The death of a loved one can have quite the debilitating effect one one's life. In the case of Kristian Bent, a teenager when his father passed away, it provided his life new direction and meaning. Digging deep, Kristian found the strength to write about this definitive period of his life in a song called Song With No Name. The song goes - I recall the days and the nights my father said to me. He spoke of a better life, I was young and so I believed him. Well it wasn’t too long before he was defeated. He left me all the questions, and the answers are blowing in the wind. Now I’m not half the man I used to be, but I’m twice the man I used to know. If there’s ever one thing I could tell you. Slow down. