Barney Bentall, Tom Taylor and Shari Ulrich...

... first played together in November 2007 at a songwriter concert on Bowen Island. Their continued collaboration grew from the undeniable enjoyment for both the artists and their audiences. One year later, they returned to Cates Hill Chapel and recorded Live at Cates Hill: an eclectic mix of the character, voices and songwriting talents of these three unique artists. With juggling all their respective projects it took until the summer of 2015 to embark on recording a second album. With Shari’s daughter Julia Graff and partner James Parrella engineering, they set up camp in Barney’s house with his two golden retrievers, Haddie and Tilly providing inspiration and wags at the appropriate moments. The teamwork was effortless and created an album of which all involved are exceedingly proud.  

Tightrope Walk was released in 2016 by the highly regarded Canadian label Borealis Records. With three very busy schedules to coordinate the trio manages a couple of tours a year and relishes the collaboration and camaraderie - and music!

Barney Bentall

Barney Bentall and his band The Legendary Hearts recorded and toured extensively in Canada through the late 80s and 90s.  In 2000 Barney traded in his rock and roll life for that of a cattle rancher in the Cariboo, deciding that he would only write songs when they wouldn't leave him alone.  “It was an interesting and challenging time that I wouldn’t trade for the world but ultimately the call of music ruled the day”.  In 2006, Bentall headed into the studio with long time friend Jim Cuddy producing and began work on what would become Bentall’s first solo record Gift Horse. Those songs have renewed Barney’s love of performing, both in the form of solo acoustic shows and of the Cariboo Express, (which includes his son Dustin, Ridley Bent, Geoffrey Kelly and many others). Barney has released 5 solo albums (post Legendary Hearts) including the latest “Cosmic Dreamer”, and recently released “Ranch Writers”, an inspiring instrumental collaboration with Geoffrey Kelly and others. He continues his wonderful partnership with Shari and Tom, as BTU.  www.barneybentall.com

Tom Taylor

Tom Taylor is best known for his role in the Vancouver cult band She Stole My Beer, where he spent years touring and recording two albums. After the band took a hiatus, Tom embarked on a solo journey, recording two albums, King of July and Running Late, with acclaimed producer Steve Dawson. In 2013, he released Pull Over Here, produced by his longtime friend and fellow Canadian music legend, Barney Bentall.

In addition to his solo work, Tom collaborated with Bentall and Shari Ulrich as part of the trio BTU, releasing two albums: Live at Cates Hill and Tightrope Walk. Looking forward to 2025, Tom’s new band, The Southern Residents, will release their debut album Folk Signals, co-produced with multi-instrumentalist and Juno Award winner Adrian Dolan. The project showcases their unique interpretation of folk and bluegrass.

Tom is also an active member of the Vancouver roots rock band The Radio Grande, known for their album Town and Country and their recent EP Wrapped in Plastic. His wide-ranging collaborations and projects continue to highlight his distinctive voice and songwriting style.

Shari Ulrich

Shari Ulrich’s finesse on violin, mandolin, flute, piano, sax and dulcimer was first heard in the early 70s with the Pied Pumkin. Her work with the Hometown Band paved the way for her solo career as a touring songwriter. Shari’s work has earned a couple of Junos, “Songwriter of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and legendary status in Canada. She has released 26 albumse including her work with the Pumkin, UHF, BTU, and The High Bar Gang (a bluegrass band with Barney - also a 2x Juno nominee and CFMA a winner for Vocal Group of the Year). As well, Shari has also hosted produced the long running (28 years) SongBird North songwriter series in Vancouver and performs with Hilary Grist and Jeanne Tolmie in “The Luckies”. . www.shariulrich.com