Meet Our New Interns: Shantel & Nathalie!

Shantel Heit will be one of our student interns for the fall term. She will be in charge of running all of our social media platforms and ensuring that all of you know all of the exciting things going on here at Bent River Records.

“I can’t wait to be working alongside and learning from the wonderful team here at Bent River for the fall term. This experience will give me the chance to see how a record label is run and give me the first-hand knowledge that I will need to understand the ins and outs of the music industry.”

—Shantel Heit

Shantel is just beginning her third year into her Bachelor of Music degree. She plans to finish with a General major with a Business of Music minor.  She has moved all the way from Warman, Saskatchewan to be a vocalist in the music program at Macewan. 

Nathalie Parent is our other new practicum student on the Bent River Records team, taking on responsibilities within the realm of digital distribution and recording work.

As a fourth year recording and production major at MacEwan, Nathalie is eager to learn the ins and outs of working for Bent River, furthering her knowledge of the recording arts. 

“Running a studio session and running a record label are two very different things, but they go hand in hand. I can’t wait to be a part of the team and support Bent River’s musicians in their exciting projects, while also learning how to be a professional in a part of the music industry that’s new to me.”

—Nathalie Parent

Nathalie has been working as a freelance producer and engineer for the past year and is a 2019 MusiCounts scholarship recipient in the recording stream. She is also the lead singer of her Edmonton-based band, National Hotel, which can be found on all streaming platforms.

Alberta Artists, We Want You!

We’ve been busy here at Bent River Records, and are once again stoked to announce that we want to hear your original music! And not only that, we want to help you release an EP produced by renowned producer, Russell Broom, who has worked with Jan Arden and SheDaisy, among many, MANY others! That’s right, ATB Financial presents the Bent River Records 2019 Recording Competition

So how does this work? Between September 12th, and October 15th, simply submit your, or your band’s, biography, two recent recordings or demos, links to existing websites and social media, a CV or resume, and one hi-resolution photo. You’ll need a Google account to upload your submissions (it’s quick and free to sign up if you don’t have one). If you have any questions about your submission, please contact BentRiverRecords@MacEwan.ca at least 24 hours before the deadline. Then, your job is done! We’ll choose our winner, who will win the chance to record a three-song EP with Russell. That includes all mixing, mastering, other studio fees, album art, and the manufacture of 150 CD-Rs for your personal use. This one’s on us!

To top it all off, our winner will also receive a time slot to perform at the 2020 Bent River Records Artist Spotlight on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. So what are you waiting for? Send your music our way; we can’t wait to hear from you!

*THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*
Thank you to all of our wonderful applicants! Stay tuned for updates!

Welcome Back!

Bent River Records is back with a brand-new semester which means brand-new contests, albums, and shows coming your way. We’ve been hard at work all summer planning for the upcoming year and it is going to be jam packed with exciting announcements, so stay tuned! Our artists have been keeping busy writing and performing brand new music all summer and can’t wait to share what they’ve been working on.

Over the summer, Paul, Erin, and Emily went on a trip to Prague for Allan Gilliland’s (Dean of FFAC) concerto recording with an all-star Canadian jazz quartet including PJ Perry, Chris Andrew, Neil Swainson, and Dave Laing, along with conductor Raymond Baril and a Prague recording orchestra. This recording is to be released this academic year, and that’s just one of many projects we’ve been working on.

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement with community partners coming next week! Not to give too much away… but it involves the Bent River Records Artist Spotlight which will be held on April 22, 2020, so mark your calendars!

Get out to the 2019 Jazzfest!

Jazzfest is in full swing, folks! Have you purchased your tickets yet? From June 21st until June 30th, you can check out over 200 insanely talented musicians including some of our own locals! Not only do we have some of the Bent River Records roster with performance dates, but we also have MacEwan students, faculty and alumni who will be performing there as well. Check out the schedule below! 

In addition to all this wonderful news, Jazzworks is offering FREE MASTERCLASSES led by some of the performers of the TD Edmonton International Jazz Fest line-up!

SIGN UP HERE!

THU, JUNE 27 OLEG BUTMAN / NATALIA SMIRNOVA

at Varscona Theatre 3:00pm – 4:30pm

SAT, JUNE 29 ALFREDRO RODRIGUEZ & PEDRITO MARTINEZ 

at Varscona Theatre 3:00pm – 4:30pm

Get out to some shows and have an awesome Jazzfest! 

Spotlight on Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet

Bent River Records is amping up for our 2019 Artist Spotlight, Monday, April 8th, where we will be celebrating all our amazing artist and releases! This year we have three of our artist showcasing selections from their latest projects! Last week we caught up with Kevin Dean and this week we managed to catch up Kent Sangster from the Obsessions Octet!

The Obsessions Octet, led by Juno Nominated saxophonist and composer Kent Sangster, has travelled throughout the world performing their blend of classical, tango, and jazz repertoire. The group’s first album, Obsession, won the WCMA for Best Jazz Recording of the Year and received a Juno nomination. Most notably, they have performed in New York City at Carnegie Hall in 2012 (which was recognized with a City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Performance Award) and went on their first European Tour in 2014, which resulted in many outstanding reviews. With a solid reputation in the music community and a devoted fan-base, the Obsessions Octet is now one of the most popular musical ensembles in Edmonton.

1. Are you excited for the Spotlight, and what are you looking forward too most?

Performing live with the Obsessions Octet, every performance is a blessing to be able to share original music in front of an appreciative audience.

2. What is your favorite track of your 4th album, “Reverence”?

“Walking By Flashlight”

3. What is your process as a band when writing and/or performing your music?

Composing for this group only happens when I have a deadline for a recording or live performance opportunity that I want to make the most out of.

4. Is there any artist or album that you drew inspiration from while working on your new album?

Not really, I am somewhat reluctant to listen to other music so I am not steered musically in a specific direction based on the influence of another artist.

5. What is your favorite moment together as a band?

On tour with the band on the Island of Syros Greece performing at the Apollo Theatre, close second was performing at Carnegie Hall is New York City.