Summers are usually the best part of the year. But for singer-songwriter Barney Bentall, who owns a cattle ranch in British Columbia’s Cariboo Country, the summer was sandwiched between threatening heat domes and blistering fires.
“It was a horrific year. It frayed our nerves. Fortunately, we had irrigation from creeks for our 40 cows in the field,” said Bentall. Beloved for his Juno-Award-winning band, The Legendary Hearts, Bentall has released multiple albums as a solo artist and set bluegrass-folk band, The High Bar Gang, on a national trajectory.
Putting the 2021 summer in the past, the prolific recording artist has once again resurrected Barney Bentall and The Cariboo Express for their annual Western Canadian charity concert trek. In the past 15 years, the band raised $3.5 million for numerous charities. The Cariboo’s seven-stop tour, with 10 top-gun musicians including Bendall, head to the Arden Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Bentall and Geoffrey Kelly (Spirit of the West), also part of The Cariboo Express, are clearly upbeat about their new album RanchWriters. The prolific award-winning duo, friends and colleagues for 40-plus years, released the 12-track on Sept. 17 via True North Records.
The project began at Bentall’s ranch during the pandemic’s 2020 isolation. While their previous collaborations in the past involved both lyrics and music, this album is strictly instrumental. The result is a collection of music that collapses the four walls of quarantine and gives way to broader vistas — both of the mind and soul.
“Geoff and I have known each other for a long time. When he comes to visit the ranch, rather than play cards, we would occupy ourselves putting together soundcapes. We had about eight or 10. During the pandemic, an engineer friend came over with his mobile recording. We thought we would do it as a hobby, a pet project. We had no idea it would be so well received.”
There was no agenda, no deadline pressure. As a result, the tracks are layered with hypnotic patterns and dreamy repetition that gently flow like a creek winding its way along stone beds and grassy meadows. In fact, the creek is where it all began.
“On nice days, we might park ourselves on a couple of old chairs by the creek,” recalled Bentall. “We tended to lose ourselves and become comically oblivious to any noise or frivolity going on around us.”
For Bentall, jamming with Kelly and creating the musical soundscapes was oddly liberating.
“Writing lyrics has always been the trickiest part for me. When the pressure was taken off, it was very freeing.”
The songs’ synchronized, mesmerizing sounds come in part from the duo’s different guitar styles.
“We didn’t do a lot of finger-picking on this album. Kelly works on alternate tuning, and I use standard tuning. It creates a mysterious sound, and we synchronize really well. We have this symbiotic relationship.”
The pair is reveling, but still surprised, at RanchWriters’ success.
“It was one of joy that this happened. But Geoff and I laugh. What if this becomes the most successful work we’ve done?” chuckled Bentall.
Bentall and Kelly will perform a few cuts from the album at Saturday’s Arden concert. The full lineup of Cariboo performers includes Matt Masters, Geoff Hillhorst, Rob Becker, Geoff Hicks, Scott Smith, Kirby Barber, Ridley Bent, and son Dustin Bentall.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $42 not including GST, handling charges, and fees. For tickets call 780-459-1542 or visit www.stalbert.ca.
