Barney Bentall

You can’t talk about late eighties and nineties Canadian roots music without mentioning Barney Bentall. He and his band, The Legendary Hearts, sold over half a million records, won a JUNO, and were radio favourites across the country before Barney traded in his rock and roll life for a cattle ranch in British Columbia’s Cariboo region. Since the early days of the twenty-first century, Bentall has divided his time between his ranch, a home on Bowen Island, and the Arctic outback where he travels several times a year to work as an adventure tour guide – but he’s been unable to step away from music completely. Working with some of Canada’s finest musicians, he’s recorded five very fine acoustic albums as a solo artist that reflect how his life has changed since absenting himself from the rock and roll slipstream. Luckily for us, Barney has always loved connecting with audiences, and he continues to tour when the spirit moves him. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear one of this country’s most endearing artists perform from the heart at this year’s festival.

– DH