Tuesday, February 4, 2014

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 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Kate's Christmas CD Layout Revealed

Layout revealed for Kate White's new Christmas project:
Kate's kickoff Christmas concert and CD Release party is this Saturday, November 30th at the Slocum House Theater in Vancouver, WA.  You may still be able to get tickets Here.  Watch for Amazon, iTunes, etc. to catch up soon hereafter.

Congrats, KWB, and thanks, to Jennifer Dossetti for the great graphics.

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

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Making Lemonade

Have you heard the one where construction fell behind schedule?  Yep, so have we. In case you missed the news, BBP is upgrading our digs to a new home base & project studio here in the Portland, OR area.  And, yes, you guessed it - the build-out is taking "just" a little longer than expected.  However, the show must go on.  Temporary measures must be taken:

We've been working with many extremely talented musicians this year and we are super excited about finishing up the final details, editing, and mixing the whole lot of them to bring you some really nice songs in the near future.  Stay tuned for the announcements and sneak peeks!

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

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Mixing Begins

Hello, faithful BentBeat followers!  Just a quick update to let you know that we've been busy tracking several very talented artists over the past several months and now comes time for the detail work: MIXING.  Yes, yes.  The long hours of listening to :01 second of music to determine if that snare hit was "just right."

Off we go ... see you on the other side.
The BentBeat Team
info@bentbeat.com
www.bentbeat.com
Call/text: 503.498.8275
facebook / twitter / blogspot @bentbeat 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Music is My First Language

We have a new favorite blogger:  Music is My First Language.  She apparently has been following BBP's Josh Hoke and wrote a very nice blog about her trip to the Northwest & Josh's CD Release Party.  Take a look HERE.


BentBeat Productions
Dave Beatty
503.489.8275

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Josh Hoke Releases Debut Album "Ghosts and Glory"


Josh Hoke delivers his highly anticipated debut album, “Ghosts and Glory,” available on Amazon.com, iTunes, and all major music sites.

Josh Hoke Releases Debut Album
Portland, OR, March 07, 2013 --(PR.com)-- “Ghosts and Glory” is a collection of songs written and performed by Portland-based singer/songwriter Josh Hoke. The album has 10 tracks that reflect the recent folk resurgence. “What started out as a simple acoustic project quickly evolved into a more musically abstract collection of songs. Adding banjo was an early decision,” said Hoke, who performed multiple roles on every track. ”Adding other musicians and bringing in additional talent gave each song its own feel, and was an unexpectedly fun part of the project. We wanted this to be an album you could listen to from start to finish, so deciding exactly which songs should appear on the record was an interesting challenge.”

Hoke originally hails from Indianapolis and relocated to Portland, Oregon in 2011. Since arriving in Portland he has become a mainstay among the burgeoning folk music scene that has recently infiltrated the Northwest. “The Portland community of artists is very welcoming,” said Hoke. “I’m very grateful to have landed among a group of people that is so accepting of new musicians and open to working and performing together. The essence of the album definitely stems from my roots, but the final product absolutely reflects all the artists from the greater Northwest that have influenced me over the past two years.”

The LP is produced by Dave Beatty of BentBeat Productions. They began collaborating in early 2012. “Josh initially caught our attention as a solo act, performing locally. It was immediately apparent to us that his style of music and level of talent would be a good match for the BentBeat Label,” said Beatty. “We spent a lot of time working with Josh and his musicians to create a project that would be accessible to anyone who turned on a radio yet truly unique to Josh’s style and vision. ‘Ghosts and Glory’ definitely achieves that, and we are super proud of Josh for this fantastic first release.”

The full length CD “Ghosts and Glory” is available for purchase on Amazon.com or can be downloaded from iTunes, Spotify, and all major music sites.

About BentBeat Productions: BentBeat Productions, the recording and publishing division of All Requests Live, Inc., is based in Vancouver, Washington. BBP’s focus is on partnering with musicians to produce and record high quality, radio-friendly music. Working with social media and through mainstream channels of distribution, BBP’s portfolio is available on Amazon.com or can be downloaded from iTunes, Spotify, and all major music sites. Please join in supporting musicians.
Contact Information:

BentBeat Productions
Dave Beatty
503.489.8275


Thursday, December 13, 2012

Thanks, Team BentBeat.

BentBeat's Producers would like to take a moment to personally thank each and every cast member of Team BentBeat for all of their hard work on the Country Girl Soundtrack.  BentBeat was honored this week by The Recording Academy with an invitation to attend the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013.  We are humbled ~ You guys are the best.
The BentBeat Team
info@bentbeat.com
www.bentbeat.com
Call/text: 503.498.8275
facebook / twitter / blogspot @bentbeat