BEN BEDFORD
''WHAT WE LOST''
SEPTEMBER 12 2012
39:06
1. John the Baptist /3:45
2. What We Lost /4:57
3. Cahokia /2:44
4. Vachel /5:05
5. Fallen /3:51
6. Empty Sky /3:54
7. Fire in His Bones /4:01
8. Cloudless /4:09
9. The Ballad of Harlington Wood /3:47
10. Guinevere Is Sleeping /3:15
BB/acoustic guitar & vocals
Chas Williams/electric guitars
Kari Bedford/harmony vocals
Peter Young/drums & percussion
Adam Gardner/bass
Dennis Wage/Hammond B3
Ron de la Vega/cello
REVIEW
By CDBABY
With the release of his third studio album, What We Lost, Ben Bedford establishes himself as a songwriter in the tradition of icons ranging from Woody Guthrie to Bill Morrissey, casting individual people into the theater of the American landscape. A true son of the heartland, Bedford also dips into the deep inkwell of classic American literature and writes with the 'old soul' quality of his literary idols, such as John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison.
The characters in this group of songs are looking for something, whether it be meaning, truth, justice, peace, or freedom. The title track is written from the perspective of Bedford's grandfather after the death of his brother during WWII. He muses in the refrain, "...maybe we will not remember what we lost and what we won." These are touchstone words for the entire album, as Bedford explores the dichotomy of personal loss and private victory.
Born in the quintessential American small town, Bedford's songs are colored by the vast midwestern American landscape of his home, focusing on precise details which set the characters off clearly from that backdrop. As on his 2009 release, Land of the Shadows, Bedford employs his unique and poignant portrait style of writing. “Vachel," a song about the poet and Springfield, Illinois native,Vachel Lindsay, chronicles the tumultuous life and demise of this itinerant and misunderstood figure. The deserted mound city of the Mississippian culture, “Cahokia,” is celebrated in the song of the same name, while “Fire in His Bones” sketches the incendiary life of Charlie Patton, one of the fathers of the Delta Blues. “Fallen” is an account of a same-sex couple that falls in love while working the flatboats of the Illinois and Sangamon Rivers. The song illustrates the idea that love is love, regardless of sexual orientation. “John the Baptist” is a searing and often unflattering portrait of the predecessor to the modern televangelist, while “Empty Sky” is a semi-autobiographical retelling of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, but with a twist: Adam and Eve find paradise, not punishment,
outside of the garden. Much as the characters within these songs seek for meaning, Bedford challenges the religious mythology of his youth in his own personal quest for understanding of the natural world.
Chas Williams (former side man to Nanci Griffith) again joins Bedford to co-produce and play on the album. His melodic electric guitar provides the sinew that binds the songs together sonically. Bedford and Williams sought to create a warm yet crisp, vast musical landscape where Bedford's songs take center stage. If Williams' guitar is the sinew and Bedford's vocals and acoustic guitar are the heart, the other players are the muscle and bone of the album. Those other musicians who add their signature touches include Kari Bedford (harmonies), Peter Young (drums and percussion), Adam Gardner (bass), Ron de la Vega (cello) and Dennis Wage (Hammond B3 organ). Bedford will spend the remainder of 2012 and the entire year of 2013 touring in support of the album.
ABOUT
Ben Bedford delivers intriguing sketches of America, its individuals, their victories and their struggles. Poignant, but never sentimental, Bedford’s portrait-like songs capture the vitality of his characters and draw the listener deep into the narratives. With three albums to his credit, Bedford’s songs tackle scenarios including homelessness, the plight of a Confederate soldier’s wife during the American Civil War, the aerial triumphs of Amelia Earhart, the life of Jack London, the murder of Emmett Till in 1955, John the Baptist, the poet Vachel Lindsay and even the 1973 standoff between members of The American Indian Movement and federal agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Often drawing upon history, Bedford’s songs have a strong sense of time and place. The songs are rich in sensory detail which allows the listener to hear, see and feel each narrative.
