Julia Bentley

Julia Bentley needs two hands to play piano.
“Earlier this summer I broke my arm,” Bentley said. “All plans were temporarily put on hold.”
The 28-year-old singer and songwriter from Toronto had planned to go on tour across Canada this summer in support of her debut album Out of Reach. Her arm was in a sling – “completely out of commission,” she said – for about five weeks.
“As soon as my physiotherapist said that I was able to play some piano again, I called Mandy (Ebel) up, who was originally going to be my tour-mate, and we devised a smaller tour plan so that we could still get out there and play a little,” Bentley said.
That scaled-back tour became the eight dates of the Prairie Fly Tour with Ebel. The shows were entirely in Alberta and Saskatchewan, finishing with a stop in Moose Jaw at Kergano’s on Wednesday night.
Bentley said the time she spent being able to play piano with only her right hand was “torture.”
“I think music is a big part of my overall sanity,” Bentley said. “When you lose your outlet, then you drive your friends and family a little crazy for while. They’re really happy I can play again.”
Bentley, a music alumnus from the University of Toronto, described her debut album as “many years in the making.” One of the songs, Can’t Let Go, had a video on Bentley’s YouTube channel in 2009.
“I think it’s about trying to get yourself to a point where you’re happy with what you’re putting out,” Bentley said.
That meant revising and reworking songs with various people to get the album to a point where Bentley was content with putting it out into the world.
She has built an online audience on her YouTube channel, with nearly 4,000 subscribers.
“I have a lot of fans who almost feel like friends. They encourage me to put stuff out and when you get that positive feedback it only encourages you to put out more,” Bentley said.
She produces and edits many of her online videos by herself, typically with just her an instrument. For a classically trained pianist, she certainly plays a mean ukulele.
She posted three covers online, each honouring members of the “27 club,” a list of musicians who have died at 27. So far, she has done songs by Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix.
Bentley told the Times-Herald she’s been looking through Nirvana songs to pick one by Kurt Cobain. She said Jim Morrison is on her list as well.
But Bentley uses the Internet for more than just posting songs.
She used crowdfunding to raise $4,500 for a new music video. Her goal was $4,000.
She said most of the people who donated, she has never met in-person.
“I feel really, really lucky to be in this time in music, despite how uncertain it can all seem,” Bentley said. “It gives you a lot more power to reach out directly to your audience.”
Bentley and Ebel will be performing at Kergano’s on Wednesday night.
Austin M. Davis can be reached at 306-691-1258 or follow him on Twitter @theAustinX - The Moose Jaw Times Herald

With three different music projects on the go at any given time and the release of two EPs planned before the end of the year, Mandy Ebel could be forgiven if she stayed home this summer.

But that’s just not who she is.

Ebel, born and raised in Medicine Hat, will play two shows this week in her hometown. Tonight she performs at Earls Restaurant from 7-10 p.m., followed by a gig at Twist Wine & Tapas Bistro from 8-10 p.m. on Friday.

The shows are part of the Prairiefly Tour 2013, which Ebel is doing with her friend Julia Bentley.

In addition to her acoustic solo music, which she’ll be performing in the Hat, ebel is also involved in the electronic music scene and is part of the rock/fusion project Opal Stone.

“My solo acoustic stuff is simple to do because that’s just me, so I can always do that,” Ebel said earlier this week over the phone from Calgary. “But I have a passion for lots of musical genres and multiple projects and people along the way have made it possible for me to do stuff. It’s always cool to make music with other people and it becomes an art form that’s unique because people bring different things to the table.”

Influences for the singer-songwriter’s solo work come from the other genres she’s involved in and beyond. She describes the acoustic set she’ll perform in Medicine Hat as “acoustic/soul/rock/fusion.”

Later this year, Ebel’s first official acoustic soul/jazz/rock/fusion EP will be released, as will a prog/rock/fusion EP from Opal Stone. Various electronic releases are also scheduled.

How does she find the time? Two reasons. One is insomnia she’s dealt with since childhood. The second?

“I do not own a TV, and I haven’t owned one for 12 years,” she says with a laugh.


Debut for Bentley

This marks the first Ebel’s touring mate Julia Bentley has taken to the road. Friends from a music school in Toronto, Bentley is a classically trained pianist, singer and songwriter whose influences range from barbershop to Britney Spears.

The tour isn’t without its challenges for Bentley, who broke her arm recently and will be wearing a tensor bandage on stage. Ebel assures that Bentley is as good as ever.

She released her first album, “Out of Reach,” in January. The album is available at www.juliabentley.com, on iTunes, and on www.bandcamp.com. She has also developed a large fanbase on YouTube with her home-made music videos.



cbrown@medicinehatnews.com

Twitter: MHNBrown
- Medicine Hat News

With three different music projects on the go at any given time and the release of two EPs planned before the end of the year, Mandy Ebel could be forgiven if she stayed home this summer.

