hayes

HAYESHow do you stand apart musically in a city where the scene is comprised of super-talented groups at every turn and discerning fans who have already moved on to the next big thing?When you’re Los Angeles quartet HAYES you create melodic and soulful music that manages to seamlessly cross the line between rock and pop.That blend was achieved on the group’s self-released debut album ELEVEN. HAYES--Aaron Smart, vocals, guitars; Sean Willson, bass; Kelly Finnigan, keyboards; Garry Ventura, Drums; Jason Johnson, guitars/sounds--wrote, produced, and recorded all the music for ELEVEN; for the production, the band teamed with Brian Dobbs (Metallica, Veruca Salt, Tal Bachman, etc.) to co-produce the album.As further proof that their music was starting to impact, HAYES was only unsigned band to appear on the Tommy Hilfiger/Demodaze compilation FREESTYLIN. The band’s track “Hussy”--one of the highlights from ELEVEN--was featured on the CD, alongside critically acclaimed favorites Imarobot and Katy Rose, among others. The band will also appear on an upcoming Molson Ice/Demodaze compilation CD featuring Death Cab For Cutie and others.But everyone knows that a band can sound great on record. Legions of fans in Los Angeles--where the group has performed at such historic venues as the Viper Room, Troubadour, Spaceland, and Knitting Factory--know that the HAYES’ live show is as good as their recorded music. Hayes’ have just returned from a California tour with Cardboard Vampyres (Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains, and Billy Duffy of the Cult). Last summer music fans in the Midwest had the chance to catch the band live when they embarked on a small Midwest tour which included an exclusive showcase at Double Door in Chicago for MECA (the Chicago Music Conference), and as well last October HAYES performed for an exlcusive showcase at CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.The band’s melodic rock was influenced by Swervedriver, Sunny Day Real Estate, Radiohead, Tribe Called Quest, Built to Spill, Nirvana and Pink Floyd, among others.Hayes are currently finishing their sophomore disc in Los Angeles and recently mixed some tracks with Gavin Mackillop (Sugarcult, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Talk Talk).