Sean's Journal

2010 In A Nutshell, Plus Another 23 Days

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:25:50 GMT

Yes, yes, I know. The year isn't over yet with 23 days left to go, but why not give a little report now! It's as good time as ever. I can honestly say, this has been 'one-hell-of-a-roller-coaster' kinda year. Over 100+ gigs, music sales better then ever, more and more fans by the day, two endorsements (Thank you Goodsell and G7th!), and a whole lot more then I can think of off the top of my head. That doesn't even include the non-music related jargon; like moving three times! I'm nothing but smiles about 2010 - while it hasn't all been perfect, it's been pretty damn close, and I'm just as confident as ever that next year will be even better! So what's next for the remaining days ahead? Well, for starters the gents and I will be heading into the studio next week - (one sneak peak I'll give into 2011...New Music! That, I can guarantee). Then for any and all of you Vancouverites, we'll be doing the last Band show of the 2010 year on Dec. 16th at the Backstage Lounge. After that? Well, that remains to be a question...for now. But I reckon it'll be just as good as the rest of this year has been. THANK YOU (as always) to the Fans, Friends, and Fam for your love and never ending support! I know that sounds cliche, but in that sentence lies absolute truth. Here's to the rest of 2010 and a soon to be 2011! - Sean

Meet Phil & Graham from the Band

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:45:00 GMT

Meet.....

On the Pots & Pans (Drums) - Phil Gardner.
Pulling the pipes (Bass) - Graham Scott.

These cats are awesome and are the key players in my band!

About Phil:

A fellow Canadian who grew up in South Texas, where he honed his rudiments in school Marching Bands. He moved up to the Northwest about 10+ years ago, and since has been playing & jamming with a lot of big cats on the local Vancouver music scene; Incura, Daniel Wesley, the Turn, etc. According to his BookFace page, he likes chocolate too.

About Graham:

Graham is an Ontario kid, and a relative newbie to Vancouver. He graduated from Humber College (in Music of course), and shortly moved out here where he's been persuing the music career path with Bass in hand. I first saw Graham play at the Spirit of the Sea Festival in White Rock, BC with the band Sam & Luke. I immediately went up to him afterwards and asked if he'd join my group - he agreed! Special fact: his bass is painted in the same paint as BMW's. . . wowwwwwwwww.

I'm luck to have these guys on board - they are great players!

Go to the Gigs page to find out when & where we'll be playing next.

- Sean

Goodsell Amplifiers Endorses Sean Hayden

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:20:00 GMT

I'm happy to announce that I am now a Goodsell Amplifiers endorsed artist!

Back in 2008, I was introduced to the Goodsell brand for the first time and was totally impressed with the tone and playability - I haven't looked back since! You can see my own Super Seventeen MKIII in the pic on the right hand side.

Special thanks too Mr. Richard Goodsell himself!

- Sean

"Still On My Mind" hits the homepage on thesixtyone.com

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:00:00 GMT

I got a nice e-mail in my inbox tonight - TheSixtyOne (a new artist discovery site for listeners), has featured me and my song "Still On My Mind" on their hompage rotation! Click here for a direct link.

Check it out! Special thanks to everyone for the Hearts!

- Sean

The Worst Music Artist Blogger In The World Finally Has Some News - At Least He Doesn't Spam!

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:56:34 GMT

Ugh! I'm terrible at writing in my Blog/Journal/News Thing! Which is retarded, since I have and had lots of things to talk about, mention, theorize, propose, institute to the public, you get the idea.

Any who, where should I start?

GIG DATES:

I've had a fantastic summer of Gigs on this years’ Solo Acoustic Tour! Over 80+ gigs since May of this year! (Hence, why there's a lack of dates in September. Needed a break!). Dates will resume in October, and more will be posted in time. Which brings me too….

THE BAND!

As some of you have noticed, the band & I will be gigging starting this October! I'm excited to be back playing with a group. We are planning some heavy in fun shows in British Columbia this fall! Maybe in Alberta too? The Solo Acoustic Tour will resume at the same time.

