to favourable press in publications such as SPIN, as well as a plug by actor/director Steve Buscemi, who used the title track from Everything I Long For in his 1996 movie, Trees Lounge.
DISCOGRAPHY: In September cassette (Hardwood 1994)***, Everything I Long For (Hardwood 1995)***, The Closer I Get (Hardwood/Outpost 1998)****, Skyscraper National Park (Hardwood/Universal 2001)****, Live At Convocation Hall (Hardwood/Universal 2002)***, Elk-Lake Serenade (Hardwood/Universal 2004)****.

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