CANMORE – To help usher in the arrival of spring, Bentall Taylor Ulrich is ready to entertain Bow Valley residents at their upcoming show at Eclipse Coffee Roasters on April 11.
The group is made up of Canadian musicians Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and Shari Ulrich, who first played together in November 2007 at a songwriter concert on Bowen Island in British Columbia.
One year later, they recorded Live at Cates Hill, which featured an eclectic mix of character, voices and songwriting. In 2016, they released Tightrope Walk, their second album.
Now, they are bringing their harmonized voices to Canmore.
“There is a lot of singing together in three-part harmony. Shari has taught me a lot about three-part harmony,” said Bentall. “We rotate songs and again I admire their songwriting. It is something we love doing.”
The three often get together each year, and it has become something they all eagerly anticipate.
“I really look forward to it,” Bentall said. “I admire those two musicians. I think, for me, it is a way to blend harmonies in a way that I don’t usually do.”
Even prior to creating a band with Taylor and Ulrich, Bentall had a lot of respect for the other musicians.
“Shari represented to this free hippy beautiful singing and in Calgary, that seemed the furthest from my fate,” he said. “Tom is such a great songwriter. It always strikes me as a funny thing when I realize we are playing together.”
It has been a busy year already for Bentall, who recently returned from Vietnam with Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo fame.
“We got to exotic locales and there is music we play and shows we do,” he said. “There was certainly a lot of meeting people, socializing and playing. I am just getting over the jet lag of coming back from Vietnam.”
After this tour, it is off to Spain and Italy for Bentall.
For now, he is looking forward to getting back to Canmore for his first visit since before the COVID-19 pandemic. He had previously played at the Canmore Folk Festival and took part in a Banff fundraiser concert in 2018.
Bringing music to people is especially important for Bentall now, with everyone seeming so divided on issues.
“You get this sense when you are playing that there may be divergent views in the audience, but it is the one time that the spirit, mystery and magic of music creates an environment where people let that go and don’t focus on it,” Bentall said. “That feels good and positive.”
Heading into the show in Canmore, Bentall says that people can expect to enjoy some great music from three harmonized singers.
“I think people can expect to have a really great and nice evening,” Bentall said. “It is our job to deliver on that.”
To purchase tickets, visit www.bentalltaylorulrich.com/show.
