sat.feb.9.02 -- w/ kid brother collective, liars academy, brandston

      The opening act, Bedford Drive, was a local four-piece that churned out some really melodic, catchy tunes a la Hey Mercedes and Hot Rod Circuit. Three members of the band were fighting off a pretty nasty case of the flu, but their six-song set managed to show off some solid songwriting and strong vocal harmonies regardless. Bedford Drive's mix was about as good as I've ever heard for an opening band at the Shelter, with Michelle Bojanowski's bass driving Ed Sertage's and Scott Anger's dual-guitar attack...  Drummer Jay Croft rapped out firecracker-quick drumwork behind it all, while Scott's strong and distinctive [voice] topped the whole set off. The songs were diverse, as well, as portions of the band's set harkened to everything from pop-punk and emo to even a bit of 80s metal, thanks to a few cool dual 'lead' rhythm guitar parts. Still, the band's strongest moments came during Ed, Scott, and Michelle's harmony vocals, especially when there was rhythm guitar interaction behind them. This short set was a pretty good indication that Bedford Drive is certainly a band to keep an eye on [in] the Detroit area.
                                                                                                            -- Gary Blackwell

 * * * exert taken from a review of all four bands at the shelter that night * * *
 for the complete article, visit
 http://www.adequacy.net/music/concerts/mc-rev19.shtml

fri.may.10.02 -- w/ charlevoix, lisboa, ettison clio

       Bedford Drive, of course, closed out the night with a set honoring the recent Vertical Verve release of The Last Time I Saw the Stars. The band's sound has really grown over the past few years, and it showed on tracks like "Bittersour," where the band's three-part harmony vocals and dual rhythm guitars laced into each other. During most of the show, it looked like Bedford's bass player, Michelle Bojanowski, was about to fall over and die courtesy of a nasty cold. Still, the band never slowed up and even pulled out a rare live performance of "Not Minding, Loving," which to me is still Bedford Drive's best song. On this night, the band came off somewhere along the lines of The Anniversary or Hey Mercedes, as the songs were certainly catchy enough and laced with vocal harmonies, though the guitars had a lot more bite than conventional emo/pop fare. Scott Anger's vocals were sharp through out the night, and his guitar interplay with Ed Sertage stretched from crushing rhythms and intricate melodies to just about 80's metal, all within the two-and-a-half minute jaunt "Even If I Go." By the time Bedford Drive closed out the night with a somewhat oddball choice for a cover song (The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash"), those assembled at Jacoby's had seen four bands worth of wonderful examples why the independent music scene in Michigan is alive, well and healthier than ever.
                                                                                                            -- Gary Blackwell

 * * * exert taken from a review of all four bands at the shelter that night * * *
 for the complete article, visit
http://www.adequacy.net/music/concerts/mc-rev25.shtml#bedford

may.02 -- cd review in the titan tribune

Don't Call It a Comeback, They've Been Here for Years Anderson Alumni Bedford Drive Keep Churning Out Rock.
 by Aaron Quillen

