A Lesson in variety

The uniquely American sound of Haywood Yards is a hybrid phenomenon. The band’s members are all steeped in the native streams of music that are inextricably tied to the country itself: indie rock, folk, country, funk, punk, and bluegrass, and the result is a sound that is equally at home in the barn, raisin’ hell and weeping in the beer, as it is in the indie rock sandbox, raising boundaries and pushing envelopes.

Each member of this five-piece ensemble brings with them a chunk of their disparate influences. At one time or another Haywood Yards has been compared to Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era Byrds, The Pixies, Hot Water Music, The Waterboys, The Band, New Order, The Grateful Dead, Guided by Voices, and local favorite Andrew Bird. The addition of banjo, mandolin, and violin to a standard rock line-up of guitar, bass, and drums makes Haywood Yards an utterly original listening experience: live, where the results are often combustible and relevatory; and in the studio, where their polish and prodigious expertise at their craft are proudly on display.

Audiences dance and holler in wonder when Haywood Yards take the stage - their undeniable talent at heating up a room with a strong danceable beat and prickly Nebraskan energy has won them a loyal fanbase in Chicago and through the mid-west, where singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Semrad has taken their message on a series of solo tours. The results can be seen on video on their myspace page; Semrad had the foresight to make a documentary of one of these jaunts into the soul-territory of America.

The members of Haywood Yards (leader Mike Semrad, Adrienne Gregg (violin/vocals), Shankar (banjo/mandolin/vocals), Nate Brown (bass), and Austin Hall (drums)) met in Chicago, although they came from all over the country - Nebraska, Montana, Connecticut - this accounts for their ability to connect with audiences from all genres, all backgrounds, and all (good) tastes. They take a muse as old as the plains and make it urban, streamlined, and custom-made for dancing - or for merely holding one’s beer aloft and shouting “YARDS!”

Haywood Yards are currently looking for a deal with a larger label, and are interested in packing clubs in every corner of the known universe. The members have shared stage with The Features, Chomsky, L7, Leatherface, Jonathan Richman, The Tossers, The Yonder Mountain String Band, Larry Keel, Hot Water Music, Head of Femur, The Hackensaw Boys, and AFI. Their self-titled album came out in the fall of 2006, and is available from Black Dirt records; another album is already in the planning stage. But in the meantime, the music itself will continue to mutate and grow, taking in influences from all over the map and fusing them into something which resembles nothing so much as the mongrel beast known as America itself. Get ready to get down, fellow citizens!