Dierks Bentley is more than meets the eye, but what does meet the eye is pretty darn hard not to look at. His presence is warm, inviting and you feel like you just sat down with an old friend. Kat and I sat down to talk to the country music star when he was in Toronto promoting his new album, Modern Day Drifter. The lead track off the album,"A lot of Leavin' Left to do" made us wonder where the song came from. Pretty self explanatory to some, a guy leavin' a lot of women, but Dierks shared with us that his career is what takes precedence right now and that is where his focus lies. That and with all of his fans around the world, of course.Dierks has recently sold his house, "Being on the road so much, I am hardly in one place too long, it just made sense to sell". Another ode to leavin'. So with a house sold, no "nest", is there space for someone in your life or was there someone? Dierks doesn't hesitate to give us the low-down dirty shame, "Well, there was someone special in my life and I did ask her to marry me.
What I was hoping for was a three letter answer and instead I got two", Dierks chuckles, "Actually it was more like four letters and then two, but anyway she said no". It seems that he manages to roll with the punches, not looking back on his past too much and make a song or two out of it all. Luckily, Kat and I were nice and close to Dierks should he have felt the need to cry on our shoulder. But, no need, he doesn't miss a beat and we move onto where it all started for Dierks.
Well, the long and short of it is, I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona with a lot of country music around me, my dad loved country music. One day, I heard Hank Williams Jr. singing about, I think he has a song called, "Naked Women and Beer" and I thought that this guy was pretty cool. Kat pipes in, "So that was your inspiration then?" Dierks gives us a hearty southern laugh, "Yeah, but I also was listening to Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks too". "Oh so were you at the concert when he asked Trisha Yearwood to marry him?", Kat asks. "Yeah, I was and I thought that was pretty cool and it was kinda nice to see that", says Dierks. Dierks continues on to tell us that it was many musical artists that influenced him to keep going. That and the fact that many people who heard him sing would say that he had a good voice. So Dierks took that as a good sign, took it with him and his guitar to Nashville when he was 19 yrs old. Dierks goes onto say, "Nashville is the place to be if you really want to make any head way as a country artist, So that is where I moved to."
Being so young and on his own, Dierks took just about any job he could get his hands on and played at any gig or venue he could. He even had a job at TNN, but stayed so below the radar that everyone just kind of leaves you alone. "Often times if someone would pass me by in the copy area or something, I would just be (ughh, ahhh) and most people would just leave you alone. Act frustrated and most people just stay away from you", chuckles Dierks."So that's how you would support yourself then," says Kat."Pretty much. That would give me my paycheque and I would play and write songs at night", Dierks lets out a sigh and eases back into the couch.
It is those very early years that has given him the discipline that drives the machine of Dierks Bentley. "I just dug in my heels and kept working!", Dierks continues on to say, "it's all about the music". www.dierks.com for more of that music, tour dates and press.Well, Dierks Bentley made Kat and I love country music a little bit more. His performance later that evening at CLUB 279 HARD ROCK CAFE, Toronto, made us go out and purchase the album, Now, even if you haven't caught Dierks Bentley in concert, no doubt you will soon, but in the meantime go out and buy his album- I am sure you will love him, I mean country, a little more!
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Orlena Cain - Entertainment Journalist for Sugarcain Entertainment.com An all female based E:Zine from Toronto, Ontario-Canada