"HEY SEAN, WHEN'S THE NEXT RECORD GONNA DROP?!":

I've had A LOT of people asking me about the next record and when and if it's happening. The answer: Yes, I've begun the process of working on a new record. I'm still in the writing stages, so there's still quite a bit to go, but I'm getting antsy to get another album out there to YOU. There'll be more about this album in the works this fall.

Lots going on, so check back lots! The honest best way to keep up with everything is my twitter feed. I tend to Tweet much more often than blog.

Thanks all!

- Sean

FREE Shipping!

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:20:55 GMT

Some great news to pass on to everyone: FREE Shipping is now available on all products (CD's, T-shirts, etc.) in Canada on SeanHayden.net! In addition, all International Shippings are only $1.00!

My goal is to make it easier for everyone, both in terms of the ordering expereince and making it easier on your wallets!

As always, THANK YOU for all of your on going support and Fanship! I can't even begin to tell you how Thankful I am for everything.

Enjoy!

- Sean

Recent Cancellations

Thu, 27 May 2010 01:40:47 GMT

Hey all,

For those of you who don't know already, I've regretfully had to Cancel a few gigs due to Strep Throat. I was diagnosed with Strep Throat after visiting the Doctors office this past Tuesday.

The following Gigs had/have been Cancelled:

May 25th @ the Blarney Stone in Vancouver, BC
May 26th @ the Dinghy Dock in Nanaimo, BC
May 27th @ the Bard & Banker in Victoria, BC

Currently, May 28th & 29th at the Bard & Banker are pending.

Thanks to everyone for the support - I am on the quick recovery path, and hope to be back in playing shape for this Friday.

Cheers & Thanks,

- Sean

'Tis the Season to be Touring

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:43:51 GMT

SOLO ACOUSTIC TOUR

It's that time of year again - the tour season! First Gigs of the Solo Acoustic Tour start in May. Head over to the Gigs page & check out the latest dates. You can also join the FaceBook Event for any of these gigs, which can be found on the FaceBook Page @ http://www.facebook.com/seanhaydenmusic.

More Gigs are expected to be confirmed and/or added to the Gig schedule, so check back often to keep up to date with other upcoming shows.

As always, THANK YOU for your Friendship & Fan'ship! Hope to see you from the stage.

- Sean

G7th Capos

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:44:48 GMT

I'm proud to announce that I am now an endorser of G7th Capos!

G7th without a doubt makes the Best Guitar Capos on the market today and it's a honour to be affiliated with such a groundbreaking company. Not only are they my capo of choice, but their host of award wins and rave reviews is testament to their outstanding designs.

Check them out at: www.g7th.com

- Sean

Helping Haiti

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:14:38 GMT

From now (Jan. 22nd) until January 31st, over 75% of proceeds from all downloads, CD and merchandise sales on seanhayden.net will go directly towards relief efforts in Haiti.

As most of you know by now, Haiti was hit by devastating 7.0 earthquake on Tuesday, January 12th. The damage to buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated to be over 100,000.

Every little bit counts, and with your help we can distribute life-saving relief to all the Men, Women & Children who are in desperate need.

Thank you for your time and generosity.

Sincerely,

- Sean

"When the Wheels Come Down"

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:10:00 GMT

Was messin' around tonight on the old 'Ge-tar', and I ended up recording a cover of the song "Wheels" by the Foo Figthers - Thought I'd share it with ya'll! Not much mixing or anything - just a fun a little sketch.

I recorded it all on video as well, but I haven't put it together for Youtube yet, so the vid will be uploaded later.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

- Sean

Twitter Contest/Giveaway

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:05:00 GMT

Wanna win some free stuff? Maybe a Tee, or a couple CD's?

I'm holding a Twitter contest where I'm gonna giveaway a bunch of free merch every week for 4 weeks! That means winners will be notified on Nov. 24th, Dec. 1st, Dec. 8th, & Dec. 15th.

