Bentall began with “L
ittle Bird In A Big Wind,” from his Six Shooter Cd which came out a few years back.
Bentall sounded alternately like his famous dad Barney singing roots music and Leeroy Stagger’s, Steve Earle style singing and storytelling. He invited Leeroy Stagger himself up to the stage to help sing background on one of his songs. It was tough to tell the difference between the two.
Bentall sounded a little worse for the wear, noting they had to cancel an Edmonton show the day or two before, but noted he was glad to be playing in Lethbridge. He has a captivating stage presence and a knack for a catchy lyrical phrase.
One of my favourites was a catchy new song “Emmy-Lou,” about his big brother taking him to a strip club when he was a teen, which smelled like a laundromat.
He sang “I like whiskey, I like women who like whiskey too, every time I go to a laundromat, it reminds me of you, Emmy-Lou,” with supreme conviction.
They played a lot of songs from “Six Shooter,” including “Pontiac.”
Pint-sized violin virtuoso Kendel Carson played some fantastic fiddle throughout the show
, her fingers a complete blur as she added some Celtic flair to the roots country/ rock taking place on stage. Del Cowsill’s bass playing was steady , but his harmony vocals shone, taking the good sized crowd back to the ’60s.
They cut loose on a couple covers at the end of the first set including a superb version of the Kinks’ “Well Respected Man.”
Then Carson played a hot Celtic fiddle solo, before Bentall and his band took a break, after playing a railroad song from “Six Shooter.”
Lethbridge indie-rock/ pop band Cosmic Charley don’t play live nearly enough so it is always a pleasure to see them as it was when they opened the show.
They have an appealing, accessible , Jack Johnson style folk pop sound with a lot more rock and some very cool bass playing. Their upbeat set was mostly original pop/ rock, though they included an excellent version of the Doors’ “People Are Strange.”
