Music
Press
“Heartaches ‘n’ harmonies from a duo that knows their jingle from their jangle.”
–Mojo (UK)
“The Bedsit Poets deliver tender originals that have an early-sixties innocence.”
–The New Yorker
“Edward Rogers and Amanda Thorpe spin out intricate, magical harmonies on songs that sound like a cold-weather version of the Mamas and the Papas, or maybe a lighter-hearted Greenwich Village version of Richard and Linda Thompson.”
–Pop Culture Press
“A warm, glowing affair that celebrates the passing seasons (‘February Kisses,’ ‘The Summer That Changed’) and reflects on crumbling relationships…. Reserve a place in your hearts for the beguiling Bedsit Poets.” –The Sun (UK)
“When this pair of breezy folk-pop songwriters gets together, mature is no pejorative at all.” –Time Out New York
“Absolutely beautiful” –Amplifier
- from Mojo, The New Yorker and more
Discography
Albums:
The Summer That Changed (Bongo Beat, September 2005)
Rendezvous (Bongo Beat, September 2008)
Photos
Bio
Edward Rogers and Amanda Thorpe, two British musicians living in New York, began writing songs together during the summer of 2002. Upon hearing about their activities, friend Colin Blunstone—best known as the singer for the Zombies—said they sounded “like bedsit poets,” thereby naming the project. (For those unfamiliar with Britishisms, a bedsit is another name for a cheap studio apartment—you sit on the bed because there’s no room for a couch.)
Twelve songs later, Rogers and Thorpe brought guitarist Mac Randall on board and, with folk favorites Pete and Maura Kennedy behind the controls, Bedsit Poets recorded their debut CD, The Summer That Changed. Released by Bongo Beat Records in September 2005, it features the tracks “February Kisses,” “Reach for the Sky,” and a distinctive cover of “Don’t Ask Me to Be Friends” (written by Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller for the Everly Brothers).
Over the last two years, Bedsit Poets have performed extensively in their NYC hometown, at clubs such as Joe’s Pub, Mo Pitkin’s, the Mercury Lounge and the Living Room. They’ve also played the Borderline in London, the Joint in Los Angeles, the Drake Hotel in Toronto, the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, and Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. Between July 2006 and March 2007, the band intermittently worked on their second album in Brooklyn with producer/engineer Don Piper. Titled Rendezvous, the album is scheduled to be released by Bongo Beat in September 2008.
Links
