55 Days to the Grammys: Top Five Picks

Greetings.  The boy here.  I will have the privilege of escorting the Elf to the Grammys in February. That is, as long as she doesn't mind being arm candy for Jack Black.

Yep.  This pretty much sums it up.

In case you haven’t heard, the nominees were announced since our last update.  I thought it would be fitting for our “55 days” update to hit our top five favorite nominees this year.  
Note: I didn’t say predictions, I said favorites.  Mostly in categories that won’t be televised. Which means (back of hand placed firmly on forehead martyr-style), “we HAVE to go to the pre-show awards this year.”

And the Grammy for best tuba solo goes to...

Before I hit the proverbial “fave five,” our five honorable mentions would be:

• The Band Perry: Up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (um... isn’t this what “rock” used to look like?).
• Nickel Creek: Best Americana Album.  Because someone convinced them that they had a good thing going a while back.

  

  What?  We're cool again?  Quick, record an album before the wind changes.

• Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1: Because it’s a “Marvel Universe-meets-great-music mix tape” that GOT A GRAMMY SOUNDTRACK NOD.
• Paramore: Best Rock Song.  Because, it’s Paramore, people.
• Meghan Trainor: Because, yes, it is All About That Bass.

No treble.

Now, onto the actual five:

1. Katy Perry:  Wisely chose to put herself up for consideration in the “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” for Dark Horse (which she performed at last year’s show, coincidentally).  This is a well-crafted song with some great poetic imagery. For those of you who may not agree, well, you’re wrong.

   

   Remember back when your favorite songs were a metaphor?

2. MercyMe:  Since our roots are firmly planted in “CCM,” I will go on record as saying that Bart Millard is one of my favorite artists in the “Contemporary Christian Music Album” category.  It takes great talent to be both witty and deep all at the same time (look for your favorite song in their "cover tune grab bag" here).
3. Tenacious D:  Speaking of Jack Black, he will be taking on the MONSTERS OF ROCK to seek the coveted Metal Performance spot.  So, it’s essentially Jack Black vs. Anthrax/Mastadon/Motorhead… stop laughing.  Jack is the bomb (proof).

   

   You never had a teacher like this.

4. Pentatonix:  For their Daft Punk mash-up in Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella. So, you’ve finally figured out who Pentatonix is, eh?  What?  You haven’t bought their Christmas Album.  DO IT.  Don’t let Taylor walk away with the only platinum album this year.  
5. Weird Al Yankovic both deserves and will win for best Comedy Album.  It's mandatory. There, I’ve said it.

I'm glad I'm not the one up against Jack Black.

So, there’s the list for today.  Now, please excuse me.  I need to hit the treadmill.  #roadtothegrammys

The BentBeat Team
info@bentbeat.com
bentbeat.com
Call/Text: 503.489.8275
Follow @bentbeat

Silver Remains Releases Debut Album

Silver Remains releases self-titled debut modern rock album available on Amazon.com, iTunes, Spotify, and all major music sites.

Silver Remains Releases Debut Album Portland, OR, November 17, 2014 --(PR.com)-- “Silver Remains” is a collection of original songs written and performed by Vancouver-based modern hard rock group Silver Remains (silverremains.com). The album has 11 tracks that reflect the group’s musical evolution over the past five years. “At first we were just a few guys having fun making music in our garage,” said Devin Kvalvik, band leader and principal drummer. “What started as a fun hobby turned into something serious when we realized how well the songs we were writing were being received by the fans. We ended up with an album that really reflects who we are as performers and gives a good idea of what to expect at our live shows.”

The project features Devin Kvalvik on drums, Grant Clarno on vocals, Austin Kvalvik and Eric Henrichsen on guitars, and features Michael Kvalvik on bass. “The great thing about this project is that it had time to evolve,” said producer Dave Beatty. “We started working with the band a few years ago. They went through a few cast changes during that time, all of which lent their own individual flavors to the songs. By the time these songs made it to the studio they were not only unique but also incredibly well polished.”

