Cool for school
The response was really positive and quite immediate
Dream Serenade is a benefit concert put on by Hayden (Paul Hayden Desser) and his wife Christie Greyerbiehl in support of children with developmental disabilities. The show, this Saturday at Toronto’s Massey Hall, features Feist, Barenaked Ladies, Jason Collett, Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of the National and — booked last Monday, the morning before Hayden performed at our studio — Billy Talent. The Post’s Ben Kaplan asked the budding promoters about their reasons for staging a benefit rock show.
Q You just performed a song that you said you finished four days ago. Are you working on a new album? Hayden Yeah, I’m working on a new record, but I happen to be ... what? Greyerbiehl Aren’t you always working on a record? Hayden You think I’m always working on a record? I saw an eyebrow go up. I’m not known for my speed, but yes, I am working on a new record and that song will be on the new record and hopefully it will be out sometime this winter.
Q It’s a busy time, then, to be calling up the National and putting on a show. Hayden There’s a lot of elements involved, but it’s been rewarding in a way that sometimes putting out a record isn’t. It feels like it’s for a greater reason than sending out my complainings on CD to the masses.
Q How long has the show been in the works? Hayden We’ve been talking about it for a while as we’ve gone through the process of finding care for our daughter. We’ve come across organizations — schools, daycares and hospitals — that do amazing work and have great people, but you notice shortfalls in the system. Greyerbiehl It was after she started at Holland Bloorview. It was hard for us get in because it’s got a great daycare program where they integrate children with special needs with regular-developing children and there’s very few spots because it’s not wellfunded — that’s where the idea got brought into life.
Q One day, you’re an artist and a touring rock musician and the next, your life’s completely changed — you’re parents whose kid needs a hand. Hayden A lot of these places you would never know they exist unless you were in a certain situation and even if you’re in a certain situation, you might not hear about it. This school that our daughter’s at now, Beverly Street School, who we’re doing this for, we didn’t even know about it until her third year of life. It was completely off the radar and it’s such an incredible place, but they need things that a regular school wouldn’t — special technologies. Places like this are incredible in our city and we have to make sure that it stays that way.
Q So you pick up the phone and call Feist? Hayden The first people involved were the National and a guy that I love helped figure out a time in their schedule, which is crazy, when this could happen and once they signed on, I approached everyone else and the response was really positive and quite immediate. Everyone wanted to help out.
Q Because you’re such a sweetheart? Hayden Because I’ve been touring this country for 90 years.
Q A bunch of the acts on the bill share your label. Are the folks performing your personal friends? Hayden I’ve met a lot of people and I only like a certain amount of them so the people I reached out to are people that I love honestly. It may sound eye rolling, but they’re people I respect musically and as people. They know our family and I consider them friends. It’s a warm thing all around.