“Ben Bedford has proven himself to be a truly inspired and talented storyteller…” according to Arthur Wood (Maverick). With the release of his third album, What We Lost, Bedford establishes himself as a songwriter in the tradition of musical icons ranging from Bill Morrissey to Woody Guthrie, casting individual people in the theater of the American landscape. A true son of the heartland, Bedford dips into the deep inkwell of classic American literature and writes with the ‘old soul’ quality of his literary idols, such as John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison. In the past five years since the release of his first album, Bedford has played his songs for audiences all over the United States hitting notable venues such as The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Folkstage in Chicago, and the Fayetteville Roots Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His music has received extensive airplay on folk and roots radio in the U.S., as well as in Europe, taking him overseas on several occasions for concert dates on the continent and in the United Kingdom. Notable dates there include Izzy Young’s famed Folklore Centrum in Stockholm, Sweden, Toogenblik in Brussells, Belgium, and The Twickenham Folk Club in London, England. All three of Bedford’s albums have charted highly on the Euro Americana charts and the Folk-DJ charts with What We Lost also charting highly on the Roots Music Report charts. In addition, Bedford’s music has been played on National Public Radio’s Car Talk and was featured in The Sounding Board, the official newsletter of the renowned C.F. Martin Guitar Company. In addition to independent terrestrial stations, Bedford’s music has received extensive airplay from syndicated programs such as “River City Folk” (syndicated by WFMT), “The Midnight Special” (syndicated by WFMT), BBC-Scotland, and the SIRIUS XM station “The Village”, all helping to gain Bedford a wider geographical audience. In July of 2010, Bedford was named one of the “50 most significant Folk singer-songwriters of the past 50 years” by Rich Warren of WFMT-Chicago. The list, which included artists such as Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Judy Collins and John Prine subsequently appeared on the blog of journalist Eric Zorn on the Chicago Tribune website. Referring to his style as “American Portrait Songwriting”, Bedford will spend 2012 and 2013 touring in support of his third album.
''WHAT WE LOST''
SEPTEMBER 12 2012
39:06
1. John the Baptist /3:45
2. What We Lost /4:57
3. Cahokia /2:44
4. Vachel /5:05
5. Fallen /3:51
6. Empty Sky /3:54
7. Fire in His Bones /4:01
8. Cloudless /4:09
9. The Ballad of Harlington Wood /3:47
10. Guinevere Is Sleeping /3:15
BB/acoustic guitar & vocals
Chas Williams/electric guitars
Kari Bedford/harmony vocals
Peter Young/drums & percussion
Adam Gardner/bass
Dennis Wage/Hammond B3
Ron de la Vega/cello
REVIEW
By CDBABY
With the release of his third studio album, What We Lost, Ben Bedford establishes himself as a songwriter in the tradition of icons ranging from Woody Guthrie to Bill Morrissey, casting individual people into the theater of the American landscape. A true son of the heartland, Bedford also dips into the deep inkwell of classic American literature and writes with the 'old soul' quality of his literary idols, such as John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison.
The characters in this group of songs are looking for something, whether it be meaning, truth, justice, peace, or freedom. The title track is written from the perspective of Bedford's grandfather after the death of his brother during WWII. He muses in the refrain, "...maybe we will not remember what we lost and what we won." These are touchstone words for the entire album, as Bedford explores the dichotomy of personal loss and private victory.
Born in the quintessential American small town, Bedford's songs are colored by the vast midwestern American landscape of his home, focusing on precise details which set the characters off clearly from that backdrop. As on his 2009 release, Land of the Shadows, Bedford employs his unique and poignant portrait style of writing. “Vachel," a song about the poet and Springfield, Illinois native,Vachel Lindsay, chronicles the tumultuous life and demise of this itinerant and misunderstood figure. The deserted mound city of the Mississippian culture, “Cahokia,” is celebrated in the song of the same name, while “Fire in His Bones” sketches the incendiary life of Charlie Patton, one of the fathers of the Delta Blues. “Fallen” is an account of a same-sex couple that falls in love while working the flatboats of the Illinois and Sangamon Rivers. The song illustrates the idea that love is love, regardless of sexual orientation. “John the Baptist” is a searing and often unflattering portrait of the predecessor to the modern televangelist, while “Empty Sky” is a semi-autobiographical retelling of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, but with a twist: Adam and Eve find paradise, not punishment,
outside of the garden. Much as the characters within these songs seek for meaning, Bedford challenges the religious mythology of his youth in his own personal quest for understanding of the natural world.
