Now this is a great way to start the year. Ward Hayden, a talented songwriter in his own right, is a true student of the craft. We’ve long known Hayden as a well-studied disciple of Hank Williams, but it turns out there is at least one other musical poet about whom he has a considered point of view: Bruce Springsteen.
Hayden and the Outliers – guitarist Cody Nilsen, bassist Greg Hall, and drummer Josh Kiggans – make their opening salvo in tribute to Springsteen with a mesmerizing version of “Brilliant Disguise”. Their version play into the song’s melancholy sentiment, just a sole electric guitar setting the backdrop for the opening verse. The band, complete with some stately Roy Bittan-esque piano, joins in at the chorus to give the performance a majestic quality.
Part of the charm is Hayden’s voice, an instrument unto itself. Its combination of richness and vulnerability is a perfect match for the unease and vulnerability in Springsteen’s lyrics.
Says Hayden about Springsteen and the song:
During the lockdown we started remotely working on a new song every week. We’d record it at our respective houses and then send our part for the track to the other guys in the band so that they could add their instrumentation or vocals. Then we’d premiere that week’s song every Friday for Outlier Fridays online.
We’d done a Springsteen song or two for Outlier Fridays and it got our gears turning. I started realizing there were a lot of similar themes to our music as in Springsteen’s music. Issues of grinding through the work-a-day life, the day to day wear and tear of grinding away, and love and life in a small town. I’m from the South Shore in Massachusetts and he’s from the Jersey Shore in New Jersey, but I think there are a lot of similarities to these summer towns and the industries that used to be there and how things have changed. And ultimately how we find out place in an ever-changing world.
Then when touring started to come back, I heard fellow Massachusetts rocker turned country act Aaron Lewis take a pot shot at Bruce Springsteen in a song we heard on the radio. It rubbed me the wrong way and I took it personally. I feel that Bruce Springsteen is a national treasure and a gifted performer and songwriter to a degree that there’s almost no single artist who’s done what he’s done at such an immense level. Springsteen knows how to connect with people, he’s thoughtful and a deep thinker. I think that Aaron Lewis needs to unplug from the internet for a while and maybe go see a Bruce concert with some people outside of his circle. And if he does, I’d like to hope he’d come away with a new outlook on the idea of hope and humanity.
We originally wanted to record two songs, sort of as a thank you note, or even as a love letter, to show our appreciation of The Boss and for his influence on our lives, on music, and our musical journey. But once we got into the studio we ended up recording a lot more than two songs. But, that’s a story for later on this year. For now, this is our first single from the Springsteen recordings we did and it’s also the first song of his that we knew we wanted to record in the studio.
Our drummer, Josh Kiggans, selected this one and he saw the vision for it right out of the gate. Then at one of our first shows back we started playing it in soundcheck with a different feel and with some different dynamics in the arrangement. The new arrangement felt right pretty much right out of the gate.
It’s a nice sample of what’s to come and we’re thrilled and honored to get to share this song written by a master of his craft and someone who’s had a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of so many Americans and people around the world.
Twangville is honored to premiere “Brilliant Disguise” by Ward Hayden and the Outliers. The song will be released to the usual outlets tomorrow.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.