Amanda Bentley is back in Penticton.
Returning to the city she grew up in to raise a family, the singer-songwriter is now able to take in the best of both worlds after jump-starting her musical career in Toronto.
“What’s been really great is I had built a career in Toronto and we’ve been able to incorporate the two worlds. I feel like I get the business life in Toronto and I can do it from here,” Bentley said.
Meet the Band: Amanda Bentley
It can be culture shock going both ways, she said. Diving in with both feet when she got to Toronto, Bentley was able to get signed with a management company, then an independent record label and most importantly she was able to get to work.
Bentley never had much of a choice when it came to her career path. Growing up in a musical family, her parents were the former owners of what is now Wentworth Music, formerlySkaha Sound. Her parents and brother are working musicians and her sister runs a music school.
“When I told my parents I’m moving to Toronto to pursue my career as a songwriter and a recording artist they said ‘what are you nuts?’ I remember thinking you didn’t teach me anything else, that’s kind of what you set me up for,” Bentley laughed.
With her latest upcoming album steeped in country influence, Bentley said instead of genres and styles, her focus has always been on the songs, though she has as range of different musical experience.
“I was really lucky I got to experience all sorts of things. I’d played in rock bands, played in pop bands,” Bentley said.
She also toured as a bassist and backing vocalist for Canadian R&B singer-songwriter Jully Black.
“Which was a total R&B world, which was a really new concept for me,” Bentley said.
The country direction on the latest album came from her interest in the storytelling aspect of country songs and the instrumentation of banjos, mandolins, fiddles and everything else the genre brings to the table.
“I was never sort of the twangy-type singer. So we talked about can we do this? Can we nod to those country instruments but still stay genuine to my voice and how I sing. So the result is a roots-driven record, but it’s got this nice, country twang going on as well. It’s a fun record,” Bentley said.
Perhaps the largest driver on the new album’s sound was her guitarist Marc Ganetakos, who also produced the album.
“When you’ve got a guy at your disposal who can play all those instruments and play them incredibly well it would be a real shame not to take advantage of that,” Bentley said.
Bentley, also a visual artist, created a unique video for the song The Warrior. The video features Bentley with her face painted black and white, split down the middle, and features some tricky camera work to get the effects.
“There was definitely some Peter Gabriel influence going on there. Then I just started playing around with make up, playing around with the lighting. I actually shot it all in one take. It was shot in extreme slow motion because there are some posterized time things going on,” Bentley said. “The whole thing was filmed in slow motion so it was literally me singing one song it took about 12 minutes to get through the song because it was in such slow motion.”
She said the upcoming release is the first album she has made she’s truly proud of.
“I want people to hear it and I can look people in the eye and say this is a great record and believe it. That’s the first time in my career that I can do that,” Bentley said.
Bentley is hosting a release for the EP, and is aiming to release the album at the end of the summer, as of yet untitled.
“We’re open to suggestions folks. If you like what you hear reach out and give us some ideas. Part of what we’re doing is interacting with people as much as we can because the feedback has been so tremendous on what we’ve done, which we’re very grateful for,” Ganetakos said. “It really is Amanda’s personality on 11, this record.”
Catch Amanda Bentley at the Dream Café for her EP release party on April 6 as well as the after party for Fest of Ale on April 7 at The Mule Concert House. For more information visit www.amandabentley.ca.
