Bedford Grove: Going Like A Bat Outta San Diego
Bedford Grove has got a lot going for them. The six-member coalition have, according to their official website www.bedfordgrove music.com, opened for Pat Benatar and are scheduled to open for the John Legend and Macy Grey’s upcoming Petco Park concert. They’ve appeared on a movie soundtrack (although I couldn’t find which movie specifically) along with POD and Angels and Airwaves.
Big deal.
As a matter of fact, this is a big deal for two reasons. One, Bedford Grove has only been together for one year. Two, frontman Marc Gould is 20 years old. Knowing this, it’s a lot more impressive that a local San Diego group has enjoyed so much success in such a short time. Add to this the release of their debut album “Welcome to Our Side of Town” in the spring of 2008, you get the sense that Bedford Grove must be doing something right.
The group is made up of Marc Gould (vocals), Lauren Paul (female vocals), Shane Fitzgibbon (drums), Matt Davies (brass), Matt Smith (more brass) and Sean Sobash, who can be heard “slappin’ da bass”. Together, they produce what iTunes calls “R&B/Soul” but what the group describes as “Funky, Sexy, Soul-Pop”. Based on the fun-factor of “Welcome to Our Side of Town”, I’m inclined to lean towards the latter.
What fun-factor you ask? Cop the album and throw on “Whispers in the Rain”. Skip forward a few tracks to “In the Car” and prepare for a serious mood-swing. “Crazy Ride Called Love” shouts-out to the archetypal significant other with a groovy keyboard/brass concoction complimented by old-school melody-harmony vocals from Marc and Lauren. Fast forward to “Teenage Suicide” and steel yourself for a striking emotional ode that will hit-home with any listener. Marc spills the beans on his family’s history on the album’s last track “Chicago” but before Bedford Grove fades from the speakers, Gould reminds the listener that “true love will stand the test of time” and manages to not sound like a trite hippy while doing it. In my book, that’s an accomplishment worth noting on its own.
– Wonderboy