Juno Award-winning artist Barney Bentall will take the stage this week at the Cultural Arts Theatre to delight crowds with a selection of past and present hits.
He is the third of five performances in this year’s Cultural Arts Theatre Series and will display his talents on Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m.
“It’s going to be a great show. We play lots of new stuff but I play a lot of my old hits and just try and entertain,” he said, adding he will play songs like Something to Live For and Do Ya — both songs that made him famous with Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts.
“I just try to mix it up so I’m entertained and the people that come to my show are entertained as well,” he said.
Throughout Bentall’s career, he has played a variety of genres with a number of different groups. When his career was first starting in the early 1980s, he said he performed solo with a “folky vein” before deciding to move to Vancouver to start a rock n’ roll band.
“(Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts) got signed to Sony and put out a bunch of records and I’m still working at it today in various formats,” he said, adding switching up musical styles keeps him enthusiastic and engaged in his performances.
“I really like playing in different ways and I love rocking out but I like the counterpoint and the balance of getting up there with an acoustic guitar and playing,” he said.
He said he looks forward to playing the Cultural Arts Theatre since it will provide an intimate setting and he prefers doing shows in theatres as it allows him to better connect with the audience.
“I think the job of the entertainer is to try and connect with the audience,” he said. “It starts with them and if the audience gives back, if they really are engaged and they’re there with you, then you can have a great show,” he said.
Something that helps build a connection is his lengthy career and long history travelling the country with his various bands.
Growing up in Alberta, he said he feels a strong connection with the province, although he says he is connected to the entire country, thanks to his long career in Canadian music.
“I’ve just had a great, long run in Canadian music. I’m fortunate that way,” he said. “I feel a connection with by and large all the areas of the country.”
Tickets for Bentall’s show at the Cultural Arts Theatre are available from the Flower Shoppe by calling 780-307-3703. They cost $20 for adults and $15 for students.