Silver Remains has been together since 2008. Their founding sibling members, along with Henrichsen, later added Clarno to vocals after the producers held an open audition. “Once we found Grant, the sound really began to come together,” said Henrichsen. “He brought a style and a delivery that was really original but definitely communicated what we were trying to say with our songs.” Since Clarno’s addition to the band, the group has been a regular name in the Portland music scene, playing venues throughout the city as well as radio and streaming shows. “It’s great to have something tangible as a takeaway for our fans now,” Kvalvik added, speaking of the album. “They’ve always taken away the experience of a great show, but now they can hopefully relive that experience on their own. We’ve been very excited to give this to our fans.”

Silver Remains’ album was produced by BentBeat’s Dave Beatty. Introduced to the band in 2010, the band had just begun discussing recording a project. “It may seem like a long time to make an album,” said Beatty. “These guys are extremely talented and it was worth it to everyone to wait to push the final ‘record’ button until they’d found their perfect match with Clarno. Once the cast was set, everything else just fell into place. We were happy to have been a part of this project that really showcases some of the finest up and coming musicians in the area.”

“Silver Remains’” album is available on Amazon.com, iTunes, Spotify, and all major music sites. A public release party will be held at 6pm on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at River’s Edge Church, 3801 NW Fruit Valley Rd., Vancouver, WA 98660.

About BentBeat Productions: The recording and publishing division of All Requests Live, Inc., BentBeat is based in Portland, Oregon. BBP’s focus is on partnering with musicians to produce, record, and release high quality broadcast-level music through social media and mainstream distribution. BentBeat’s portfolio is available on Amazon.com, iTunes, Spotify, and all major music sites. Please join in supporting musicians.

Contact Information
BentBeat Productions
Dave Beatty
503.489.8275
Contact
www.bentbeat.com

Moved In and Motivated

Ready guys?  We're all moved in.  Well, mostly. There's a box or two still to unpack, pictures to be hung, and there's a big hole where the vent should be above the stove-top.  BUT, the microwave works, the pantry is full, and the new Keurig is fully stocked with coffee and tea. 


We have successfully taken residence up in our new project space, which is quite a bit more comfy and versatile than the prior ones we've been in.  Is this where we should mention the one that got so hot and muggy during a major recording session that it overheated our iPhones?  I digress. We're just happy that the remodel is ready for us to get the creative minds working without distraction.  Whew.

This last year, we tripled the number of full-length published projects, produced music for a tongue-in-cheek ("viral") music video, attended the Grammys for the first time (see previous entry), and have had the pleasure of meeting many talented artists.

We've currently working hard with some very hard working musicians who are anxious to let you hear their completed releases.  There are two in the works this spring scheduled to be released this summer: Silver Remains (rock) and Jesse Lee Falls (blues).

We've been adding to our session musicians, engineering, production, marketing and publicity cast.  These guys are amazing.  and look forward to working with these and other up-and-coming artists.  We are blessed to be working with such a great group of talented individuals.

2014 should be a momentous year for the BentBeat team.  We're glad that you are all a part of it.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled editing console.

The BentBeat Team
info@bentbeat.com
www.bentbeat.com
Call/text: 503.498.8275
facebook / twitter / blogspot @bentbeat 

Report from the Red Carpet

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards

“You went to the Grammys?” “How did you get to the Grammys?” “What was it like to go to the Grammys?” “How were the Grammys?” This is what we’ve been asked for the last week, so we figure that y’all want to know.  Finally, here are the answers to these burning questions, and probably a little bit more than you really wanted to know.  But you asked, so here you go:

“You went to the Grammys?”

Um, yes.

“How did you get to the Grammys?”

First a car, then a plane, then another car, then a lot of walking…lots of walking... (there’s no way you didn’t see that coming).  But if you’re asking about what vehicle opened the door for us to get invited to the Grammys?  We’re awesome, people, duh.  Haven’t we been telling you all along?  We just make spectacular music (insert casual toss of head and puff of air on fingernails here).  OK, maybe not exactly like that.  The bottom line: our music got some attention from The Recording Academy.  We’re going to put on our humble hats here and say: "Wow, it was a pretty big honor to just be invited."  And off comes the humble hat just long enough to fist-pump and say, “YES!!!” … and, hat back on.

