Description
Ben Bedford- Songwriter/singer/guitarist
Songs of the Illinois Prairie: Flora, Fauna, and the Land.
Illinois Histroy in Song: Immigration, Mining Disasters, Civil War, and the Land.
American History in Song: Amelia Earhart, The Sangamon River, Injustice, War, and the Land.
Work Sample
This is from a live broadcast before a studio audience back at the end of 2019 in Pensacola, FL for RadioLive on WUWF. There are 4 different artists for the 2 hour show. I am the first artist to appear, doing about 20 minutes. I appear again at around the 1:07:25 mark. Songs include: "The Pilot and the Flying Machine: Part 2," "Letters from the Earth," "High and Low" in the first set. "LIttle Falcon," "The Mule and the Horse," and "Quiet on the Green Hill for the second set. Total running time for my sections is about 30 minutes. All songs are original and composed by Ben Bedford.
This was filmed during the recording of my fourth album, The Pilot and the Flying Machine, and is a take of my song "The Pilot and the Flying Machine: Part 1." It was filmed in January of 2016. Just to be clear, when I tour, I generally do not have other musicians but there are two other musicians in this video: Ethan Jodziewicz on bass and Diederik van Wassenaer on violin. Sessions were engineered by Dave Sinko. Running time is about 3 and a half minutes. Song is original, composed by Ben Bedford.
This is a Soundcloud link to my entire album, The Pilot and the Flying Machine. Recorded in 2016 in Springfield, IL. Engineered and mixed by Dave Sinko. Mastered by Eric Conn at Independent Mastering in Nashville, TN. Ben Bedford- vocal and guitar. Ethan Jodziewicz- double bass. Diederik van Wassenaer- violin and viola. Kari Bedford- harmony vocals. The album was released on Waterbug Records (Glen Ellyn, IL) in the states and Cavalier Recordings (The Netherlands) in Europe. Total running time is approx 49 minutes. All song names are listed in Soundcloud. This is my fourth album. I am preparing to record my sixth album in May. Thus, I have a substantial amount of material.
The first work sample I provided showcases 6 songs and instrumental pieces. It is a nice little cross-section of work that exemplifies my melded musical style, which, for lack of a better word, I would call "folk" because I am not a classically trained musician. You can hear some Jazz influence on the instrumental "The Mule and the Horse" with it's A part in 7 time. That influence also appears in the syncopation of "Little Falcon." The Early Music influence is especially evident on "Quiet on the Green Hill" as well in all three with the pastoral subject matter, which points to my fascination with the prairie restoration of central Illinois and the Sangamon Valley. The first set of songs from that sample especially exemplify the influence of 60s/70s folk/pop on my music. But again, in terms of subject matter, I almost always come back to the land itself. My third sample, which is an entire recorded album, displays these traits, as well, and also shows a strong connection to the land/people of Illinois and the Midwest.
History
In the past fourteen years since the release of his first album, Bedford has played his music for audiences all over the United States hitting notable venues such as The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Folkstage in Chicago, and Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He's also played festivals like The Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, The Fox Valley Folk Festival in Illinois, and the Fayetteville Roots Festival in 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 eight occasions for concert dates in Europe. Notable dates there include Izzy Young’s famed Folklore Centrum in Stockholm, Sweden, Toogenblik in Brussells, Belgium, and The Green Note in London, England. He's also played in Canada doing a Home Routes tour in Alberta and British Columbia. 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 also included Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Anais Mitchell, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, and John Prine. In 2018, Bedford was named one of the six Kerrville New Folk winners at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
Artistic Vision
I'm always trying to stretch my musicianship, my songwriting, my perspective, in general. A large aim I have with my work, especially in the past 4-5 years has been to musically capture my home of central Illinois. I lived next to a prairie restoration area for 4.5 years, and it had a profound influence upon my artistic direction. I fell in love with the plants and animals within the confines of the area and I've worked extensively to capture the feel of this very special place. I'm influenced by many different types of music and I'm quite reticent about assigning myself a genre. I'm an acoustic guitarist, singer, songwriter and my work is informed by folk/pop/rock music of the late 60s and early 70s, Early Music, as in music from before the year 1600 such as John Dowland's, classical stuff from the early 20th century like Prokofiev and Sibelius, and also Jazz artists like Thelonious Monk and Wes Montgomery. In a nutshell, I'm obsessed with doing the best work that I can. Always.
Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise
I can cater my program to many different groups though I do not have specific expertise with any specific group. I have created programs to present to high school aged students on the prairie through my music. I've done the same for Adults and college aged kids. I've also had pretty extensive experience playing in retirement communities and nursing facilities doing programs centered around American History, especially Midwestern/Illinois History. (I have a BA in History from The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. I've also done prairie programs with the seniors. I'm very open to creating programming for smaller children, but I do not have a lot of experience with that to point to like the other age groups.
Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement
My work has certainly been influenced by traditional folk music of various regions including the U.K. and the U.S. However, I do not consider myself a traditional folk artist.
Name
Ben Bedford
Type
Individual Artist
Address
P.O. Box 515
Springfield, IL 62705
Artistic Director
Ben Bedford
[email protected]
217.741.8411
Contact Person
Ben Bedford
[email protected]
217.741.8411
Web Site
Artistic Discipline(s)
Music
- Roots/Americana
Geographic Availability
Central Illinois
Fee Ranges
$300-$800
Additional Services
Residencies
Workshops
Core Audience(s)
Adult
Children
Seniors
Youth