Arts & Entertainment

 

 

 

Hayden at the First Baptist Church in Ottawa, January 18, 2008

By Luke Simcoe, A&E Editor

 

[ n Field and Town, Hayden’s first
record since 2004, came out on January
15, 2008. Three days later, Mr. Paul
Hayden Dresser played the first of two
sold-out shows in our nation’s capital. I
think it speaks to Hayden’s status as one
of our country’s most beloved singer/
songwriters that he can pack a decent
sized venue two nights in a row after a

four-year absence and with a new album
that’s barely touched the shelves.
Hayden didn’t disappoint, but
before I get to him, I think I should spill
some ink about Basia Bulat. Alongside
Cuff the Duke, she has the distinction
of being one of only two acts signed
to Hayden’s Hardwood Records label.
Appearing on her “second date” with
Hayden, she snuck onto the stage and

stole the audience’s attention with an
a Capella gospel song. Clapping her
hands and stomping her feet, she let her
soulful voice carry out into the pews
of the First Baptist Church. The gospel
kick was clearly just an homage to the
venue, and she quickly settled into a set
of delicately crafted Canadian folk with
a Celtic twist.

I had seen Basia open for Final
Fantasy back in October, and while I
thought she was pretty impressive when
accompanied by a full band, I found her
even more striking when performing
solo. She was a little nervous at being
the center of attention, but her stripped
down instrumentation gave her amazing
vocals some space to breathe within
the acoustically perfect confines of the
church.

I had never seen Hayden before,
but based on what I’ve heard, this was a
fairly standard performance: Mr. Dresser
balanced his melancholic songs with his
wry sense of humour, some guy in the
back with a growly voice perpetually
shouted things like “Hayden rocks!”
(Hayden would repeatedly refer to this
gentleman as “the 12 foot monster’),
and Hayden screwed up a couple of
songs before apologizing endearingly.

Mr. Dresser and the 12-Foot Monster

He even followed one particular mistake
by muttering “Jesus Christ!” before
realizing exactly where he was. I think
the only thing out of the ordinary was
that the sanctity of the venue kept
everyone from earnestly singing along
to “Bad as They Seem” when it made a
surprise appearance mid-set.

Hayden did an excellent job of
representing his entire catalog, reaching
way back for “We Don’t Mind,” a
touching track from his first record that
tells the story of a couple who phones in
sick to work only to get caught in a phone
booth during a rainstorm, and treating the
crowd to a number of solid tracks from
his latest record. Many of these tracks
featured Hayden on the piano, and all
of them, particularly “Lonely Security
Guard,” showcased his ability to mold
simple character studies into beautiful
songs.

Hayden is slotted for a pair
of shows at UBC’s Norm Theatre on
February 11 and 12, so I'll shut up before
I ruin those shows for you. Suffice to say
that it was an intimate and subtly joyous
affair to see Hayden touring again, and
truth be told, it was the longest amount
of time I’ve spent in a church in my
whole life.

 

Who Says Maritimers Can’t

By Paul Alviz, The Cord Weekly (Wilfrid Laurier University)

EDMONTON (CUP) -- Here’s a riddle
for you: what’s white, from the East coast,
and talented all over? One of Canada’s
premiere hip-hop artists — Luke Boyd,
also known as Classified.

Hailing from the small town
of Enfield, Nova Scotia, there was no
shortage of odds stacked against this
emcee and 15-year-veteran of the rap
game.

However, after pouring his
heart, his soul and countless hours of
effort into what is now one of the more
successful Canadian rap careers, he’s
ready to take a step back, have a look
around and appreciate everyone and
everything that’s helped him get to where
he is today.

His latest album, While You
Were Sleeping—which punches in at
number 12 in a prolific producing and
recording history—offers a compilation
of some of his best work to date, as well
a few new tracks and a bonus DVD
featuring all the music videos and other
footage.

Classified’s love of music began,
as with most musicians, when he was a
child. His father, an avid guitar player,
enjoyed playing shows with his band and
influenced Classified to find a voice of
his own. However, at first he struggled
to find a niche as he was not inclined to
play traditional band instruments such as

14

guitar and drums.
“I’m actually the only person in
my family who can’t play an instrument
[My Dad] had microphones and
speakers set up and shit. I couldn’t play
guitar and I couldn’t sing. I listened to rap
and that was
kind of what ©
I was_ into,”
explains
Classified.
“Me and my
friends would
write little raps
and record it
on a tape deck.
Eventually, oy
it just kept
building up. I
got a computer
for making |
beats, and then |
we went to our |
first studio and
started buying
equipment to

   
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
 
  
 

produce, and
make real instrumentals and stuff, and
just kept building.”

Initially, Classified’s father

wasn’t exactly thrilled about his choice
of musical expression.

“He wasn’t into rap, like
anybody’s dad is. You know, parents

are never into rap. So he was into it just
because we were making music and stuff,
but it took him a while to understand.”
However, his father has
since come full circle, providing live
instrument tracks on guitar and keyboard.

He’s featured in
~ two tracks on
. While You Were
Sleeping.

“He’s always
rying to get up
_ in a video now,”
okes Classified
at his father’s
enthusiasm.
Despite his
_lack of formal
' musical training,
_ Classified hasn’t
let it hold him
back and _ his
natural ear for
| a good beat is
obvious through
his music. He
produces all of
his own tracks, and has taken several
artists under his wing, one being Chad
Hatcher, whose guitar and vocals can
be heard in the song “All About U,” an
uplifting track with a real life message
about being comfortable in your own
skin.

Rap?

Unlike a lot of popular rap
represented by mainstream media,
Classified does not write rhymes about
wheelin’ and dealin’ or pimpin’ hoes.
If he does make references to money,
it’s generally the lack of economic
opportunities available for Canadian rap
acts — not that it fazes him. He’s grown
well past any juvenile dreams of “pimpin’
all over the world” or concealing bags of
money in the secret compartment of a
Ferrari.

“IfI come out frontin’ and acting
like something I ain’t, the people I hang
around with would shut it down pretty
quick and be like, ‘what the fuck are
you talking about?’ It’s good because if I
wanted to talk about fake shit I probably
wouldn’t still be making music because
I'd be out of fake shit to talk about,” he
candidly explains with a laugh.

When asked if he could pick
only one thing for people to take away
from listening to his music, he responds
with a simple request: “Don’t be scared to
be who you are, as corny as that sounds.
I think that’s one of the biggest problems
in society: so many people hating on
each other ... We’re all fucked up, we
all have good qualities, we all have bad
qualities, and that’s pretty much life. So
accept it and move on.”

-30-