Very quick video from my friend, Pete Weiss, who owns Verdant Studio and plays in the coolest 22nd century rock band in North America, Weisstronauts!
Pete himself claims no role in how the piece became a featured video on YouTube stating "We have no idea why this happened, or who is responsible".
John
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Listening to Morphine
Listening to "Cure For Pain" constantly these days. Brilliant work from Mark Sandman. Recorded 15 years ago - clearly on two-inch tape.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Post Secret
Picked the hardcopy version of "PostSecret" again at Margaret's house. Added the feed to this blog on the right. Enjoy.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Neil Young and What Sells
Cracked open my copy of "Silver and Gold" by Neil Young, which I haven't heard in years and I became a re-initiated fan. The man has no pretense, no false banners, no bright-colored mask. He is a man of the highest art that cannot be mass produced: love & sincerity.
A few weeks ago I saw the movie "Heart Of Gold". Basically, the movie is about Neil Young, but it's more about life-long friendships and courage. All the folks in his band are hand-picked because he's played with them for years. He never records with studio musicians, only these friends.
As I watched them play, I really saw the love they had for each other. The hard times, the good times, the loss, the gains. Christmas dinners together, postcards, phonecalls on the road. I felt as if my entire life was being refreshed with some kind of truth and tears started coming to my eyes.
I haven't seen a film in years that has the guts to show the love grown men can have for each other. I haven't seen a film when someone is so emotionally honest.
After wondering why, I realized that it just doesn't sell. The market for honesty, love and truth is so small - almost like a seedling in a rainstorm of reality TV, dehumanizing home videos on local news, corporate greed, raging injustice and apathy. But I can feel people all around me gasping for fresh air.
Although the fans of love, vulnerability and truth are small, they are strong and unified.
It's good to see your face again, Neil Young!
A few weeks ago I saw the movie "Heart Of Gold". Basically, the movie is about Neil Young, but it's more about life-long friendships and courage. All the folks in his band are hand-picked because he's played with them for years. He never records with studio musicians, only these friends.
As I watched them play, I really saw the love they had for each other. The hard times, the good times, the loss, the gains. Christmas dinners together, postcards, phonecalls on the road. I felt as if my entire life was being refreshed with some kind of truth and tears started coming to my eyes.
I haven't seen a film in years that has the guts to show the love grown men can have for each other. I haven't seen a film when someone is so emotionally honest.
After wondering why, I realized that it just doesn't sell. The market for honesty, love and truth is so small - almost like a seedling in a rainstorm of reality TV, dehumanizing home videos on local news, corporate greed, raging injustice and apathy. But I can feel people all around me gasping for fresh air.
Although the fans of love, vulnerability and truth are small, they are strong and unified.
It's good to see your face again, Neil Young!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Review of Phantom Heart on Three Monkeys eZine
Review of Phantom Heart on Three Monkeys eZine
"Haydon, from Waltham Massachusetts has been playing the local scene for over thirteen years, with phantom heart being his fifth album released. Impressive and soulful, it immediately catches attention and sets out its stall as redemptive music (there's a cover of Daniel Johnson's Good Morning You - to give you an idea of where we're coming from here)."
"Haydon, from Waltham Massachusetts has been playing the local scene for over thirteen years, with phantom heart being his fifth album released. Impressive and soulful, it immediately catches attention and sets out its stall as redemptive music (there's a cover of Daniel Johnson's Good Morning You - to give you an idea of where we're coming from here)."
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Open mic performance at Lizard Lounge
Found this video of a performance I did this last Summer at the Lizard Lounge open mic series:
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Steve Chaggaris
Steve Chaggaris, who played drums on a few tracks for Phantom Heart, wrote the following blurb about his experience:
"I did some recording for singer/songwriter John Haydon. John is another old friend of mine who has really come into his own as a songwriter in the past few years. I was honoured that he invited me to play some drums for him on his forthcoming CD. It was a treat to play on such well-written material, and also great to play in the new location of Dave Minehan's Woolly Mammoth recording studio, now in Waltham, MA."
Steve is one of my favorite drummers, even though he talks of poop.
"I did some recording for singer/songwriter John Haydon. John is another old friend of mine who has really come into his own as a songwriter in the past few years. I was honoured that he invited me to play some drums for him on his forthcoming CD. It was a treat to play on such well-written material, and also great to play in the new location of Dave Minehan's Woolly Mammoth recording studio, now in Waltham, MA."
