Album Notes

Transplanted Canadian native, ledenhed, started out playing San Francisco Bay area open mikes and coffee houses with nothing but an acoustic guitar and his naked voice. Then he added a beat box, next an electric guitar, and then a sampler. Five years later, the balancing act between technology and tradition continues to be honed in memorable performances throughout the Bay Area. It's all been a part of the evolution of the style he calls, "hi-res, lo-fi, mid-brow psych-pop."

"the small bang!" is his newest release. The title track is a wistful lament for the end of our existence and the end of ego. Mr. Hed is an optimist at heart and is sure the next race of beings to inhabit the earth will learn from our mistakes. According to Mr. Hed, "Every day in history is important, but here in the now we seem to lose perspective. A thousand years are but one pixel of the big screen."

Again teaming up with co-producer/engineer Mark Pistel (Consolidated, Meat Beat Manifesto, Pistel Dub Collective), "the small bang!" is an eclectic cross section of moods and themes, and includes other notable guests such as Lynn Farmer (Meat Beat Manifesto), Steven Fox (Donny Parvo), Ben Barnes and Sam Bass (Deadweight), and Patrick Francis.

ledenhed's first cd "central nervous system" won great acclaim from fans and critics alike. The CMJ Report's Colin Helms wrote, "Central Nervous System's gleefully buzzing overload of instrumental eclecticism and melodic smarts proves the one-man-band both an innovative stylist and a solidly traditional pop songwriter."

San Francisco Examiner staff writer, Jane Ganahl, calls "central nervous system," "a debut album of astonishing sophistication and startling textures," selecting it as one of her three local favorite cds of the year.

Local music critic Silke Tudor (SF Weekly) gave the record high praise: "deftly distilling and refining the constructs of pop, backbeat, rock, dance music, and even goth, Central Nervous System is as singular a manifestation of one artist's psyche as I have heard, unprecedented, unsimulated, and unforgettable."