Keeley Bumford a.k.a. Dresage has an eclectic background. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, studying audio engineering in Boston, and residing in LA as a professional songwriter and visual artist, her journey alone provides fertile ground for a unique blend of sounds. Like any true artist, her sound is a reflection of herself – the mind is a filter, remembering the most appealing qualities of her influences, and filling in the spaces with scenes from her world. Today, C-Heads give you a glimpse into Dresage’s musical world – from Billie Holiday to Phoebe Bridgers – who’s making it through the filter and into her latest left-of-center pop tune, “Gallery”.
“‘Gallery’ is a consideration of our past. It’s a place in my head I created where heartbreaks and triumphs can be dissected and understood without the nuisance of emotion from our own personal experiences. It’s a white room we enter to gain a clear 20/20 interpretation of our pain or joy on canvas. How amusing to consider the potential weight lifted when the mystery is taken out of our bodies and placed nicely in a frame for strangers to peruse.”
Intro by Andy Gorel
Photography by Sela Shiloni and Kate Biel
I have this lyric/song title tattooed in the shape of an eye chart on my forearm. “Be kind to me, or treat me mean. I’ll make the most of it I’m an extraordinary machine.” These are words I live by and hold dear as a reminder to stay true to myself and my vision in this crazy industry. Plus Fiona is my north star of all things art, I just love her.
This song is such a VIBE. I heard it played on KCRW in Los Angeles probably 4 times before I realized I was shazaming the same song every time haha. I love his mellow vocal layering and the tasty guitar tones he gets. ODIE’s verse is super fly too. This feels effortless and honest which is so rare these days. It often feels like people are trying to chase what’s big and I appreciate when artists just exist as they are.
Andy Shauf’s record “The Party” hit me really hard a couple years ago. His writing and productions show so much restraint and maturity. It’s clear he is an incredible musician (he plays every instrument and produces his own records) but his music hits you in all the ways he doesn’t overplay or overwrite. It’s so masterful. It’s like Paul simon but new and with woodwinds. I swoon. This song in particular is my favorite to play on guitar or piano, there are so many delicious melodies and chord voicings to explore.
This is my favorite jazz standard of all time. I’ve sung it more than I can count and I still find peaks and valleys of her sorrow each time I listen or perform it. “I don’t know why, but I’m feeling so sad. I long to try something I’ve never had.” I relate to that so much. The deep pain of aching for something you can’t put words to whether it’s a love or a dream for your life. Billie cracked my heart right open when I first discovered her music and the love only continues to grow.
This song is so fascinating to me. Phoebe has managed to really stretch out from the confines of traditional lyric writing to retrace an encounter talking to a neighbor, old lover (?) of hers on her street. It’s perfect. Her whole record is really incredible, but this song in particular is such an intimate look at an ordinary exchange. It shows amazing restraint in the same way masterful way Andy Shauf does. I think she’s doing something really interesting and new within familiar soundscapes and genres.
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