YOU GOTTA SEE THIS: “Bedlam” by Odd Bird

July 05. 2011 | By David Korman

Odd Bird from Petaluma, CA just put out their first music video for their song “Bedlam” ahead of an upcoming album Smith, to be released on September 3rd. The band consists of Ashley Allred on autoharp, guitar and lead vocals, Judah Nagler (Five Beats One, The Velvet Teen) on guitar and vocals, Jef Overn (Litany for the Whale) on bass, Dan Ford (The Piezoelectric Effect, John Courage and the Great Plains, Alison Harris and the Barn Owls, The Easy Leaves) on drums, and John Palmer (John Courage and the Great Plains) on lap steel and banjo. The quintet has been playing together since September 2010, when Ford replaced Ephriam Nagler on drums. Ford and Palmer are in the video, but not actually playing on this track as the recording predates the lineup as it stands today. The video was directed and filmed by Steve Schuldt and filmed in Golden Gate Park and The California Academy of Sciences.

In case you weren’t sure, and I wasn’t, a bedlam is, by definition, “a place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion.” “Bedlam” in this case, is a hopeful, yet melancholy plea for peace in a world torn by war. Ashley Allred’s soft soulful voice croons and beautifully sung lyrics are cut with melodic lap steel melodies, haunting chord progressions, and an almost militaristic snare drum, faithfully marching us toward the peaceful community that Allred pleads for.

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