Upcoming Gigs:
August 8 at Tilted Glass in Bowmanville, ON
August 16 at Jackson Hall in Whitby, ON

By Will McGuirk

Young Bedford Bells’ debut album ‘Fell In Love in My Hometown’ is yet another one of those albums which underscores why I find what I need right here in the Shwarock CIty. Its an album of joyous alternate country folk indie bluegrass bit clean for blackgrass but roots are here and one to get lost in sitting on the front porch on a rainy night or anywhere on any night just like the music is always with us here in this city.

We reached out to Bedford Bells aka Jeff Adams and had a Slowcity chat.

Slowcity.ca: Can you tell me how you came to music initially and when writing songs began to mean something to you?

Bedford Bells: “I started out playing the piano and the guitar, which really laid the foundation for everything else. It eventually evolved from just learning instruments into a real need to create. Being an elementary music teacher, I get to see kids discover music every day, which keeps that foundational joy alive for me. But songwriting became my personal outlet... a way to process my own experiences.”

SC: Why Bedford Bells?

BB: “The name actually comes from my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life. That film is incredibly meaningful to me in so many different ways. The town in the movie is called Bedford Falls, and bells play a huge thematic role throughout the story. Especially that famous line, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." I combined the two, and Bedford Bells just felt like the perfect fit.”

SC: What is your songwriting process - how do you come to songs or vice versa? And what was the genesis of this album?

BB: “For writing songs, I usually sit with my guitar or piano and my notebook where I write my lyrics. I'll just record everything that comes out of me on a voice note to listen back to later. My true test is that if I remember a melody later without having to listen back to the recording, I know it's going to be a good song. As for the genesis of Fell in Love in My Hometown, it came about after writing over 50 songs and realizing there was a story there. A beginning, middle, and end of a relationship. I just love the idea of an album that tells a cohesive story when you listen to it straight through.”

SC: You are a solo artist but with a band on the record - who are the musicians you have with you and why did you choose them?

BB: “Actually, on the record itself, it's really just me and Andrew Ivens playing pedal steel, along with a couple of guest vocalists for harmonies. Keeping the studio instrumentation tight helped maintain the core intimacy of the songs. When I play standard live shows, it's usually just me and my looping pedal. But when I do my big live shows, that's when I bring in the full band. My buddy Dan Simmons on electric guitar, Derek Ou on drums, and Tim Hance on bass. Having them there brings a completely different, collaborative energy to the stage.”

SC: There’s a heritage of folk and bluegrass in Durham and Oshawa which shows up in a lot of our artists. But there’s more of a modern country tinge to what you do on this record. What artists do you look to for musical inspiration; is it via local and live or have you found them on record and radio?

BB: “I definitely lean heavily into an indie country and Americana sound, purposefully avoiding that polished, high-energy country rock vibe. The acoustic instruments naturally bring out that folk and bluegrass heritage you mentioned, but I try to frame it in a more modern indie context. As for specific inspirations, I draw a lot from artists like Jason Isbell, Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, and Noah Kahan mostly through their records, which really helped shape the storytelling and sonic direction I wanted to take for this project.”

SC: Ah the mighty Shwarock City, our town - tell me about growing up here, and what the city means to you and feels to you? And what does our music scene mean to you, if indeed such a thing exists for you?

BB: “Oshawa is everything to this record. I mean, the album is literally called Fell in Love in My Hometown. Between living here, teaching at Village Union, and playing local spots, this city is just embedded in my daily life. The music scene here has a gritty, authentic, and incredibly supportive community. It’s a place that keeps you grounded, and that unpretentious energy is exactly what I try to bring to my music.”