Steve is one of my favorite drummers, even though he talks of poop.
Monday, April 28, 2008
April 26th Lizard Lounge Show
Great show at the Lizard Lounge this past Saturday night, although it was not sold-out like I thought it would be. Rick Berlin and Peter Linnane opened the night and I was able to catch a few songs.
Rick told a story about his 7-year old nephew who was in a coma after a snowmobile accident. Upon awakening, he asked his Uncle: "Uncle Rick? Do you still love me?". Rick said that this question has got to be one of the most courageous questions anyone can ask. He went on to sing "DO YOU STILL LOVE ME (for Sammy)".
The one thing that makes Rick Berlin stand out is his courage and humanity. Actually, it's his courage to be human. In his performances, he is a solo act behind a piano - naked and alone. He speaks of love. He speaks of the pain of not being loved. He sings about loneliness and he sings about community.
His mission as an artist is unlike anyone I know. As I see it, he performs to bring people together with each other and with themselves.
Peter Linnane gave a stunning solo performance as well - solo acoustic guitar with nothing else. He is a master craftsman with such a tender heart.
After these two I was next, and it was hard to get out the first few songs without holding back a tear. I felt a little out of control and wondered if this was not cool with people. Surprisingly, listeners usually love the honesty of my moments.
Rick told a story about his 7-year old nephew who was in a coma after a snowmobile accident. Upon awakening, he asked his Uncle: "Uncle Rick? Do you still love me?". Rick said that this question has got to be one of the most courageous questions anyone can ask. He went on to sing "DO YOU STILL LOVE ME (for Sammy)".
The one thing that makes Rick Berlin stand out is his courage and humanity. Actually, it's his courage to be human. In his performances, he is a solo act behind a piano - naked and alone. He speaks of love. He speaks of the pain of not being loved. He sings about loneliness and he sings about community.
His mission as an artist is unlike anyone I know. As I see it, he performs to bring people together with each other and with themselves.
Peter Linnane gave a stunning solo performance as well - solo acoustic guitar with nothing else. He is a master craftsman with such a tender heart.
After these two I was next, and it was hard to get out the first few songs without holding back a tear. I felt a little out of control and wondered if this was not cool with people. Surprisingly, listeners usually love the honesty of my moments.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Article with Brookline Tab Newspapaer
Great article written by Francis Ma in the Tab Newspaper. He was mainly interested in the personal story behind creating the album. Bits and pieces of my life are now in print, making me feel somewhat naked. However, the courage and openness of this act outweighs my vulnerable position. After all, it's not like I'm the only person to ever be divorced and depressed.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Song Stories - making Phantom Heart
This is a short film by Ted Resnikoff that captures the personal story behind the songs on "Phantom Heart". Dawn Kamerling, my publicist at The Press House asked me about music videos. Because the record was really about vulnerability and openness, I decided that a short personal documentary would be more appropriate than a slick video with a lot of fast edits. Also, everyone has a music video... The other purpose of this film is so that the press can get the inside personal story within 9 minutes.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Shooting Peel Away Music Video
This video was shot by Franky Butkus - entirely in super 8 film. I chose super 8 because I felt it would express the emotion and darkness of "Peel Away".
I met Franky last year on Craigs List when he posted an offer to shoot some super 8 film he needed to use before it expired. We went on top of my roof deck and I played through the tune a couple of times. After that, we just drove around Waltham, MA shooting from the car window. The camera sounded great and I'd love to use the clickety clickety sound at some point in a song.
Phantom Heart Artwork
The cover below is the final artwork for the Phantom Heart CD, which was released on 3-25-08. For a while, I had a completely different cover (the chair to the right). An old friend of mine, Matt Condron, is a painter whose subjects are often empty chairs. I always liked his paintings and was inspired to come up with something similar. An empty chair in a room really speaks about the person who sat in the chair. The person is no longer there - who was this person? Why did they leave?
In the end, the image did not capture what I was going for. Finally, by sheer accident, I was screwing around with a photo of Margaret and I and came up with the final artwork... The final artwork speaks volumes about the love and longing that Phantom Heart is about. Plus the image is much more provocative than an empty chair.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Phantom Heart syndrome
I just found this definition from Urban Dictionary which fits completely with how Phantom Heart was created:
"The condition of finding out that just when you thought you has so soul and no emotion left, something reminds you that you can still feel."
Shows with Jordan Rodu
I've been doing live shows and a radio shows with a friend of mine, Jordan Rodu.
