Dunstan Bedford: The Savior That Needed Saving

I would consider myself a fan of music. In fact, I’ve been listening to music in some form or another almost my entire life; it’s quite possible I was before I was born. Over the years I have observed the rise and fall of several musical empires, acts and artists catching a hold on amorphous success, clutching with steadfast as long as the strength of their grip will allow. Some have managed to hold on longer than others. Some slipped off as quick as they grabbed on. Some are still clenching tight, their marble-white knuckles shining through contemporary skies. Yet there is one band that has captured the spotlight against all odds, even with their pasty, flabby, and untrained fingers.

The band I am speaking of is, of course, the rock-n-roll trio hailing from a quaint pocket of an Idaho Falls suburb, the enigmatic Saviors of the Saved. This band serves flagrant iconography to most every household in the United States with blaring noise and obscene presence. You could also find the same landscape of littered posters, CDs, and T-shirts in several countries overseas. The cultural zealousness for this group is unlike anything I had ever seen.

The line-up consists of drummer Bobby Zacharais, bassist Davey Lane, and the personality behind the modern day rock legend responsible for the group’s immense popularity, their fearless leader Dunstan Bedford. The band formed in the early recesses of 2018, when Bedford was struck with a nostalgic kind of inspiration which prompted him to contact the members of an erstwhile punk project which he participated in some time in late 80’s.

So Zacharais, Lane, and Bedford then took a deep dive into some of the purest form of dirty garage rock known to man, jamming out a set of five songs that would eventually be compiled into Saviors of the Saved’s debut EP, “Save Some for Me!” The EP released on Randy Joe Records, a relatively new record label on the prowl for fresh talent, in the sweet summer of 2019. To society’s collective surprise, the EP was a crushing hit, dominating the Billboard charts for weeks to come, even without any individual singles being released. Critics awarded the EP with high praise, with many claiming it was snubbed for the ever-prestigious Grammy award. The reception gave way to a dedicated audience. The dedicated audience gave way to extensive touring, even amounting to a world tour spanning over twenty countries.

Now, I have given Save Some For Me! several spins, maybe more than one could consider healthy and normal, but the meat of the music was never a taste I could quite acquire. The songwriting is at best basic, and the production is bare or even sloppy at points. However the buzz and boisterousness of everyone else’s reaction was so tangibly perplexing and captivating I had to dig deeper into the mind that is responsible for this pervasive phenomenon.

So I decided to contact the Saviors of the Saved’s manager while the band was on a brief gap between tours to try and set up an interview with Bedford. However, I came to discover the band was on a brief gap between managers. So then I attempted to get in touch with the horse’s mouth himself. Through a string of industry connections, which was thankfully short, and I got a hold of Bedford’s phone number. I then proceeded to make that fateful call. Bedford answered and we had a pleasantly cordial conversation, which, for me, was surprisingly out of character for such an up and coming rock star; you know the stereotypes about rock stars. We set a date, and he invited me to his studio for the whole interview to take place.

The day came and I followed the directions to the address he gave me. During the ride, I once again played Save Some for Me! to really dress myself up and prepare for the occasion. When I arrived, I was a little bit confused. I assumed he meant the band’s recording studio and not his personal studio apartment. I walked up the stairs to his second-story residence and rapped politely on his front door.

After a brief wait, Dunstan Bedford answered and welcomed me inside. The apartment was neat, yet unexpectedly sparse of decor. He took a seat on a white faux-leather couch while I found comfort in a white painted armchair set not too far across from him.

Bedford was dressed to impress, but not too formal. He wore a modest grey blazer adorned over a white v-neck. However I did find myself overwhelmed by the scent of his dollar store cologne. I could tell he was nervous, his face red and sweaty behind his freshly-trimmed goatee. After initial pleasantries, we got down to business. I started a new recording on my phone, and opened up with a, “How are you doing today, Mr. Bedford?” and, with a wide smile that tried to prove his confidence, he responded with a classic, “Please, call me Dunstan.”

“This may be a strange question, Dunstan, but what does your name mean to you?”

“Well, that’s a question you’d have to ask my momma, but to me it always seemed kinda badass. Almost like I was born to rock-n-roll.”

The only reason I asked this was because, in my research, I had discovered he legally changed his name back in the 1990s. I was hoping there would maybe be some deeper introspection as to why he changed it, but now I’m guessing that he just thought it sounded cool.

I wanted to know more about the Saviors of the Saved’s history, or the history before the band formed to be more specific. A Wikipedia article could begat any paragraph with raw dates, locations, whatever, but I desired a more intimate explanation in a flavored language.

