Pat Benatar headlined a concert after this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, California. It was great to see the Grammy award winning rock legend, but I was just as interested in the opening act, San Diego’s own Bedford Grove. The group started out the evening with a bit of light funk that got my head noddin’ just a little bit. But that’s all it took to get me interested.
Grove’s front man Marc Gould describes their music as fun and danceable, but with a jazzy, funky, kickin’ swing to it. When I pressed Gould to come up with influences, his answer was “Anything in that moment of inspiration.” He says that whatever provokes spontaneous emotion, be it a conversation, song, or movie, is an influence.
Drew Grethel plays the drums, Andrew Saunders & Matt Davies are on the brass, and Ms. Lauren Paul adds the band’s female touch with background vocals. Gould says that Paul adds more color and sexiness to the music.
Gould says that San Diego has seen a new wave of good music, but nothing that resembles the style of Bedford Grove. He calls it, “Mixing the upbeat feel of the beach with the gritty grooves of the city.” When I tried to get him to predict where he thought they’d be in several years, he says that he’s only got his mind on next month. But he also added, that I should ask him again in three years when the band is selling out Madison Square Garden. I’ll keep him to that promise.
You can take a listen to the sounds of Bedford Grove by going to their website or on their MySpace page.
