Bedhead (band)

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Bedhead
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Dallas, Texas
Instruments =
Genre = Indie rock Slowcore Post-Rock
Formed = 1991
Years_active = 1991 – 1998
Label = Trance Syndicate
URL =
Current_members = Matt Kadane Bubba Kadane Tench Coxe Kris Wheat Trini Martinez

Bedhead was a Texas-based indie rock band active in the 1990s (1991-1998). Bedhead's music was generally subdued, with a polyphonic sound based on the interlocking of single-line melodies played by three electric guitars and one electric bass guitar (often played with a capo), nearly always using clean (undistorted) tones, prompting comparisons to the Velvet Underground [ [http://www.brainwashed.com/bedhead/cardiff.html BEDHEAD-Articles/Press Archive ] ] . The group's vocals were often delivered in such a low key manner that they were quite difficult to decipher [ [http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol17/issue31/music.bedhead.html The Austin Chronicle: Archives: 1997-1998 ] ] . This unusual sound was dubbed by some critics as "slo-core," referring to the slow tempos of many of the band's songs, though the band's members objected to the labeling in interviews. In reality, many of the group's songs do not remain slow and quiet throughout, instead beginning very slowly and quietly and gradually building in intensity and volume. Bedhead also experimented with time signatures less commonly used in rock music, by playing some songs in 6/8 or 3/4 meter.

In 1999, a year after the breakup of Bedhead, Matt and Bubba Kadane went on to form a band called The New Year, whose style is similar to Bedhead's.

History

The roots of the band trace back to brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane playing music together as children in Wichita Falls, Texas. Drummer Trini Martinez was the first addition to the band, followed by guitarist Tench Coxe and bassist Kris Wheat [ [http://www.brainwashed.com/bedhead/milk.html BEDHEAD-Articles/Press Archive ] ] . They released two early singles on Dallas-based record label Direct Hit Records.

igning with Trance

In 1993 the band came to the attention of King Coffey, drummer of the Butthole Surfers and founder of Trance Syndicate Records, who signed them to Trance shortly after hearing them. Bedhead's debut album, "WhatFunLifeWas", was released in 1994, to positive reviews. They released two EPs before their second full-length, Beheaded. Their last LP, "Transaction De Novo", was recorded by Steve Albini and released in 1998. In a departure from their usual sound, "Transaction De Novo" featured more up-tempo, heavily distorted songs than its predecessors [ [http://www.salon.com/music/sharps/1998/02/18sharps.html Salon | Sharps and Flats: Bedhead ] ] [ [http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol17/issue24/music.recviews.html The Austin Chronicle: Archives: 1997-1998 ] ] .

Breakup

Bedhead broke up shortly after the release of Transaction De Novo. The Kadane brothers went on to form The New Year, and signed onto Touch and Go Records. The joint album "Macha Loved Bedhead" was released in 2000, featuring the Kadane brothers and the members of Macha.

Band personnel

* Matt Kadane (electric guitar, vocals)
* Bubba Kadane (electric guitar, vocals)
* Tench Coxe (electric guitar)
* Kris Wheat (electric bass guitar)
* Trini Martinez (drum set)

Discography

ingles

*1992 - "Bedside Table/Living Well" (Direct Hit Records)
*1993 - "The Rest of the Day/I'm Not Here" (Direct Hit Records)

EPs

*1994 - "4songCDEP19:10" (Trance Syndicate)
*1996 - "The Dark Ages" (Trance Syndicate)
*1998 - "Lepidoptera" (Trance Syndicate)
*2000 - "Macha Loved Bedhead" (Jetset Records)

LPs

*1994 - "WhatFunLifeWas" (Trance Syndicate)
*1996 - "Beheaded" (Trance Syndicate)
*1998 - "Transaction de Novo" (Trance Syndicate)

Unreleased

*1995 - "Untitled Collection of Jazz Standards" (Leaning House) [ [http://search.dallasobserver.com/1996-05-16/news/rhyme-and-reason/ Rhyme and Reason] ] [ [http://www.dallasobserver.com/1998-08-06/music/putting-it-to-bed/full Putting It To Bed] ] [ [http://www.dallasobserver.com/1996-03-14/music/stabbed-in-the-redneck/full Stabbed in the redneck] ] [ [http://www.dallasobserver.com/1995-11-23/music/red-hot/full Red Hot] ]

Covers

*2008 - "Bedside Table (Adem Cover)" (Domino Records)

External links

* [http://www.brainwashed.com/bedhead/ Bedhead official site]
* [http://www.ondarock.it/Bedhead.html Bedhead page, with photos] (Italian)
* [http://www.fakejazz.com/fake/archives/2006/07/cooler_than_you_9.php Bedhead overview from fakejazz]

References