With the release of his second album, Land of the Shadows, Ben Bedford “…has proven himself to be a truly inspired and talented storyteller…” according to Arthur Wood (Maverick). In its first month of airplay, Land of the Shadows reached number one on the Folk-DJ charts with three songs in the top ten. Land of the Shadows finished 2009 strong, as the fourth most played album on Folk-DJ Radio for the year, making Bedford the 16th most played artist of the year. In addition, the album received considerable airplay on the Sirius XM Satellite Radio program, The Village, syndicated programs through WFMT like The Midnight Special and River City Folk, as well as international programs like BBC Radio Scotland, gaining Bedford a more geographically widespread audience.
With an understated intensity, 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.
After only four years as a full-time artist, Bedford has already played WFMT’s Folkstage (hosted by Rich Warren) as well as Izzy Young’s famed Folklore Centrum in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition, Bedford’s music has been played on National Public Radio’s Car Talk, reached the top ten on the Folk-DJ charts with both his debut and sophomore albums and was featured in The Sounding Board, the official newsletter of the renowned C.F. Martin Guitar Company. Referring to his style as “American Portrait Songwriting”, Bedford will spend 2009-2010 touring in support of Land of the Shadows.
Both albums were released on Hopeful Sky Records and are now carried by the independent label, Waterbug Records, based in the Chicago area.