I met Jordan at work one day. We started talking and he mentioned that he has a Masters in conducting. We talked about the high demand for conductors in today's job market and he went on to say he owns an Opera company and plays Viola. I invited him to check out some tunes because I needed Viola on a few.
Turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made on this album.
Why? It's easy to meet musicians - they're all over the place and everyone is looking for a band. However, it's rare to meet someone that you truly connect with, have great chemistry with - and that's Jordan.
He received his training via the Suzuki method so he has a great ear. He plays what makes sense for the song and has a very intuitive, lyrical approach. He thinks about song structure and arranging when he plays. But again, the best part is the chemistry - we connect when we play and he has a feel for what the songs need.
Jordan plays on 4 tracks that appear on Phantom Heart.
I met Jordan at work one day. We started talking and he mentioned that he has a Masters in conducting. We talked about the high demand for conductors in today's job market and he went on to say he owns an Opera company and plays Viola. I invited him to check out some tunes because I needed Viola on a few.
Turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made on this album.
Why? It's easy to meet musicians - they're all over the place and everyone is looking for a band. However, it's rare to meet someone that you truly connect with, have great chemistry with - and that's Jordan.
He received his training via the Suzuki method so he has a great ear. He plays what makes sense for the song and has a very intuitive, lyrical approach. He thinks about song structure and arranging when he plays. But again, the best part is the chemistry - we connect when we play and he has a feel for what the songs need.
Jordan plays on 4 tracks that appear on Phantom Heart.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Long term view for "Phantom Heart"
Just got off the phone with Dawn, a publicist with The Press House in New York. Talked about the disc and my idea of two CD releases... told her that my goal was to get some buzz so that I can break into licensing (TV, Cable, Movies).
After listening for a while, she recommended that I come up with a timeframe (April - June) and list of cites where I'd like to focus. We're targeting April - June because people will go to shows in the Spring, not Winter and this will be during the semester for schools.
My ideal scenes would be:
Cambridge / Somerville
Burlington, VT
Amherst, MA
Albany, NY
Portland, OR
Also, when I mentioned licensing, she said she would put me in touch with Kevin Laughlin in NY. She mentioned several radio stations I should send my stuff to.
I should work with her on two levels: Big pubs that need a 3-month lead time, blogs and the publications around my gigs.
After listening for a while, she recommended that I come up with a timeframe (April - June) and list of cites where I'd like to focus. We're targeting April - June because people will go to shows in the Spring, not Winter and this will be during the semester for schools.
My ideal scenes would be:
Cambridge / Somerville
Burlington, VT
Amherst, MA
Albany, NY
Portland, OR
Also, when I mentioned licensing, she said she would put me in touch with Kevin Laughlin in NY. She mentioned several radio stations I should send my stuff to.
I should work with her on two levels: Big pubs that need a 3-month lead time, blogs and the publications around my gigs.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Almost done mixing at Verdant
Have not posted for a while, have mainly been in love and busy with tracking.
Spent the weekend of 11/17 & 11/18 up in Athens Vermont with a good friend, Pete Weiss. He owns Verdant Studio and has worked on a number of projects with me.
Very, very happy with the results and love the plate reverb he has (he asked me several times to move the reverb level on the tank which was a room away from the studio). No digital reverb was used in the making of this record - only plate and spring.
Tracks mixed so far:
Tendril Stem
Blue Van
You Got Me Lost
Peel Away (beautiful Viola parts)
Just Have To Know
Good Morning You (Daniel Johnston)
With You
I Want To Go Away With You
Coming Down On Me
Brother Jim
Your Blue Eyes Don't Reflect That Kind Of Light
Going back up to Verdant on 12/15 to mix the following:
Gone Long Gone
Last Night What You Told Me
Into A Spark
Spent the weekend of 11/17 & 11/18 up in Athens Vermont with a good friend, Pete Weiss. He owns Verdant Studio and has worked on a number of projects with me.
Very, very happy with the results and love the plate reverb he has (he asked me several times to move the reverb level on the tank which was a room away from the studio). No digital reverb was used in the making of this record - only plate and spring.
Tracks mixed so far:
Tendril Stem
Blue Van
You Got Me Lost
Peel Away (beautiful Viola parts)
Just Have To Know
Good Morning You (Daniel Johnston)
With You
I Want To Go Away With You
Coming Down On Me
Brother Jim
Your Blue Eyes Don't Reflect That Kind Of Light
Going back up to Verdant on 12/15 to mix the following:
Gone Long Gone
Last Night What You Told Me
Into A Spark
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Blue Bird Cafe
Matt Duane Griffin encouraged me to take a week down in Nashville and hang at the Blue Bird Cafe, an all-night open mic. He said I could really learn the music biz there just by talking to people and asking them what they do. Maybe I'll do this in the spring right around when Phantom Heart comes out.