     Not always known as Bedford Drive, three out of the four current members of this local band have been playing music together since their high school days at Anderson. Singer/guitarist Scott Anger and guitarist Ed Sertage first played in a hard rock cover band called Livitikus. After kicking out their drummer, Jay Croft joined on and the band evolved into grunge act Sonic Reducer. 
     Eventually, Sonic Reducer died off. The band then started over, with their friend Josh playing bass, and that is how Bedford began. But, working over 40 hours and also playing in another band called Landstider wasn't working out for him, so he called it quits. Enter: long time friend Michelle Bojanowski, filling the void Josh left. 
     Now, after years of playing together, the band is a tight group of musicians, that write catchy, yet complicated rock songs. With guitars that bring memories of old school Metallica, but with an overall sound not too unlike The Get Up Kids, Hey Mercedes, or even "Static Prevails" era Jimmy Eat World, Bedford Drive is bound to make an impact on the local rock scene. 
     Recently, the band released an eight song CD, "The Last Time I Saw the Stars" on Riverview indie label Vertical Verve Records. It was recorded at Woodshed Studios in Ferndale, MI. 
     These eight songs combine all the elements of the bands previously mentioned. They include wonderful three-part vocal harmonies, especially in "Bittersour." They combine driving rock n' roll with pop sensibility, like in the songs "Never Saw It" and "Alarm Sounds (First Happy Love Song)." Finally, they fuse 80s style guitar harmonies into songs like "Not Minding, Loving" and the closer, "Even if I Go." 
     Even after playing together for so long, the band does not seem to be slowing down.
     "Right now, our plans are to build as big of a following as we can in Michigan, and then work our way out to cities like Chicago and Cleveland, where the indie rock scene is really coming together," said Croft. "We sould love to sell all of our first 1,000 CDs, and then find a distributor to make our music available to everyone." 
     "We also hope to dominate MTV and magazine covers across the country, and make superstars like Blink-182 and N'Sync beg to open for us," added Bojanowski. 
     "We're going to keep trying to write pop songs that make you think. We're trying to focus on playing more shows, and more diverse shows, so we can reach more audiences and gain experience," said Anger. "Besides, rocking out is what we're all about."

 to contact aaron , email
aq6109@arbor.edu
(he likes to talk about indie rock.  so should you.)

tue.jun.4.02 -- cd review @ delusions of adequacy

       The Last Time I Saw the Stars has certainly been a long time coming for Bedford Drive. Singer/guitarist Scott Anger, guitarist Ed Sertage, and drummer Jay Croft have played together for almost nine years in various incarnations around the Detroit area. However, it was the 1999 addition of long-time friend and bassist Michelle Bojanowski that pushed Bedford Drive to fill out the sound they'd been toying with since 1995.

Bedford Drive's original three-song demo EP relied mainly on Anger's strong vocals and Sertage's chugging guitar riffs. It wasn't a bad beginning to a recording career, but light years of maturity and discipline have reared up between that demo and The Last Time I Saw the Stars. Anger's persistence with his guitar playing have given the band a truly formidable duo of rhythm guitarists, and he's scaled back the previously dominant tones of his voice a bit to allow the music to be Bedford Drive's focal point. The vocals still cut through strongly, but the psychotic wails and screams of previous material like "Pulse" have been replaced with three-part harmonies and dual guitar rhythms that range from intricate to downright frenzied.

It doesn't hurt the band at all that collectively, Bedford Drive can write some damned nice songs. "Incredible L" is a fine example, a haunting number featuring a ton of solid rhythm guitars and one of those slower, yet infectious choruses that sticks in a brain like peanut butter on the roof of a mouth. "Not Minding, Loving" is another more contained number that thrives on a bed of coolly intense rhythm guitars, especially during the chorus. This is definitely the 'nicest' listening experience here, and it's possibly the best piece of actual songwriting the band shows here.

Lest anyone get the impression that the entirety of this disc is based on 'nice' listening, let me set down a reassurance that a majority of this disc is upbeat, catchy, and, at some points, frantic. The disc's title track stands out as the most intense listen on the disc, as the band's fierce swell gives way to a guitar and voice passage that's just long enough to give ears a false sense of security. Of course, that's when the rhythm section booms back in, the guitars crunch away, and the band chugs away through a thick chorus with a touch of sweetness added by the male/female vocals.

"Never Saw It" is a three-minute rocker that never lets up, though the real standout as far as off-the-wall pacing goes is the "It Fits Together." Distinct rhythm guitars shred over a solid, stutter-step rhythm section, while the band drops lyrical nods to the Karate Kid ("Like as if Mr. Miyagi gave up on Daniel-San") and LL Cool J ("Don't call it a comeback / I've been here for years") in a very fun listen. "Bittersour" is an upbeat, rousing number a la older Get Up Kids material, though the song makes it's impression more on the three-way harmonies that dominate the mix than on the catchy rhythm. The guitars, of course, are top-notch, especially during the 'lull' that features some quieter guitar interplay that builds to quite a powerful ending for the track. The band's occasional sense of lyrical fun shows up again here, thanks to the Sertage's backing vocal quip of "Now I know I don't need you to be strong / To get along (like the Get Along Gang)" near the close of the track.

