Stephen Hedley is one of those singer-songwriters whose music defies easy comparisons. Brought up in Windsor, Ontario, Hedley grew up only minutes from the Ambassador Bridge, a short jaunt over to Detroit, Michigan. With a clear signal from Detroit’s massive radio market, Stephen enjoyed a diverse diet of Otis Redding, Jeff Buckley, Stevie Wonder, Nick Drake, Marvin Gaye, The Stooges, U2, Neil Young, Philip Glass and everything in between.
Son to a British Anthropologist and an American classically trained pianist, with sabbatical years spent in New Zealand and Newfoundland as a child, it’s no wonder that Stephen’s outlook and his songwriting have always been unique and genre-bending.
His debut CD ‘Scenes’ reflects many of these influences, from the soulful falsetto and bluesy groove of ‘Yellow Dog’ to the achingly beautiful ‘Why Can’t You Be Satisfied’, to the sing-along rock choruses and disco undertones of ‘Scenes’. Stephen’s intuitive sense of melody, and his ability to bring together such diverse influences in the context of a pop song makes ‘Scenes’ an album that is both immediately gratifying and one that can be returned to time and time again.
Had a listen to your new album. Love what I hear. One act I can hear ,amongst others, is Squeeze. One of my favourites growing up. Your music has an honest, strong melodic drive to it. Love the changes and the atmosphere of the tracks. This is the kind of Pop music I'm proud to air. Gonna be hard to pick the first song to air on the show. "...Satisfied", "Scenes", "Oh Lord", "Unlike Another", "Go About Things"...I'll eventually pick one. hahahaha!
Hey Stephen, just wanted to let you know I'm playing Cafe Deux Soleils this Tuesday, March 25, w/ Ghosts of the Highway & Jess Hill, 8pm. Hope you can make it so we can meet in the flesh. Cheers, best,
This is just a reminder for Jason’s cd release show Thursday, Sept. 27/07 at the Red Room (398 Richards) with guests James Lamb & the Liabilities and Rodney DeCroo & the Revival. Tix. $10 at the door, doors at 9pm.
Thanks for the comps Steve, things are going' alright! And again, as I've always said, you're a remarkable songwriter. Lovin' the tunes man. Was just listening to "I Just Can't Watch the Hours" just the other day and thinking about the strange coincedence when I heard it on CJAM way back when(and loving the tune without knowing the artist) and then jamming with Venney and him showing me the tune, and freakin' that it was a local artist!
were you at the king's head last night? I showed up at 5:30, but no one was there yet. I had other things to do, so I didn't wait around. Don't drink too much, or you'll be singing, "What in the world ever happened to wallet?"
hey dude. sorry i missed the release last week, after saying i'd be there. got bogged down with editing. heard ocean showed up in droves. anyways, i would love to buy the album. how much and give it to me.
