The Harrison Festival Society present the return of BTU, featuring Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and Shari Ulrich on Saturday, Feb. 16 in the Harrison Memorial Hall.
Not only will fans get to hear their music but also how the songs were made with stories leading into each tune.
This “super group” of B.C. artists, Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and Shari Ulrich, first performed together in 2007.
“That led to us deciding to continue playing together. This one-shot deal that turned into a few little tours a year and it’s always fun when we do it,” Bentall says. “We still maintain that songwriters’ circle element at every show.”
“The (audience) will get a lot of great songs and great music and probably a fair bit of humour,” Ulrich says.
While they consider themselves a mix of contemporary folk and pop, each artist brings their own unique style and experiences with them to the BTU project.
Ulrich was born in San Rafael, California, and at the age of 18 left the United States for Canada. One of the founding members of the legendary folk trio Pied Pumkin, she has released 19 albums over the course of her career. The B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame inductee and Juno Award winner also performs regularly with her daughter Julia Graff and in the High Bar Gang bluegrass band.
Taylor has been recording since 1991 and is perhaps best known as the front man for one of the North Shore’s great live party bands, She Stole My Beer. As a solo artist he has released two albums, with a third just coming out this winter.
In 1988 Bentall formed the band Legendary Hearts and that same year they released their first self-titled album. The Legendary Hearts debut sold over 100,000 copies and went on to win a Juno in 1989 for most promising group of the year.
His solo career includes the albums Gift Horse in 2007, Inside Passage in 2009 and Flesh and Bone, just released in Nov. 2012.
BTU selects music from their individual solo careers to perform as a trio.
“We really respect each others’ writing,” Bentall says.
“We settle on songs that work well for the three of us.”
As veterans of the music scene they all enjoy working with each other as BTU.
“When you record and do various things there is an element of tension and hard work and it can be frustrating and all sorts of emotions can be in there,” Taylor says.
“Sometimes that really helps the creative process but really you want to work with people who are easy to get along.”
They’ve certainly found that in BTU.
Tickets are $22 and can be purchased by phone at 604-796-3664, online at www.harrisonfestival.com or in person at the Ranger Station Art Gallery in Harrison, or Agassiz Shoppers Drug Mart.