"Alarm Sounds" is a catchy number that features a few slow builds into swelling bursts of guitars, as well as a few of Anger's stronger vocal moments on the record (during the chorus, especially). The song itself is a mesh of the guitar sounds and pacing featured in the other tracks, somewhat cramming everything into one really nice five-minute listen. Of course, Bedford Drive must not have felt like they'd been diverse enough yet, as "Even If I Go" kicks off with over a minute of guitar sounds that sound like they belong more on a metal record than anything else. The fierce opening gives way to a catchy little verse/chorus setup before cutting out rather suddenly.

All in all, this half-hour disc is quite a listen. Bedford Drive's managed to throw a little bit of everything into these eight songs - a few really nice songs, a few catchy sing alongs, a few aggressive rockers, and lyrically, everything from poetic ("And when I step outside to look up at the night sky / I think of the last time I saw the stars in your eyes") to pop culture references. One solid rhythm section, two well-mixed and well-used rhythm guitars, and strong three-part harmonies add up to eight solid tracks on The Last Time I Saw the Stars. Recommended.
                                                                                                            -- Gary Blackwell

 for the complete article, visit
http://www.adequacy.net/reviews/b/bedforddrive.shtml

jun.02 -- cd review @ iiizine.com

       Hailing from detroit, Bedford Drive introduces 'the last time i saw the stars'; eight cuts of rock pop and story telling. Everything about the cd- the artwork, the quality of recording- screams professionality. With that, not only do these kids have the heart, but they have the smarts to make things happen.

       My very first impression, the very thing that hit me was, "oh my gosh, this guy should be singing for musical plays." Scott Anger (lead vocals/guitar) heads the in vocal department for Bedford Drive. His articulation of words make for understanding every phrase; something not often found in today's indie rocker repetoire. His vocal style sounds like something straight out of the musical 'Rent'. This facet of their music definately makes for a unique listen.

       The music takes on a Dance Hall Crashers type feel w/ the followed with the vocal pairing of Michelle Bojanowski (bass/backing vocals). Ed Sertage also helps out on the vocals, making for a very multi-layered feeling at times. I love in song two, 'the last time i saw the stars' when the multiple vocals come into play with the vocal phrase 'so good yea'. They even incorporated panning!

      Sometimes Michelle sings pretty vocals on her own. This is a great device which breaks up the music from monotony. I wish Michelle would sing more, perhaps take leads in a song or two. It seems like that Bedford Drive has alot of directions that they could explore. It would be fun to see the band push things a bit further, creating an even more unique sound; seems like they have a little bit more in them they they aren't letting go of yet.

       Bedford Drive did a wonderful job tying things together on this album. Each individual instrumental phrase isn't all that extraordinary or fabulous. What makes these songs work is the interplay of each element within the music. For example, suspended bar chords and straight drum beats are the perfect fit for 'alarm sounds (first happy love song)', track number seven; the vocals repeat 'when you least expected it' adding just the right amount of intricacies and melody to what would otherwise be a very average musical phrase. If I had to pick one work to describe their music, it would be solid.

      The guitars almost sound influenced w/ a Weezer or The Stereo type flair. Really straight ballad sounding bar chords paired with wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, harmonized solo 'Yes' style guitar work. Straight-forward rock at times.