I feel like I've slowly broken through a limitation in my mind about my music - as if I really do see my work's quality on the highest level. I've now realized that, although it's different, it's equal to some of the best stuff out there.
Spoke to Seiki last night over dinner about success in music. Success for me is really that I have not given up - that's a total victory. Success in my music "career" is slower than I'd like, but success in my artistic development is way beyond where I've dreamed.
Need to keep performing live and receive confirmation of my music - this helps build my own confidence.
I feel like I've slowly broken through a limitation in my mind about my music - as if I really do see my work's quality on the highest level. I've now realized that, although it's different, it's equal to some of the best stuff out there.
Spoke to Seiki last night over dinner about success in music. Success for me is really that I have not given up - that's a total victory. Success in my music "career" is slower than I'd like, but success in my artistic development is way beyond where I've dreamed.
Need to keep performing live and receive confirmation of my music - this helps build my own confidence.
Tracks / Musicians for Moontower 8/12 session
For the session next weekend, I have mapped out the following game plan:
- Tendril Stem: Me on Acoustic, electric, drums and vocals
- Last Night What You Told Me: Me on Acoustic and Vocals, Drums, Seiki on Acoustic.
- Coming Down on Me: Me on Acoustic, Electric, Floor Tom, Tamborine and Vocals, Seiki on Acoustic. Seiki on Classical Guitar percussion.
- You Got Me Lost: Me on Acoustic and Electric, Tamborine, Floor Tom - fly in midi drums.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
How much should I allow fans to have a say?
Wondering if it might be a good idea to have fans/friends have a say in cover art, track order and design of the CD. Have been reading a lot about the closer relationship between artist and fan....
Monday, July 9, 2007
Why am I starting a blog about my 5th record?
Because I want to get my thoughts down, recorded for the future - maybe I'll be the only one who reads it, but maybe other will find it useful somehow. I hope someday my son, Guthrie, will read it and say "Uh, my Dad was really interesting".
I also want something that I can refer to as the project develops and changes. I have many ideas about production, arrangements, who I want to play on the record and so forth. I also have many ideas for the design and title. For example, I have the working title "All Mistakes Are Intentional", but that may change. I also have "Grey" as a title on the CD cover - black hand-written letters on a white background.
I guess the main reason for getting this shit down is to contextualize where I'm at in my life - all of the heartache, challenges, disappointments, victories and happiness. My intention with this blog is to crystallize a focal point so that the end product (the record) is very powerful - for me and the listener.
The 25 songs or so that I am currently weeding through for the record have been written over the past 18 months, starting when I separated from my wife and child (Guthrie), to now, where I am deeply in love with a woman who may be be leaving for Los Angeles. I have gone from having a very sedate and simple life (wife and kid, good money) to being fully engaged with living and what is means to turn suffering into joy.
The previous records I did certainly reflected my life at the time - there's no way art cannot be a reflection of one's life. However, this recording project and all of it's songs have a lot more urgency for some reason. It's almost like I'm desperately trying to inscribe my life into stone.
I also want something that I can refer to as the project develops and changes. I have many ideas about production, arrangements, who I want to play on the record and so forth. I also have many ideas for the design and title. For example, I have the working title "All Mistakes Are Intentional", but that may change. I also have "Grey" as a title on the CD cover - black hand-written letters on a white background.
I guess the main reason for getting this shit down is to contextualize where I'm at in my life - all of the heartache, challenges, disappointments, victories and happiness. My intention with this blog is to crystallize a focal point so that the end product (the record) is very powerful - for me and the listener.
The 25 songs or so that I am currently weeding through for the record have been written over the past 18 months, starting when I separated from my wife and child (Guthrie), to now, where I am deeply in love with a woman who may be be leaving for Los Angeles. I have gone from having a very sedate and simple life (wife and kid, good money) to being fully engaged with living and what is means to turn suffering into joy.
The previous records I did certainly reflected my life at the time - there's no way art cannot be a reflection of one's life. However, this recording project and all of it's songs have a lot more urgency for some reason. It's almost like I'm desperately trying to inscribe my life into stone.
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