Back in the mid-90s, I picked up Everything I Long For, the first official LP from a Toronto artist named Hayden. Revisiting this disc recently has reminded me of how awesome it is. Every track is great, particularly the lead tune "Bad As They Seem".
I've always felt as if Hayden was on the edge of super stardom. He had a great voice, style and delivery and captivated his listeners, both on CD and when I saw him live back in '98 and '99. He was a great combination of folk, rock and angst. He was good, he was local and he was going to be huge. Or so I thought...
Hayden seemed to disappear on me. Suddenly, this great talent had drifted into obscurity. I don't understand how it happened, but it did. He was supposed to be the next Neil Young, the next Leonard Cohen, but instead he became a question. "What ever happened to Hayden?" It's a question I've been pondering quite a bit these past five years.
In 2001, he quietly released Skyscraper National Park and in 2002 he released a live CD entitled Live From Convocation Hall. Perhaps it's best he didn't become the next big thing. Perhaps it's best that we Hayden fans keep his work to ourselves as if he's our little secret. I'll continue to enjoy Everything I Long For and The Closer I Get without concern that he'll sell out. You can't put a price on obscurity.