“What was it like to go to the Grammys?”

Well, now THERE’S a question.  I can only answer that from my point of view, which I should explain is that of a Hobbit Disguised As A Mennonite Girl From Rural Indiana.  So here’s the short version (a longer, much more detailed and probably much more snarky version exists, but will only be revealed by extremely enthusiastic demand).

First, the news comes through that we are going to the Grammys.  Like any good fan of good music, my first reaction is “YES PLEASE!!!” Elation and blind enthusiasm cloud all better judgment: We’re going to the Grammys!  Music’s biggest night!  Performances, musicians, glamour, parties!  We’re so INNNNNN!!! This starry-eyed wonder carries me through for approximately seven minutes (Paul and Ringo, people).  Then, like any good Girl (but decidedly UN-like any good Mennonite), the first logical thought comes into my head: “But what am I going to wear?”

What follows are weeks of indecision that is finally resolved exactly one hour before stepping into the car that drives me to the Staples Center.  Mennonites don’t glam:  Where am I going to find a dressy bonnet?  Hobbits don’t glam:  How am I going to find heels big enough for my hairy toes?  Farmers don’t glam:  Won’t riding in on a horse mess up my hair?  Even Katy Perry didn't get on her dark horse.  My hair!  My curly, unruly, horrible, still-thin-from-falling-out-after-giving-birth hair. Oh no, I’ve just given birth! My puffy, exhausted, horrible look-at-all-my-new-mom-wrinkles-and-bags-under-my-eyes face! Oh no, I’m still a new mom! My unexpected, moody, horrible what-are-these-things-under-my-shirt-that-used-to-not-be-there-but-suddenly-have-three-different-shapes-and-sizes-every-24-hours THINGS?  There is no dress/hairstyle/makeup look that can fix this problem.

Okay, it’s early December.  I still have time to figure this out, right?  So I figure I can remake an old dress in my closet, practice hair and makeup looks every week till I find the right one, eat absolutely nothing over the holidays, and work out every day until it’s time to go and I just might be able to blend into the background and no one will see me.  This was an excellent plan.  It almost worked.  It would have worked perfectly if I hadn’t split the seams of every dress in my closet that I tried on (yes, I even tried on my wedding dress), lost all of my hair and makeup tools to a very unfortunate puppy chewing incident, traveled to the Midwest (Land of Lard and the White Sugar Deep-Fry) over the holidays, and doctored my entire family including myself through the flu.  Suffice it to say that ten extra pounds and even less sleep later, I was still not “ready” to get on a plane to LA.  And I was nowhere near ready to walk down a red carpet surrounded by unearthly beautiful people. 

Luckily, my female counterpart on this trip is Elvin beautiful and I knew that I could hide my Hobbit self behind her and not consider donning a Daft Punk disguise.  So after a month and a half of stressing out, some desperate shopping, and a last minute hair surgery with a seventy-five-cent barrette (performed exactly one hour before I stepped into the car driving me to the Grammys), I found myself, ready or not, headed for the red carpet.

And that’s what it was like to go to the Grammys.

“How were the Grammys?”

How were the Grammys?  Let’s see.  You could ask a football player to describe the Super Bowl, or you could ask a skier to describe the Olympics, but you asked a musician to describe the Grammys.  The answer is probably the same all around: “…”  Because that’s all I got for ya:  “…”  The Grammys were “…” and if I even try to tell you, well, it’ll just waste both our time.  I can tell you this, though:

Grammys were pretty good.  You should go sometime.  If you need some tips, give me a call and I’ll tell you all you need to know.

The BentBeat Team
info@bentbeat.com
www.bentbeat.com
Call/text: 503.498.8275
facebook / twitter / blogspot @bentbeat