Dustin Bentall @ CMW 2007

Background/Composition: Dustin Bentall, looking like a countrified Jared Leto, did his best to make himself seem like a rambling, travelling troubadour, but ended up being a self-indulgent, simplified "songwriter." A lack of real experience and poor fiction writing skills make this Neil Young wannabe seem like a bit of a poseur when he pulls out songs like "Draft Dodger." Bentall would benefit from some late night sessions listening to Bruce Springsteen and by checking his ego at the door.

Grade: 68

Comment: To his credit, Bentall somehow imagined the Wreck Room to be a packed house as he stood centre stage with his guitar and harmonica, making the most of a horrific location selection for a night of country-tinged olde-tyme music. Possessing one of the more annoying stage personas, Bentall's imagination stops short, ending at his over-glamourized impression of himself and not making its way into his songwriting. As a fan of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, Bentall probably does just fine. As an impersonator, he's way off. Citing Robbie Robertson as an influence just seems... sinful.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronounciation: E
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: S
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: S

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: Getting stage banter down is a hard thing to do. Note to Bentall: assess your audience and adjust accordingly. Bentall has a nice way of taking control of the stage and his audience, but came off sounding like a guy who really, really found himself interesting whether you did or not. Annoying.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: G
Work Habits: G
Organization: G
Audience Participation: S
Sound: G
Composition: S
Songs: N

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: Stripped-down Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen with none of the depth. There was the lone cowboy concept of a man on a dusty trail with his reliable guitar wandering from town to town, but with none of the mystery. Bentall's guitar playing is quite proficient, his harmonica blowing is pretty standard and his voice is strong and well-suited to his music. But his actual song construction is just so far off and emotionless that everything falls apart. Big exception: his last song about finding love in a record store was irreverent, silly and fun. It was John Prine-esque and completely different from the rest of his set.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: G
Sexiness: G
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: E
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: G
Level Of Inebriation: S
Actual Ability: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: It seems that Bentall is hoping that his image and the idea of what his music is supposed to be will be enough to take him into the adult contemporary spotlight, and he may very well be right. Nice boots, though.