Bentall rides into town for one night show
By Contributor
Summer at the Christina Living Arts Centre is off to a great start with a series of concerts starting with the Dustin Bentall Outfit.
Dustin Bentall hails from Vancouver, B.C. and it seems an unlikely place to nurture such a rustic troubadour. Canada even seemed like an unlikely country for Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel or Neil Young to be from… until people took a closer look. Up here you’ll find as deep a frontier spirit and as much hard luck charm as any nation.
You’ll find a reverence for the tales of everyday life and loss and you’ll find a lot of people who have time to woodshed and learn their craft. Spinning songs by Neil Young, The Band, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Tom T. Hall, The Beatles, Wilco and Steve Earle Dustin found the heart of that music and placed it under his own landscapes.
His father, Barney is approaching legendary status in Canadian rock circles and has let the boy grow up to build his own strengths. He just dropped hints but didn’t crack any whips.
“There’s no question I’ve learned more from him than anyone else in the business. He never pushed the guitar on me but was always there to answer any questions I had, and left the actual learning up to me,” said Bentall.
“I spent a few years wishing he had cracked the whip a little more but I have come to realize that the style I have developed has been a product of my own chosen influences. The old man proved over and over that he can rock with the best of them. I’ve always been really proud of that and hoped that it’s written in my DNA.”
It is part of his DNA. Then there’s the learned part. He sounds older than his years because his songs speak with wisdom about his youthful experiments with immortality.
Dustin is on tour with his entire band, the Dustin Bentall Outfit, and will be appearing at the Christina Living Arts Centre on for an exclusive engagement in our area on Jul. 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets at the Source, Thistlepot, WildWays and the Living Arts Centre for $15. Dinner & refreshments will be available.
