One of Ole Miss’ own, Bedon Lancaster, and his band, who are collectively known as Bedon, traveled to Starkville this past weekend and performed at Mississippi State’s annual Bulldog Bash music festival.
After winning a battle of the bands hosted by Music Maker Productions on Sept. 13, Lancaster, a junior integrated marketing communications major, earned the opportunity to open at Bulldog Bash on Friday night. Lancaster played on the same stage as big-name musicians, including Ric Wilson, the Mowgli’s and the All-American Rejects. He said that this was the largest crowd he had ever played in front of.
“(Playing Bulldog Bash) was definitely a big deal for me,” Lancaster said. “I didn’t take it lightly. It was a lot of people — probably around 700 or 800 for our set. It was also a huge stage, which was pretty crazy. It was a little nerve-racking, but we had a lot of fun.”
Lancaster said that performing at Bulldog Bash was a great way to showcase his new music, including his single “Untitled,” which came to Spotify and Apple Music on Sept. 12. “Untitled” was recorded last December in Nashville and is the first song Lancaster has released on his own. Lancaster said he wanted to get some experience playing live shows before releasing the song.
“I wanted to have a good live reputation before I released a single,” Lancaster said. “I also wanted to hear input from my friends — what songs they liked.”
While in Nashville, Lancaster recorded three other songs, but he specifically chose to release “Untitled” first.
“(‘Untitled’) was definitely the one that, when we finished recording, I thought, ‘Yeah, people would like this one,’” Lancaster said. “And I do too. I love that song. I’m really proud of it.”
Lancaster said he has new music in the works, including a second single that will lead up to his first album. He said the single should be released around Christmas, after he records it in Nashville, and the full album should come out some time next year.
“I started writing for this project about two summers ago (while) decompressing from freshman year,” Lancaster said. “It’s just about me, relationships with people and things that inspire me. So when the album comes out — it’s a pretty chronological story from song to song.”
Having played and written music since he was in high school, Lancaster said he thinks the overall sound of his music has remained unchanged, even as he prepares his new releases. The musicians in his childhood churches — both in New Orleans and, later, in Memphis — heavily influenced Lancaster’s own music.
“I really like soulful music and honest lyrics,” Lancaster said.
In the months to come, Lancaster plans to organize a few more shows in Starkville as well as performing shows in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Oxford to showcase his new material.
