Dustin Bentall Throws a Party to End His Dakota Tavern Residency

[Note: I apologize for the slightly unflattering picture… I think Dustin was saying “cheers!”]

Date of show: September 28, 2010
Shot of choice: whiskey

Dustin Bentall, and the rest of his crew that make The Dustin Bentall Outfit, play what I’d like to describe as country music on fire. The foundations of his sound are country, but they have rock elements that bring power and energy that make for a great live set. Bentall has an amazing voice, a talent on harmonica, and a strong stage presence that is hard to deny. Still, he comes across as real and passionate, bringing life to his western-themed songwriting.

He is backed up by other great musicians, including drummer Rich Knox, who we had seen with Flash Lightnin’ in August and basically kills it on drums every time. Bassist Del Cowsill (son of the late Billy Cowsill) brings strong basslines and his harmonies are even better. The real gem of The Outfit, though, is Kendel Carson on the fiddle, as well as backup vocals. She’s got such talent, particularly noticeable in her fiddle solos, and an energy that brings a certain light to the stage. Overall, there is a chemistry between the members that translates so well to the audience that it’s hard not to enjoy yourself. The Vancouver-based band got several audience members to dance and most couldn’t help but tap their feet. There’s no doubt that genetics are on Bentall’s side, but he’s got his own talent to pave his own way. Country music fan or not, we highly recommend you check out Dustin Bentall live. He’ll light the stage on fire; I can assure you of that.

The Treasures

The Treasures, a 5-piece country band, opened up the night. The band is comprised of Michael Poskanzer (vocals, acoustic guitar), Duncan Davies (guitar, vocals), Mike Eckert (pedal steel, dobro), Liam Cohl (bass, vocals), and Daniel Poskanzer (drums, vocals). With 4 out of 5 members of the band singing, there is certainly strength in their harmonies. Eckert also absolutely shreds on pedal steel and his solos completely stood out to me. There is an overall rawness to their sound and a familiarity that connects to their influence by likes of The Band and Gram Parsons. Their set was much more mellow than the following by Dustin Bentall, but it was certainly a good choice to set the tone for the night.

Dwayne Gretzky

To end off the night, after a little break, Bentall brought out some friends, including members of Sweet Thing, to play as Dwayne Gretzky. Dwayne Gretzky is a supergroup made up of interchangeable members of different bands that only play covers. Just imagine all the talent up on that stage at the same time and you can understand why I can only describe the vibe from that stage as electric. They play the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and much more, including a badass cover of Ryan Adam’s “Come Pick Me Up” done by none other than Bentall himself. It was such a fun way to end off the night and an ever better way to end off Bentall’s residency at The Dakota Tavern.