“Well, back in college, a few of my buddies started a band called The Grueling Tuesdays. Ya’ know, we were inspired by bands like Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Chumbawamba, you know bands like that who really took a stance against authority and, uh, conformity. We wanted to make something in that same sort of anti-establishment kind of vein, which was reflected in our name. And our name was jab at the never-ending work weeks and this machine that the system just grinds us through. But we also wanted to mix in some influences from bands like Zeppelin, Van Halen, you know more melodic and serious bands but with a rock edge like that to sort of make us stand out.”

As he spoke, I noticed he would wave his arms about, similar to a professor giving a lecture on their specific field of expertise. I guess that was fitting, as who would be a better expert on the Saviors of the Saved?

“Uh, we had some success. We weren’t famous or anything, but we made enough cash from gigs we didn’t need to have a full-time job or anything. The chicks we would get were also suh-weet!, you know what I mean?”

He paused for a second, I guess to make sure if I did know what he meant, so I just replied with, “Yes.” and then he continued.

“I think at our peak, we opened for Nirvana as they were getting big. But overtime, the passion kinda faded. We changed as people and our music didn’t really reflect our views at the time. I got married to my then wife and had our little Jasmine. We just decided to end things as we drifted our separate ways.”

“Did you do anything else as The Grueling Tuesdays?”

“Yeah, we did have a short reunion tour a few- dang, it might be more than a few- years back. It wasn’t a big thing or anything, just for a bit of fun and any fans that might have remembered us.”

There was something in his tone that indicated he enjoyed reliving these good-ole’ days, maybe a little too much, but I also detected there was a hidden pain underneath, like there were some things that he maybe didn’t want re-exposed in a present light.

“So I guess that brings us to a couple years ago, I think, I was cleaning my storage shed and I came across some of my old guitars and amps, and it got me remembering those early stages of The Grueling Tuesdays. I felt like I was, like, inspired by those same feelings I was back then. The feelings of anarchy and oppression and I felt like I had to do something with those feelings. So I called up my buddies- we kept in touch somewhat- and I asked if they wanted to jam out. And the two that were interested came together and we formed what you now know as Saviors of the Saved. And that first song on the EP was sort of based on that story.”

The first track on Save Some for Me! is titled Rockin’ Loud. The title reigns true; it is a tight song clocking in at two minutes and forty-five seconds of sludgy, raw, unfiltered, and loud rock-n-roll. The song cuts right through the chase and opens up right into an admittedly catchy and driving chorus which repeats three more times through-out its course, hammering in the point of The cops showed up! And busted us! For rocking loud!

“That chorus is also based on a true story!” Dunstan proclaimed. I asked him about it a little more, if the confrontation with the police was scary. But then he went on to explain that one of the neighbors had only come by and threatened to call the cops if they continued to make so much noise.

The lyrics in the first verse divulge into his story of rediscovery and re-inspiration. However, instead of that storage shed, the lyric reads, I found my old gear cleaning my garage. When I pressed about this detail, Dunstan admitted he had to shape the line a little to fit with the following rhyme, It got me missing my old entourage. In the grand scheme of things, I guess the difference doesn’t matter all that much. All things considered, I would say this track is my favorite on the EP, however superficial and transient it may be.

“So, tell me about the other members of the band,” I humbly implored.

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Davey and Bob are both great guys. Davey, as you know, is our bass player. In college, we shared this economics class together. We found that we shared very similar views on life and issues and everything. We basically had the same goals we wanted to accomplish with our music. You know, sometimes I think we could be the same person. Shoot, Bob and I go way back to high school. We were in the same sort of punk scene and bonded over that kind of music. We went to a bunch of shows together and we really just meshed really well I think. And Bobby is like a machine on the drums, you know. He’s insane!. And you know, they’re all such talented musicians. The song ‘Don’t Awaken the Beast’ is a good demonstration of this as we get more technical and everyone gets to show off what they can do.”

“Don’t Awaken the Beast” is the second song on the track-list. It seems to be a more subtle type of song. While it is loud, it doesn’t thrash as much as the previous track. The bass lines through-out the song are more nuanced and complex, whatever that means for this band, and can be heard breathing even under the noisy drums and guitar. While the drums don’t show off much, they are steady and throw in some interesting variation every now and again. The guitar part still offers a basic power-chord progression, but it does go into some more melodic riffs as the track enters a more instrumental direction.

“There’s a little studio trick we use there. Since I am the only guitarist, I can’t play two parts at once. So I recorded the chords, and then in another take, I played the whole riff-y part.”

Instead of being a raw thrasher, this track seems to be going for some kind of progressive, darker feel to it. Personally, I’m not convinced it’s really achieving what it’s trying to. The lyrics detail an insidious warning to not awaken a mysterious beast and the miserable consequences if you end up doing so.

