- Please Tell Me: An Introduction To Bedhed
When I used to semi-actively book shows in Orange County, my friends and I put together a show at my Fugue bandmates Jake and Jordan's house. This show was a part of these "Nights w/o Electricity" shows friends in the area would put together, where the idea was that the bands we invited to play had to play "without electricity", but deliver the same passion and energy that they would as a full band. Really though, it just turned into acoustic shows, which was fine. At this particular Night w/o Electricity, I asked this band I was referred to by members of the band Merry Christmas called Bedhed. I remember looking at their Facebook page and they described themselves as "a one-man emotional band from Los Angeles" or something like that. I had never seen this band play, I had only heard a couple songs off the internet, but I wanted to add some new artists in the the rotation of these shows' lineups. The band showed up, but only one of the members actually played. His name was Ian, and he delivered one of the most captivating performances at a Night w/o Electricity show. It wasn't showy, it wasn't technical, it wasn't polished; it was honest, and it was beautiful in a dark way. During one of his songs, the house's grandfather clock went off and seemed to go along to the rhythm of the song. I knew there was something to this guy, so I bought his tape and told him we'd keep in touch.
Fast forward four or so years, and I haven't spoken to Ian in a while. I recently found him on some facet of social media, and I can tell he is alive and well. I check the Bedhed bandcamp and Facebook page occasionally to see if there is any activity or updates, but the most recent news is a YouTube video of a new project called Grand Mal that he is somehow connected with. Ian released three albums since that night I first saw him play, and Fugue's label Avocado Records had the opportunity to release the album ...Return of the Guardian Angel. I tend to be one who holds onto music of the past too much, but I still think this album is one of my favorite albums to come out of Southern California in recent years. It spoke to me on a level most modern music hasn't. I have a thing with music that it has to be 1. unique, 2. honest, and 3. worthwhile. I know they are vague guidelines, but Guardian Angel meets all three. I funded the whole cassette release, created O-Cards and inserts for all of the tapes, and I tried to push it hard through my distro and online. As many smaller independent artists and labels go, the tape never got any real traction (mostly because I'm not professional and I didn't have the know-how/money/connections to really promote something), and many of these tapes currently remain in my closet to this day. I feel bad more so because I wanted people to hear the music Ian wrote, but I knew it was more so a labor of love for me. I'm happy that I at least did it. I did what I could to support art that meant something to me. Also, many people were confused with the band's name being one letter away from the 90's Texas band (which, don't get me wrong, is a band I also really like), so I don't think that helped.
Bedhed has released 5 full-lengths, many EPs under the "Sickbreaker" volumes, one live EP, and one split tape EP with Merry Christmas. Only that split tape, Guardian Angel, and The Destruction Manual were graced with physical releases. Since I'm a weird nerd with this band, I have collected all of these along with a demos compilation that was put out a while ago. Out of all these recordings, I put together an "introduction" of sorts. A downloadable bootleg to get a feel of some of my favorites from the Bedhed discography. I mainly do this just because I still really like this band, and I hope more people find these songs and they end up meaning something to them as well. It's free to download until any issues arise, but I don't expect any will. Enjoy it, and share it around if you'd like
1. A Needle In My Eye (from ...Return of the Guardian Angel)
2. Do You Wanna Be Friends? (from The Destruction Manual)
3. Please Tell Me (from Sickbreaker)
4. Human Heart (from A Product of the Times)
5. One and Only AKA White and Open (from ...Return of the Guardian Angel)
6. Pictures of Your Friends (from Sickbreaker II)
7. Tiny Ovens [Live] (from Live at Volz - 4/10/14)
8. Nightmare [Fullmoon] (from ...Return of the Guardian Angel)
9. Painted Tile (from A Production of the Times)
10. Thanks (from The Destruction Manual)
11. No One Dies (from Sickbreaker II)
12. No God (from The Destruction Manual)
13. Black and Sober (from ...Return of the Guardian Angel)
14. Please Tell me [Live] (from Live at Volz - 4/10/14)
You can find all of Bedhed's music available online :here: as well.