One of our artists is going to be a part of a very exciting tribute to Edmonton’s own, Tommy Banks. There is a celebration for Mr. Banks, the renowned pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, television personality and senator, who contributed widely to the Edmonton music community. Our own Mallory Chipman is going to be performing in Calgary, Alberta (tonight!) on Sunday, October 21, 2018, at River Park Church.
For more details on the event click here!
Hello friends! We would like to let you know that we have some changes happening here at Bent River Records, and we wanted to take some time to say a fond farewell and a warm hello (all at the same time). We are taking on a new practicum student who will be handling our distribution and artist presence. What this really means is she will be walking around MacEwan campus ensuring that our artists (and their records) will be available at places like the MacEwan Bookstore. Make sure to say hello to her when you see her carrying armloads of albums from our artists!
“I am thrilled to become a part of the Bent River Records team and can’t wait to apply my 12 years of music industry experience to work at this amazing label! This is really going to be a new chapter for me in the music industry and I am happy to share it with the BRR team.”
— Odessa Ashbey, Distribution and placement
Odessa Ashbey has been working within the Edmonton metal community as an artist manager for Edmonton death metal/murder metal band Tales Of The Tomb, live music promoter, and arts manager. She has previously been a mentor at BreakOut West and has been working with Asher Media Relations (AMR) as a publicist for the past 5 years. Some of her past publicity clients include Wormwitch, Protosequence, Death Toll Rising, and other western Canadian metal acts. Her new role at Bent River Records includes distribution and placement of artists.
Feel free to add her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
With a new hello comes a very fond farewell and endless gratitude for our own label artist and A&R Representative, Mallory Chipman. Fear not! She is still going to be an artist on our roster, but will be departing to work on some exciting projects, and we want to wish her the best!
Check out her most recent release ‘Rags and Feathers: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen’ here.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates from the BRR team right here on our blog!
Welcome back, friends and fans! We know it’s been a minute since you’ve heard from us on our blog, but we’re back more inspired than ever after an action-packed couple of months! Our artists spent this summer recording new music for your ears and touring music festivals throughout Canada and Europe, spreading the Bent River name across the globe. Even though summer is drawing to a close, Bent River Records is cooking up some really hot projects this year to keep you warm through the winter.
Bent River Records Recording Competition winner, Nature Of, is releasing their forthcoming album in 2019 after an incredible year working with BRR’s own Paul Johnston and Montreal-based Marcus Paquin; Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet is launching a new record; and trumpeter/organist extraordinaire, Kevin Dean, will be teaming up with Bent River Records for a brand new record…and, without giving too much away, let’s just say that there will be vinyl involved 😉
As always Bent River Records will be hosting our annual Artist Spotlight to celebrate the new albums on the label this year, so save the date for Tuesday, April 9th, 2019 and stay tuned for details about the show!
On April 17th, we gathered in the Triffo Theatre to celebrate the 2017/2018 successes of Bent River Records!
The evening consisted of a reception with food, beverages, a table to purchase Bent River Records merchandise, and a photobooth station! There were three wonderful performances by Chandelle Rimmer and Tom Van Seters (Stillness Falls), Josh Rager (Jondo), and Mallory Chipman (Rags and Feathers: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen), who all performed tunes from their latest releases on Bent River Records.
The winners of last year’s competition – Nature Of – joined the emcees on stage, and endearingly discussed working with Paul Johnston and Marcus Paquin (and hilariously compared their relationship to two parents). Marcus sent his well wishes via video message from Montréal, and then our team here at Bent River Records held an after-party in the atrium. We could not have pulled this night off without the support of everyone who was involved – and we want to share our sincerest thank-you’s! We are all looking forward to the next year, and we can’t wait for you to see what is to come!
Our April 17th Spotlight is just a few days away! Our final artist that is performing this Tuesday is Mallory Chipman. We talked with her about her release Rags and Feathers: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen. Take a peek and catch Mallory at our Spotlight in the Triffo tomorrow!
Are you excited for the Spotlight, and what are you looking forward to most?
Of course I’m excited! Last year’s Artist Spotlight was one of the highlights of my year, and I can’t wait for what is to come this time around – especially in the new building! I’m really looking forward to performing in the beautiful state of the art Triffo Theatre alongside my incredibly talented labelmates, Chandelle Rimmer & Tom Van Seters and Joshua Rager. There’s nothing quite as special as being in great company.
Do you have a favourite tune on your record, if so – why is it your favourite?
Funnily enough, my own composition “Tune for the Troubadour” turned out to be my favourite song on my album, Rags and Feathers: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen. I only find it funny because this record is a tribute album to one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Leonard Cohen. While I don’t believe that any of my original tunes could rival his in any way compositionally, “Tune for the Troubadour” acts as my love letter to the work and legacy of Cohen himself, thus I believe its truly emblematic of the entire record as a whole.
What is your process as an artist when writing and/or performing your music?
Gosh, that’s a hard question. Every composition comes to me differently – sometimes it’s melody first, sometimes the lyrics flow as poetry years before I’ve added anything musical to them, and sometimes I find myself jamming at the piano playing with different progressions, and then the harmony establishes itself as the initial piece. The common thread between these different processes is that they never occur when I plan to sit down and write a tune. Inspiration for composition always comes when I’m doing something else; walking my dogs, having a shower, getting groceries, you name it!
Is there any artist or album that you drew inspiration from while making this record?
Well, in the case of this specific record, the answer to this question is quite obvious. Rags and Feathers is a tribute album to Canadian icon, Leonard Cohen. Throughout the process of making this album, Leonard’s thoughtful lyricism and the fearless attitude that seems to permeate his music inspired me and pushed me to write and perform with a musical confidence I had never explored before.
What is your favourite Netflix show to binge watch?
The Mindy Project, hands down! I’m quite certain that Morgan Tookers is my alter ego.