But that’s just not who she is.

Ebel, born and raised in Medicine Hat, will play two shows this week in her hometown. Tonight she performs at Earls Restaurant from 7-10 p.m., followed by a gig at Twist Wine & Tapas Bistro from 8-10 p.m. on Friday.

The shows are part of the Prairiefly Tour 2013, which Ebel is doing with her friend Julia Bentley.

In addition to her acoustic solo music, which she’ll be performing in the Hat, ebel is also involved in the electronic music scene and is part of the rock/fusion project Opal Stone.

“My solo acoustic stuff is simple to do because that’s just me, so I can always do that,” Ebel said earlier this week over the phone from Calgary. “But I have a passion for lots of musical genres and multiple projects and people along the way have made it possible for me to do stuff. It’s always cool to make music with other people and it becomes an art form that’s unique because people bring different things to the table.”

Influences for the singer-songwriter’s solo work come from the other genres she’s involved in and beyond. She describes the acoustic set she’ll perform in Medicine Hat as “acoustic/soul/rock/fusion.”

Later this year, Ebel’s first official acoustic soul/jazz/rock/fusion EP will be released, as will a prog/rock/fusion EP from Opal Stone. Various electronic releases are also scheduled.

How does she find the time? Two reasons. One is insomnia she’s dealt with since childhood. The second?

“I do not own a TV, and I haven’t owned one for 12 years,” she says with a laugh.


Debut for Bentley

This marks the first Ebel’s touring mate Julia Bentley has taken to the road. Friends from a music school in Toronto, Bentley is a classically trained pianist, singer and songwriter whose influences range from barbershop to Britney Spears.

The tour isn’t without its challenges for Bentley, who broke her arm recently and will be wearing a tensor bandage on stage. Ebel assures that Bentley is as good as ever.

She released her first album, “Out of Reach,” in January. The album is available at www.juliabentley.com, on iTunes, and on www.bandcamp.com. She has also developed a large fanbase on YouTube with her home-made music videos.



cbrown@medicinehatnews.com

Twitter: MHNBrown
- Medicine Hat News

Cafe Haven in Sherwood Park will be hosting to two versatile musicians for a concert on Monday, Aug. 19.

Mandy Ebel and Julia Bentley will be on hand to perform for visitors that evening, starting at 7 p.m.

Both artists worked together at a music academy in Toronto, where they became friends. Ebel played Cafe Haven in June and had originally planned to put touring on hold while she worked on some other projects, but when Bentley asked her to join, she found she couldn’t say no.

“I’ve kind of been touring actually all spring, through the weekends and some of the weeks through Alberta and a little bit of Saskatchewan,” Ebel said. “I was kind of thinking I would shut off my touring for a while and focus on these recordings, but then (Julia asked me) and I was like, ‘Well sure, I’ll do a little 10-day tour with you.’ ”

Though Ebel and Bentley are friends, they have very different styles when it comes to their music.

“(Julia has) a classically influenced piano-pop kind of genre,” Ebel said. “She has very sweet vocals and dramatic lyrical content.”

Ebel, on the other hand, has taken influences from a wide variety of different types of music, ranging from electronic to acoustic.

“I’m not one-sided towards one genre,” she explained. “I can’t be, that’s just not who I am. (I’m) a very open-minded person. I need that variation and that’s what I love about music. I think that’s what music should be. Every door should be open.”

Growing up in Medicine Hat, Ebel said she felt the music scene was somewhat sheltered and that travelling opened up new doors for her.

She credits a five-month trip she took to Australia, Thailand, Malasia, Singapore and New Zealand as an 18-year-old for helping to influence her musical style.

“When I was travelling, at that time especially, I got introduced to more down-tempo, chill-out, world music fusion, and that’s really when electronic music was really starting to begin to take off,” she said.

Both artists’ unique sounds will be on display at Cafe Haven when the show starts at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19.

steven.wagers@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/StevenWagers - Sherwood Park News

While she now resides in Toronto, Bentley was born and raised in the Forest City. She began playing piano at the age of four, wrote pop songs in elementary school and studied classical piano at the University of Toronto.

Her songs range from emotionally wrought to downright hilarious, while her influences are equally diverse (they include everyone from Sarah Slean to Britney Spears). - London Free Press

While she now resides in Toronto, Bentley was born and raised in the Forest City. She began playing piano at the age of four, wrote pop songs in elementary school and studied classical piano at the University of Toronto.

Her songs range from emotionally wrought to downright hilarious, while her influences are equally diverse (they include everyone from Sarah Slean to Britney Spears). - London Free Press