Shari Ulrich plays Ottawa as part of BC Scene's "BC Legends", May 1st

Expecting a call from a female “Ashley” and not a baritone male such as myself, Shari Ulrich didn’t miss a beat when I called her in Vancouver to conduct this interview for her upcoming “BC Legends” show in Ottawa. (A more friendly & upbeat interviewee I could not have imagined.) This 2-time Juno winner has quite recently shared the stage with several other “BC Legends” –including Barney Bentall, Roy Forbes & Valdy- and I was eager to encourage as many duets for the show on May 1^st as possible. Ulrich has also made a huge contribution to Canadian music –above and beyond her contributions as a performer- having produced the popular Bluebird North concert series for the Songwriters Association of Canada both in Vancouver and nationally for over a decade. (Bluebird is coming to Ottawa, incidentally, and is to be hosted by Ottawa’s own Ana Miura.)

I have paraphrased in places here (mostly in parentheses), as this phone interview was not recorded.

Question #1: What’s it like playing with a rock n’ roller like Barney Bentall?
Ulrich: “It’s so much fun! In our little trio we’re all sitting down. He has this whole other side as a result of his break (from performing). The music that has come out since then is a whole new Barney. He has many sides (but) we get the gentler side.

Question #2: I see you toured as part of Valdy’s backing band in ’76 – have you stayed in touch all these years?
Ulrich: “Oh yeah. We share the stage every once in awhile.

Question #2b: Do you think you might sing a song or two with Valdy at BC Legends?
Ulrich: We did a fundraiser together recently in Oshawa, and we did a couple songs together at that show. I think I just might.

Question #3: You play a multitude of instruments (violin, mandolin, flute, dulcimer, guitar, saxophone), as well as sing – what is your first love?
Ulrich: “Violin. (ponders..) Piano is a close second. Violin was the first instrument I learned, and had lessons on. Piano is the most evocative for songwriting. The other instruments came along because they were there – I picked them.

Question #4: What inspired & enabled you to start an ‘Indie’ label when such a term was not even invented yet?
Ulrich: “That was during the Pied Pumkin era – it was sheer audience demand. They’d say ‘we want a record’ and we’d say, ok – give us $5 & we’ll make one.

Question #5: This must be an exciting time for you, having just released “Live at Cates Hill” with Barney Bentall & Tom Taylor (from She Stole My Beer) – do you still feel giddy with a new release after releasing 17 albums (either as the lead or supporting performer) in your career?
Ulrich: Oh yeah. And I’m in the middle of finishing a solo one -and busy doing lots of other projects- and I’m really excited about that one. People always want to take the music and the band home, so it’s good to give them that. It’s good to have things out in the world.

Question #5b: For “Why Can’t We Get Along” from “Live at Cates Hill” -great tune, by the way- did the title line come from Rodney King?
Ulrich: No – it was pointed out sometime after I wrote the song. It’s (really just) distilling down my shock & awe about how cruel humans can be to each other, & why is it like this?

Question #6: What is your musical mission – to entertain? To uplift? To soothe & offer escape?
Ulrich: “Well….. I’ve never formulated a musical mission. Music has such a positive, powerful effect on people (even when it makes them cry). It sets into the heart the way not all things do. My songs tend to be confessional and talk about things not everyone’s willing to talk about – that appears to be my role. (Putting) experiences we all have in a song (and then) with the emotional impact of adding music to that.

Question #7: You’ve won 2 Juno awards – what were they for & where are they now?
Ulrich: (First) in the Hometown Band (Valdy’s backing band) for “Most Promising New Group” and (then for myself,) “Most Promising Female Vocalist”. (The trophies are) in my studio on a ledge, and they’re very, very heavy. They make really good doorstops, ..which is not to diminish their meaning.

Question 7b: “Are you aware of the history of the “Most Promising New Group” Award, and did the legendary curse on it play out in the Hometown Band?
Ulrich: It was really ironic. We’d just finished a tour a night before the Juno’s and the record label pulled the plug. Looking back, that was (basically) the end of the band. If they’d just waited one more day!

Question #8: As someone who was born in California and came to Canada in response to the Vietnam war, what is your connection to BC, and why have you made it your permanent home?
Ulrich: I came in response to Kent State. I stayed because I loved it here – I just loved (that) it was a peaceful, gentler nation. I started getting involved in music, and once the wheels started turning this is (just) where I wanted to be.

Question #9: What was the (“BC”) scene like when you first arrived?
Ulrich: A year after I arrived I started getting involved in music. There were some really incredibly open venues – pseudo jazz, anything goes. (Did I write that incorrectly – did Shari mean to say psychedelic jazz?) Musicians (could just) jam, & hang. That’s where I met Rick, Scott & Joe Mosh (note to self: check names) – the Pied Pumkins, my first group. It was this other world – folk, hippy.