“So, what is the beast, exactly? Is there some symbolic meaning?” I inquired.

“Well, you know any good rock-n-roll song has got to have some, you know, subtle sexual innuendo,” he replied with a sly laugh. I decided not to pursue any further questions on this matter.

“So, Dunstan, what sort of things usually inspire you to write a song?”

Dunstan looked up, pondering the white stucco ceiling and gave a scratch under his chin. “I’d like to think I reflect life at large in my lyrics, stuff that can resonate with really anyone. A lot about love. Actually, we have a song I wrote that explores the innocence of love, and that there should be no shame in loving someone. When there’s a connection between two souls, it is untethered and unbreakable. There’s no penalty in love.”

“Which song is this?”

“It’s called There’s No Penalty for Love.”

There’s No Penalty for Love is the third track that shows up on Save Some for Me! It’s another song that comes in swinging and abrasive. The guitar and bass drive the composition with a crucial force. The simple chorus’ explodes with energy as it shouts the eponymous line, “there’s no penalty for love.”

“Yeah that was also a song I could really show my guitar prowess. I busted out this sick solo, which I don’t mean to brag or anything, but it was completely improvised.”

“Uh-huh.”

“When writing the lyrics, I did have a certain person in mind. It was on that reunion for the Grueling Tuesdays, after one of the shows this chick made her way backstage. She said her name was Claire. Now, this broad was smokin’! I mean she was irresistible. I knew we had a special connection when I gazed into her eyes. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. I know it sounds cliché, but it was like fate had brought us together. So, you know, we spent the night together.”

The song’s verses describe woes and tribulations that one may be penalized and encouragement to persevere and to simply play the game of life. Love will find you, and there’s no consequence for it.

The song that proceeds it bears a more depressing tone.

“So what’s the song You Saved Me about?”

“That one’s one I wrote a while back but I repurposed and added some stuff for the Saviors,” Dunstan’s face took a forlorn drooping, “I wrote it the morning after my ex-wife found me in bed with Claire. She ended up divorcing me, taking custody of Jasmine, and due to the divorce agreement she’s now getting half of everything I get from the band. Claire also left me and I haven’t seen her since. I wrote the song about her. It’s a desperate attempt to try and win her back, but deep down I know she’s gone for good.” I noticed a single tear gently flow down the side of Dunstan’s cheek.

You Saved Me is the heartstring-tugging emotional ballad, demonstrating that Saviors of the Saved can not only rock, but can also deliver a powerful, raw, personal, tear-jerker of a song. The sweet, soft acoustic guitar transitions beautifully into a devastating second verse which also introduces a melancholic electric guitar to beef up the impact. Dunstan also delivers the second guitar solo of the EP here, a dramatic and yearning piece that will truly bring a teardrop to anyone’s eye that will experience it.

The room sat silent, the pressure of past memory weighing down. Dunstan stared down at the carpet as though it were an immeasurable distance away, becoming lost in reminiscence. I don’t know how long I waited with awkward patience, but eventually I decided to snap the silence like a glow-stick to try and liven the mood a little bit.

“You mentioned one of your previous tours before. What has touring been like for this particular project?”

Dunstan looked back up, his face easing back into pleasant smile, “Well, it has its ups and downs, as you could imagine, but it’s been treating us alright. I’ve never seen crowds so rowdy and ready to rock for any show I’ve played. It’s amazing to see how much our music really connects to the hearts of these people.”

“How do you get along with Dave and Bobby?”

“You know, I’ve got to be honest, things are a little bit turbulent between us.”

“Turbulent how?”

“I don’t know, things are just tense. I think all the attention is sort of getting to their heads. They’re thinking they’re all high and mighty and they’re responsible for all our success. Dave as of late has been demanding that he wants more bass solos. I gave him one somewhat reluctantly on one of our songs and I thought that would be enough. Bob’s just been aggressive. He nearly punched one of the merch guys. I think being on the road has just been getting to him a bit. I kind of feel like the glue keeping everyone together.”

“There are only five songs on this EP. How do you flesh that out into an hour plus long performance?”

“Well, obviously we’ll play all the songs off of Save Some for Me! at some point. We learned a bunch of covers, a lot of crowd pleasers, just for this reason. Some nights we’ll go into these sick jams for a little while, you know really feeling the music and letting it flow through your soul.”

“Do you guys have any more songs written?”

“Yeah, we have a few we like to bust out sometimes. You might be able to find some bootlegs on YouTube or something.”

“Are there any plans for a full-length album in the future?”