       This album is great summer car riding music. Believe me this stuff is catchy. It is refreshing to hear a band from detroit going off in their own direction. It's been long needed.
                                                                                                            -- Michelle Lukezic

 for more articles like this, visit
http://www.iiizine.com

sat.aug.17.02 -- w/ fight school, lisboa, chasing traces of you

       Bedford Drive Invades Turntable Territory
A Review of Bedford Drive on August 17, 2002 @ Le’Jive Music Cafe
by Ryan Looney 

Somehow in a coffeehouse suited and geared up for techno-crazed spin DJs and kids addicted to Mixer Magazine local rock quartet, Bedford Drive, managed to put a hard rock facade over the electronic persona of Le’ Jive Music Cafe in Wyandotte.  For about one hour, band members Scott Anger, Ed Sertage, Jay Croft and Michelle Bojonowski compelled a 100+ strong audience with a sincere, profound performance.

            Before Bedford Drive hit the stage at Le’ Jive the cafe was still a rock virgin.  Sure, it had done some fooling around with a couple bands that warmed the crowd up just prior to the Bedford performance, but it was Bedford Drive that popped the place’s rock cherry.  Le’ Jive may never feel such a profound experience again (unless BD comes back for a second serving of the infant venue).

            The band opened with the very tune that opens their debut release, (“The Last Time I Saw the Stars” Vertical Verve Records) “Never Saw it”, and from then until they ended they closed their set, encoring with “Even if I Go”, (“...Last Time I Saw...” final movement) they had cast a spell on the audience that mesmerized all of them, making them beg for more.  Between the “jaw-jacking”, “hand-clapping” tunes that brought birth and death to a great night, Bedford Drive was loaded with an arsenal of moving tunes which included “Alarm Sounds”, “The Incredible ‘L’”, “The Last Time I Saw the Stars”, “Not Minding Loving”, “Bittersour”, Journey’s “Anyway You Want it”, and new guns like “What You Said” and “Happy Birthday in a Bear Suit”.  Each song had the crowd bopping, singing, standing on tippy-toes for better viewing, and realizing that Bedford Drive is more than a temporary local icon, but rather a band that is bound to explode at any moment.

            Singer/guitarist Scott Anger was, with out a doubt, the most intriguing of the crew.  Veins in his neck bulged and his face was never less than beet-red as he spewed lyrics that scolded listeners like hot lava pouring from a volcano.  He was cognizant of his listeners, joking with them and fully aware of their response, but he remained caught up in the moment of performing for the entire show.  That’s good entertainment.

            Jay’s highlights were his powerful drum fills, which kept each song’s transitions as smooth as glass, making for an easy, enjoyable listen.  Timing: nearly flawless.  Sticks: over his head.  Good, solid drummers are as rare as precious jewels.  This night Jay was no less than a diamond.

            Michelle rumbled the venue with bass that gives Bedford Drive the backbone that almost every other band around the area still hasn’t even realized could exist.  She locked in beautifully with Jay’s kick drum for the creation of a tight pulse, and at times revealed her ability to spice things up with her own crafty low end melody.  I’m not sure what Michelle laced her low notes with this night, but whatever it was, I want more of it.  Her singing only added to the good impression that she left molded deep into my mind. 

            Talk about precision!  Ed has to be one of the most accurate, consistent and entertaining guitarists I’ve ever watched live and this night was no exception.  His ability to articulate notes so well and to blend so finely with the other three Bedford members left me picking my jaw up numerous times.  While his playing was mind-blowing, I couldn’t help but to focus on how good his gear sounded.  It is apparent that Ed knows a great sounding set up is a necessity for his ensemble to sound great.  Attention Many, Many Guitarists: learn something from this!  Something that is heard far too seldom from Ed is his vocal.  Ed has blossomed into a really great singer and he really let it shine this night.  In my opinion, Ed should sing a bit more; he makes vocal layering work wonderfully.

            Bedford Drive left the stage very humbled and happy with their performance.  “That was probably the most fun show we’ve played,” said Scott while loading up the band’s equipment.  The band definitely broadened their fan base and showed everyone that at least one good thing has sprung out of downriver.

 * * * review sent by email from ratso@rhythmicunrest.net * * *