Ted Pauly - Vocals & Guitar
Danny Barria - Guitar
Jeff Paretchan - Bass & Keyboards
Rob Viola - Drums & Percussion

Produced by Haywood & Adam Lasus
Engineered by Adam Lasus at Fireproof Recordings, Brooklyn, NY
Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side in Hoboken, NJ

Released by the Self Starter Foundation, PSP 015

from John Darnielle:

"Well, pour some beer out on the curb for Haywood, because they've recorded their masterpiece and called it a day. Their final album, We Are Amateurs, You and I, isn't perfect, but it shimmers with occasional greatness like a magnolia just about to bloom. It's indie rock, all right; it sounds like Superchunk when it's loud and a little like the Sea and Cake when it's quiet, but it has its own voice, too, and in this way Haywood carries on the commendable indie-rock tradition of preferring modification to innovation. The new thing Haywood brings to the table is a keen, almost sadistic ear for wistfulness. Here, in "Hotel Bar in Moscow," the band finds fat, sorrowful minor chords to strike just when they're on the verge of becoming completely abandoned to the song's bouncing, dimly-lit-club-in-Waukegan rhythm. It's startling; it has to it the feel of a band that was onto something.

It's the next number, though, that makes Haywood's demise seem like a real occasion for grief. A lounge-ready breeze of a song with some quietly harsh lyrics ("I want to be just like my dad/and marry the first real thing I ever had"), "Come On Tell the Truth Now" is a must-hear, the sort of skillful, pretty, intelligent song that makes a person want to boycott all major-label releases forever. It's got everything that's missing from the radio: passion, and subtle power, and the love that drives bands to practice illegally in storage lockers and garages weekend after weekend in pursuit of the song that will leave their distinct mark on the unremembering face of the universe. All of Haywood's last moments are worth hearing; some of them, like "Come On Tell the Truth Now," the mournful "Six Stars" and "Button Up Buttercup," are vital. All this and the best album title of the year, too. Make it a double: We've lost another one."

Haywood - We Are Amateurs, You And I. (2001 album release)

from John Darnielle:

"Well, pour some beer out on the curb for Haywood, because they've recorded their masterpiece and called it a day. Their final album, We Are Amateurs, You and I, isn't perfect, but it shimmers with occasional greatness like a magnolia just about to bloom. It's indie rock, all right; it sounds like Superchunk when it's loud and a little like the Sea and Cake when it's quiet, but it has its own voice, too, and in this way Haywood carries on the commendable indie-rock tradition of preferring modification to innovation. The new thing Haywood brings to the table is a keen, almost sadistic ear for wistfulness. Here, in "Hotel Bar in Moscow," the band finds fat, sorrowful minor chords to strike just when they're on the verge of becoming completely abandoned to the song's bouncing, dimly-lit-club-in-Waukegan rhythm. It's startling; it has to it the feel of a band that was onto something.

It's the next number, though, that makes Haywood's demise seem like a real occasion for grief. A lounge-ready breeze of a song with some quietly harsh lyrics ("I want to be just like my dad/and marry the first real thing I ever had"), "Come On Tell the Truth Now" is a must-hear, the sort of skillful, pretty, intelligent song that makes a person want to boycott all major-label releases forever. It's got everything that's missing from the radio: passion, and subtle power, and the love that drives bands to practice illegally in storage lockers and garages weekend after weekend in pursuit of the song that will leave their distinct mark on the unremembering face of the universe. All of Haywood's last moments are worth hearing; some of them, like "Come On Tell the Truth Now," the mournful "Six Stars" and "Button Up Buttercup," are vital. All this and the best album title of the year, too. Make it a double: We've lost another one."

Haywood - The Last Days Of Baronov

Haywood - Button Up Buttercup

Haywood - Six Stars

Haywood - Tough Hero (Theme From The Motion Picture Tough Hero)

Haywood - Plow

From Allmusic Guide:

"Haywood's posthumous final record is a charming mix of Superchunk-styled indie rock and tender, post-rock-influenced ballads. The New York quartet is clearly at ease playing incredibly fluid and slow-moving progressions, and the addition of spacy noises and dreamy percussion make said songs worthwhile, but their quality take on the dirty, guitar-driven Chapel Hill rock sound still makes for most of the disc's standout moments. Whether pushing through the Archers of Loaf grooves of "Hotel Bar in Moscow" and "Button up Buttercup" or rocking in a direction all their own, the band makes a strong case for being the purveyors of a slowly dying sound. Sure, there is a strange vocal resemblance between singer Ted Pauly and Mac McCaughan of Superchunk on a number of occasions, but it really seems to be less of a tribute than it is the work of an equal. Haywood was a solid indie rock act whose final effort may well be their best. It's a shame the band has called it a day, but it's a wonderful parting gift they've created with We Are Amateurs, You and I."

Haywood - Hotel Bar In Moscow

Haywood - Come On Tell The Truth

Haywood - Paper Shirt

Haywood - Don't Go Breaking My Heart

--------
Rob Viola:
Producer, Guitarist, Drummer, Writer, City Planner. 

Musical projects include: 
Night Powers, FACULTIES. The History Of Winter. VCheKa. Nine Hours To Yerevan.

Past:
Rob Viola played drums with Haywood, The Red and The Black, Carter Little, The Joey Sweeney, Matt Pond PA, Sackville and Ciao Bella; he played bass for Cherubino and Mister Coffee Nerves.

Haywood - We Are Amateurs, You And I. (2001 album release)

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