Do you want to play? Here's all you have to do:

Step 1.) Follow @seanhayden on twitter.
Step 2.) Simply tweet “Just entered to win some free Sean Hayden merch. Just follow @seanhayden and retweet. http://tinyurl.com/y8w4ljn”

This contest is open to people anywhere in the world and is free to enter (as long as it is legal for me to ship to you).

Such an easy contest to enter!

Good luck to everyone!

- Sean

For the Gear Nerds - Part Deux

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:10:00 GMT

Rigged!

(Note: If you missed Part 1, Click Here).

Here is my new pedal board rig completed.

The "Electric loop" is a T-Rex Alberta (Overdrive) & a T-Rex Replica (Delay). The "Acoustic loop" is a Radial PZ-PRE ToneBone going into a T-Rex Roommate (Reverb). I use the Radio BigShot ABY as a loop switcher between the two channels.

I may try integrating the Replicia some how with the Acoustic Channel, but I haven't decided yet how or if I want to do that.

I did end up cutting custom sized George L cables and ends - they we're a bit finicky but It's worth it anyways since they're cut to size and fit perfectly!

Underneath on the right hand side you'll see a T-Rex Juicy Lucy power supply - fits nicely underneath the PedalTrain board. Originally I wanted to mount it with 3M Dual Lock tape but I couldn't find it anywhere in the lower mainland?! However, I did manage to get my hands on some Industrial Velcro, which did the job just fine.

So what's the result - tonal bliss in a compact package! At least in my opinion : )
I couldn't be happier with the way it sounds and how it came together. I plan on posting a video in the third segment and you'll get to hear it at home!

Until then, stay classy my Gear Nerds.

- Sean

November 11th

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:15:00 GMT

In honour of veterans everywhere & current soldiers serving overseas, I'm offering a free download of my song “Another Day”.

The inspiration for this song came from a story I saw on TV about the current war in Iraq. There wasn't anything new or special about this particular TV program on the war, but what struck a chord with me was two back-to-back images shown on the program: the first, a mother and child crying in anguish over the death of their husband/father who was serving in Iraq. The second was a soldier on his knees being held up by his fellow men in arms, drowning in despair over the news of his son who passed away back in North America.

Sometimes we get lost in the big political picture of war and forget who it is doing the fighting; fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, grandmas, grandpas, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, and a countless list of others and how we’re related.

Take a moment this November 11th, and show your respect to those who are putting their lives on the line everyday, and to those who already have. Show your thanks, show your tribute, and show your respect whichever way you feel is best.

My tribute last year was to write a song, which ended up being recorded shortly before November 11th, 2008. My tribute this year is to share that song with everyone and anyone who wishes to listen.

- Sean

Click Here to Download "Another Day"

Happy Halloween!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

For the Gear Nerds - Part 1

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:25:00 GMT

Here it is - the start of my new pedal board rig.

What you see in the first pic will function as my basic acoustic DI Channel: a Radial PZ-Pre ToneBone & a T-Rex Roommate Reverb. The PZ-Pre runs direct to the tuner, which is a Boss TU-2 - at least for now.

The next stage will be too add a power unit, then add an electric guitar loop on the same board, and a ABY switch to switch between what will then be an acoustic loop and electric effects loop.

The electric channel will be have a T-Rex Alberta & a T-Rex Replica, then I'll have a Radial BigShot ABY pedal acting as a switch between the two loops - (see the crude drawing below). The tuner can then run off the ABY switch, giving me access to the same tuner for both channels.

For the power supply, which will sit underneath the Pedaltrain Junior board, I've concluded that my best bet is the T-Rex Juicy Lucy FuelTank. The T-Rex pedals I have on board are pretty demanding when it comes to mA and voltage - the roommate especially. The PZ-Pre is demanding too, but it's a 15vdc and 400mA! So the Juicy Lucy won't be able to run it - I'll have to run that pedal direct into the socket. But these pedals are worth the extra power demand.