“You know, I’m not so sure about our future as a band. I’ve written enough material for a full album, but I’m not confident we can pull it together enough to crank anything out. All the pressure of this has really taken a toll on Dave and Bob. I honestly don’t think they’d have the chops to get this done. I’m thinking after the last leg of this tour is over, I might be going solo and putting out an album of my own. Don’t put this in the interview.”

“So we’ve discussed some of your previous musical influences, but what kind of music are you into right now?”

“Oh, more of the same. New music these days is a bunch of drivel and junk! However, I’ve been getting into this band called Greta Van Fleet. They’ve nailed that Led Zeppelin sound down, so it’s like I’m getting a fresh dose whenever I listen. They’re pretty innovative.”

At this point, there was only one track on the EP we hadn’t discussed yet, a track entitled (She’s Got That) Wow Factor. It’s a brief and succinct two minutes and twenty-three seconds of that classic Saviors sound I think to serve as a palette cleanser after the emotional journey the rest of the record takes you through. While the instrumental is akin to the first track, Rockin’ Loud, the lyrics spout out onomatopoetic ramblings of things that “she’s” got. As much as I want to like it for what it is, it just leaves this slimy feeling on my insides, making me want to take a long shower whenever I listen to it.

“I want to talk about your song Wow Factor. Why did you write it?”

“Okay. I wanted another banger we could just jam out to. It’s nice to play a more simple song where you don’t have to focus on the lyrics, you just have to focus on the raw music flowing through you.”

“Do you think this song is objectifying women a little bit?”

“What? No.”

“There’s literally a point where you do the cat-call whistle.”

“Well, I wrote this song about a very specific woman. You know, a very specific she. I wrote this song about Claire, actually.”

“But do you understand how this can be interpreted in a different way? It’s implied that you’re boiling women just down to their looks. You know, that’s what-”

“But it’s about only one woman’s looks, not all of them. And you know what, I think if she were to hear the song, she’d be flattered. To me she really does have that ‘wow factor.’”

“At the level you and your music are and how far you’re reaching, it may not read like that, it’s indicative of something-”

“But I’m writing it about a specific person. I don’t know what’s so sexist about that.”

After noticing I couldn’t drive my point across, I decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“So, how does your daughter think of all your success?’

“Well, I’m hoping she thinks it’s cool. I haven’t actually talked to Jasmine in a while. After the divorce I moved out and I guess we grew more distance. The last time I saw her actually was a couple years ago at her high school graduation. We shared maybe a couple of phone calls since then.”

Dunstan broke eye contact and shifted his gaze toward the carpet.

“When she was still a baby- well, a baby to me- she did show some interest in music. You know, she’d sing her own made-up songs, dance along to everything, stuff like that. Sometimes I’d see her sneak in my room at night just to strum my guitar on the stand.”

“Davey has a kid too, doesn’t he?”

“Oh yeah, little Keith! I’m sort of like an uncle to that little man. So weird to think of how fast he’s grown. He actually helped engineer the recording for our EP after watching a couple of Youtube-y videos. The boys thought it would be cool for him to be involved.”

“Did he work on any other projects before?”

“No.”

“I can’t remember, does Bob have any children?”

“Nah, nothing could anchor ol’ Bobby down. He keeps saying that he wants to find ‘The One’ and settle down somewhere, but I know deep down that he is always going to be sniffing out new talent, you know what I’m saying. Actually, earlier this year he broke up with his last girlfriend. He seemed kinda bummed about it and it kinda showed in his performance on stage, but I know those five years meant nothing to this man.”

“Do you think you want to find another love?”

“Ah, I don’t think so. I’ve lived that life, you know what I mean? There’s nothing really more to learn and nothing really more to teach.”

So we bounced back and forth another series of trivial questions, but the conversation yielded nothing more of note. I don’t know if I gained any more insight into this crazed cultural hivemind, but I do think I scooped out a piece of Dunstan’s soul. I’ve analyzed it. I don’t know if it’s anything I could clearly put into words, but I know this man. I’ve met him several times before. I’ve met him when I worked as a cashier and he cracked a joke he thought was too clever. I’ve met him at old record shops, rambling about the classics and how new music just isn’t the same. I’ve met him when he would promptly cancel school for the day and take me on a road trip to the city. I’ve met the same man, just different versions.

We wrapped up our pleasantly cordial exchange, shared a firm handshake, and I went on my way. I drove home with the radio turned off, lost in pseudo-philosophical musings. I think Dunstan considers himself as a savior, arms reaching out to thousands upon thousands of people, reaping their affection. But in some ways, it seems Dunstan may be lost, searching for the pieces of himself that have been scattered over the years. For whatever version of Dunstan is here right now, I bid farewell and good luck. Nothing more to learn, nothing more to teach.

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https://saviorsofthesaved.bandcamp.com/album/save-some-for-me