Chas Williams (former side man to Nanci Griffith) again joins Bedford to co-produce and play on the album. His melodic electric guitar provides the sinew that binds the songs together sonically. Bedford and Williams sought to create a warm yet crisp, vast musical landscape where Bedford's songs take center stage. If Williams' guitar is the sinew and Bedford's vocals and acoustic guitar are the heart, the other players are the muscle and bone of the album. Those other musicians who add their signature touches include Kari Bedford (harmonies), Peter Young (drums and percussion), Adam Gardner (bass), Ron de la Vega (cello) and Dennis Wage (Hammond B3 organ). Bedford will spend the remainder of 2012 and the entire year of 2013 touring in support of the album.
ABOUT
Ben Bedford delivers intriguing sketches of America, its individuals, their victories and their struggles. Poignant, but never sentimental, Bedford’s portrait-like songs capture the vitality of his characters and draw the listener deep into the narratives. With three albums to his credit, Bedford’s songs tackle scenarios including homelessness, the plight of a Confederate soldier’s wife during the American Civil War, the aerial triumphs of Amelia Earhart, the life of Jack London, the murder of Emmett Till in 1955, John the Baptist, the poet Vachel Lindsay and even the 1973 standoff between members of The American Indian Movement and federal agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Often drawing upon history, Bedford’s songs have a strong sense of time and place. The songs are rich in sensory detail which allows the listener to hear, see and feel each narrative.
“Ben Bedford has proven himself to be a truly inspired and talented storyteller…” according to Arthur Wood (Maverick). With the release of his third album, What We Lost, Bedford establishes himself as a songwriter in the tradition of musical icons ranging from Bill Morrissey to Woody Guthrie, casting individual people in the theater of the American landscape. A true son of the heartland, Bedford dips into the deep inkwell of classic American literature and writes with the ‘old soul’ quality of his literary idols, such as John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison. In the past five years since the release of his first album, Bedford has played his songs for audiences all over the United States hitting notable venues such as The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Folkstage in Chicago, and the Fayetteville Roots Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His music has received extensive airplay on folk and roots radio in the U.S., as well as in Europe, taking him overseas on several occasions for concert dates on the continent and in the United Kingdom. Notable dates there include Izzy Young’s famed Folklore Centrum in Stockholm, Sweden, Toogenblik in Brussells, Belgium, and The Twickenham Folk Club in London, England. All three of Bedford’s albums have charted highly on the Euro Americana charts and the Folk-DJ charts with What We Lost also charting highly on the Roots Music Report charts. In addition, Bedford’s music has been played on National Public Radio’s Car Talk and was featured in The Sounding Board, the official newsletter of the renowned C.F. Martin Guitar Company. In addition to independent terrestrial stations, Bedford’s music has received extensive airplay from syndicated programs such as “River City Folk” (syndicated by WFMT), “The Midnight Special” (syndicated by WFMT), BBC-Scotland, and the SIRIUS XM station “The Village”, all helping to gain Bedford a wider geographical audience. In July of 2010, Bedford was named one of the “50 most significant Folk singer-songwriters of the past 50 years” by Rich Warren of WFMT-Chicago. The list, which included artists such as Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Judy Collins and John Prine subsequently appeared on the blog of journalist Eric Zorn on the Chicago Tribune website. Referring to his style as “American Portrait Songwriting”, Bedford will spend 2012 and 2013 touring in support of his third album.