Question #10: I read some lyrics off your website from your “The View From Here” CD and found a common theme – they seem to have a dreamlike/ethereal quality against a nature backdrop. (ie. “I Found You”, “Just A Word” & “Turning”) Is this a natural bent for you, -or was it a phase- & if so, where does it come from?
Ulrich: Yes, they do interweave (ie. the ethereal & the natural). It’s probably because I find a lot of inspiration in nature. I live on & island – I see mountains & water from my window. (I tend to go) walking when I’m working on lyrics, and (the nature scenes) seem to get woven in. It was more that period though – the production is more ethereal than where I am now (and the production enhances & feeds the lyrical styling). (But) I don’t reject that phase. Artists need to move somewhere else & not repeat the same kind of tone, lyrics or production. I remember being asked by interviewers when I was wearing spandex in the 80’s if that was just a phase, and I said I was just evolving. (Looking back) I think I was trying to fit in.

Question #11: Can we expect you & Barney to do a number or two together at the BC Legends show, May 1st?
Ulrich: Barney & I will likely be doing something together. You wouldn’t be able to keep us from playing together!

BC Legends Event Page

interview by Ashley Newall

Barney Bentall plays Ottawa as part of BC Scene's "BC Legends", May 1st

Speaking to me from a ferry travelling to Vancouver Island, Barney Bentall was imediately circumspect on his hiatus from music, and excited his subsequent resurgence & all the projects thus entailed. He was particularly keen about his Caribou Opry ensemble, which includes Tom Wilson & Jim Cuddy, and he’s even back playing theatres with his old backing band, the Legendary Hearts! The 1st two of my proverbial 20 questions were already answered and I was barely out of the, er, gate! (Those familiar with Barney’s turn to ranching during his time out of the spotlight may get that quip. He’s sold the cattle though now, & is back at the music full-time with a vengence.) Bentall also currently does gigs with Tom Taylor of “She Stole My Beer” fame and, noteably, Shari Ulrich, with whom Barney will be sharing the stage at Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa on May 1st (as part of the NAC’s BC Scene).

I have paraphrased in places here (mostly in parentheses), as this phone interview was not recorded.

Question #3: “In terms of your self-imposed hiatus from performing, did you need a break from the rock n’ roll lifestyle and the ups and downs of a music career?”
(Bentall’s response to this dubious set-up of mine was characteristically positive.)
Bentall: “I had a hectic run, and I had 4 kids very young. There was lots of touring, lots of travelling. I just figured you’ve got one life & you don’t want to just pursue one particular thing. It was not the best career move, but I learned about an old fashioned way of life (as I) rounded up on the range.”

Question #4: I read your self written bio on your website, & absolutely loved the writing. Have you ever thought of writing a book on your experiences in Canadian music & touring the country?
Bentall: “Thanks for that. That idea intrigues me. Writing prose & such, I find, takes me awhile to do it. Maybe laziness prevents me (laughs). I’m more enjoying just living life. With (autobiographies) I find it’s important and cathartic for the people doing it… (but, having said this) I recently read Murray McLaughlin’s book, and I thought it was great.”

Question #5: Who are some of your favourite Canadian bands and performers, past & present?
Bentall: “Gordon Lightfoot was a huge influence. Joni Mitchell, Ian & Sylvia, Neil Young. Murray McLaughlin & Bruce Cockburn… I had the same manager as (McLaughlin & Cockburn), and that was a thrill considering they were some of the people I idolized growing up. (It was important to have these beacons because) growing up in Calgary, there was no one else doing it – you had to get over that hump first. And the landscape was an important part of what they did. Blue Rodeo, of course – they’ve given so much to Canadian music. And my son Dustin (Bentall) is making great records. Have you heard of Ridley Bent? You should really check him out.”

Question #6: What was it like recording at Blue Rodeo’s Woodshed Studio?
Bentall: “I like that (all the recording is done) all in one room, and there’s lots of wood. And there’s such great personalities in the office upstairs. Basically, (when you walk in) you feel like you’ve been parachuted from Danforth Ave. to an enclave out in the country.”

Question #7: I listened to the track “A Man Is” off 2006′s “Gift Horse” on your website, and found it really chill & laid back – have you mellowed somewhat with age?
(Barney didn’t waste a second in dispelling this notion.)
Bentall: “I just played Junofest with the Legendary Hearts, and we can still rock with the best of them. I always think to something Neil Young said, that he needs both the acoustic/laid back side and the full-tilt rock n’ roll. I need both sides of the equation to keep me involved. I wish I’d known that when I first started out, but the labels didn’t support it (they were more focused on producing the big rock hits).”

Question # 8: I found there is a lot of emphasis on the line “a man is what he thinks about all day long” from “A Man Is” – I really like the line & I wonder if you can expand on it.
Bentall: “You can’t change your circumstance, but you can change your attitude. Think of that person who walks into a room & alters the mood and the energy – how much do you want to be around that person? You think you’re a certain way, (but if someone’s being) a moody fuck (then who wants to be around that?!) So, negative or positive thinking can be who you are.”