I have had the opportunity to try A LOT of pedals from all the big & small pedal companies, and then some. Everything from Fulltone, to BSM, to MXR, to Keeley, and anything else you can think of. All of these companies make awesome pedals, but I just keep coming back to T-Rex & Radial. They just seem to hit the sound nerve for me, and the craftsman ship is second to none for both Radial & T-Rex. In addition, The Pedaltrain boards are also brilliant in their own right – durable construction, simple & proven. I also like how you have easy access to the under belly - a major plus for both myself & for customs at the airports!

So here's the "Set-list":

Acoustic Loop:

* Radial PZ-Pre
* T-Rex Roommate (Reverb)

Electric Gtr. Loop:

* T-Rex Alberta (Overdrive)
* T-Rex Replica (Delay)

Connections:

* Radial BigShot ABY
* T-Rex Fuel Tank Juicy Lucy (Power Supply)
* Boss TU-2 (Tuner)
* Patch cords: Undecided - what do you think? I'm thinking some custom George L's.

Other:

* Pedaltrain Junior

You can hear me play the Acoustic loop at the Backstage Lounge in Vancouver, BC on November 3rd. Come on down, say 'hi' & talk nerd with me.

- Sean

"The Biggest Scam Since New Coke!"

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:44:13 GMT

Heard this on the Radio today and thought I should share it with ya'll. It's from a Comedian named Matt Iseman - funny guy, with some great thoughts on the bullshit that is insurance. "Car Insurance is horrible! You pay for this product every month, and never use it. Then you have your accident and it comes time to use it and what do you have to do? You have to PAY to use the product you've been paying for without using!, 'cause they have a deductible right. . . And if you pay to use this product that you've been paying for without using, they're gonna make you pay more in the future when you continue paying not to use it, 'cause they raise your rates. I ended up paying out of pocket for my accident. I paid, not to use my insurance just so I could afford to keep paying for my insurance! This is the biggest scam since new coke! What bothers me about insurance is that you have to have it by law. It's illegal to drive a car without insurance on your car. 38 million people in this country (USA) do not have health insurance, and that's messed up. Our cars, are more protected than our bodies.. . So that's why the next time you get sick, get in your car. Don't drive to the emergency room, drive into it." iTunes Link: "Like A Good Neighbor" - Sean

The Way Belated CD Release Party

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:15:00 GMT

You're invited & so is everyone else - open to the public! If you're in the Vancouver/South Surrey area come say 'hi' & hang out at my Way Belated CD release Party. The party is Sponsored by: Tapestry Music & Great West Fitness.

Southpoint Station Pub & I will be hosting it on Friday, Aug. 21st, from 8pm till close. We're featuring some awesome drink specials, giveaway prizes, merchandise, a DJ, and much more! Did I mention drink specials?!

Only one catch; you must be legal drinking age to attend, (19+). (Sorry to the younger cats).

You can check out more on the Facebook Event page.

Hope to see you there!

- Sean

News, Stuff, & Things

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMT

What kind of stuff?

The Way Belated CD Release Party - check out the other Journal entry for more details.
'Still On My Mind' was recently added to the latest 'Oasis Rock & Roots Sampler (Volume #6)' - Sweet!
Two Vietnam videos have been added recently to the YouTube page.
New Vietnam photos in the Pics section

Enjoy!

- Sean

New 'Fans' Page!

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:05:00 GMT

The old SeanHayden.net Members Section has been thrown in the garbage, (quite possibly at the disappointment of some), but the new Members philosophy is now even better!

Become a Fan Club Member, and you get:

* Discount offers on Music & Merchandise
* Pre-sale Tickets
* Pre-sale Merch & Music
* Online member profile
* and more!

As an added bonus, because there is no more backstage members section, EVERYONE will have the same access to the same photos, pics, blog, comments, etc. on SeanHayden.net - nothing is hidden!

Need more details? Check out the new 'Fans' page

- Sean