Question #9: You’ve focused on the Canadian market through-out your career. You mention on your website that it was so you wouldn’t have to spend even more time away from your familly. I’m curious though as to some other reasons for that focus on Canada.
Bentall: “Given my druthers, I’d be a huge international star. It was complicated though with a record company who’s priority was Billy Joel. Having a familly, it was too expensive to go to Australia (for example), but -like I’ve told my son Dustin (and I try not to give him too much advise)-, sometimes you’ve gotta just go – get a foothold.”

Question #10: I found a common theme out of a myriad of your titles, and it’s a focus on the positive in the face of adversity. (Some examples are “You Got Somethin’ To Live For”, “Life Could Be Worse”, & “You Should Be Havin’ Fun”.) Where does this outlook come from?
Bentall: “I’m a positive person. Of course, I can be that moody fuck! (laughs) You just make the best of it. Ranching was fantastic for this – you saw folks where everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and they just did the best they could.”

Question # 11: What can folks attending BC Legends (Bentall’s show May 1 @ Centrepointe Theatre) expect?
Bentall: “Well, I hope I make it! (laughs) I’ll be in Pond Inlet on Baffin Island for the Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament on ice the day before! I think people are going to see some great BC performers.”

article by Ashley Newall

next interview: Shari Ulrich

Valdy hosts "BC Legends" in Ottawa, May 1

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE OF MIND?

Curious and Adaptive: I have no idea where things are going, which is not an unusual state for a culture worker, but I’ll swim the stream and keep my head up, if that’s an available option.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OCCUPATION?(WAY OF SPENDING TIME)

Puttering, as only a Virgo can, tidying, dispensing with chaos, or at least momentarily lessening its effects.

WHAT HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH?

Sir John A. MacDonald.

WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

David Suzuki, Canada’s Global Crusader, and Maude Barlowe a close second.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL HERO?

Jack, in Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Trilogy

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

My health, but that’s not what you mean. I have little attachment to things on a deep level, and could do without all, need be; a large ship’s compass is a fave, as is my D-28,and of course that hard disk that holds it all.

WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU HAPPIEST?

Happiness is continual, save for downturns, and I seek it, contribute to it, revel in it, and thus cannot choose a moment, a second, an hour, an era; I tend to think more immediately; I poofed powder for a few turns today, here at Big White, way up near tree line, most of it being wind-crusted, and that was big.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST OBVIOUS CHARACTERISTIC?

Beard, big ears, or mahogany voice.

WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE (HATE) IN YOURSELF?

Lack of completing things.

WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN OTHERS?

Lack of courtesy.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?

Using time for selfish reasons, pursuing my own interests.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JOURNEY?

Driving up the Fulford Village hill, on Saltspring Island; it’s the road home, the access point for the community I’m a part of, and always a departure ramp for some adventure.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST OVER-RATED VIRTUE?

Virtues are what we would like, what we would project as components of an ideal society. If adherence to a belief is considered a virtue, it is already over-rated.

ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU LIE?

I do not lie, I omit.

WHICH WORDS OR PHRASES DO YOU MOST OVER-USE?

“What do you think?”, which is right up there with “No fucking way.”

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

My narcissistic tendencies, which limit and define me.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Having made a living doing something I enjoy, and, at year thirty-nine generating revenue solely by musical means, still digging it, in fact getting better at what I do.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE?

I don’t want to move.

WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST IN YOUR FRIENDS?

Acceptance, tolerance, empathy, support, the same things that I offer.

IF YOU WERE TO DIE AND COME BACK AS A PERSON OR AN ANIMAL, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE?

A person, period; we’re still competitive for our survival, though not tearing each others flesh with claw, fang and tooth.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE AN OBJECT TO COME BACK AS, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

I would choose being a malleable tectonic plate, one that over the millennia would reshape, bend, fold and yield to stronger forces, thus being an agent of change in the long term.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO (WORDS YOU LIVE BY OR THAT MEAN A LOT TO YOU)?

“It’s okay, we’ll make it work.”

TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE LONGEVITY OF YOUR SUCCESS AS A FOLK MUSICIAN AND ICON IN CANADA?

I’m paying attention to my playing, warming up my voice well before
singing,being immediate in the midst of a set list, allowing magic to visit
if that is to be.

IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE MUSIC FOR A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU?

Timpanis, large vibraphones and bass viols; communicating with the locals would mean sea creatures.
DVDs of Victor Borge and Toots Thielmann, recorded live, as well as Oscar Peterson and Phoebe Snow.

WHO HAVE BEEN YOUR STRONGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

Thanks for asking in the plural; years of influence, starting with Henry Mancini, 50s Cuban dance records, the Dillards, Bob Dylan, Bob Lind, the Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem, then it gets more convoluted, as I absorbed from everyone I heard.

Valdi is hosting a “BC Legends” concert in Ottawa May 1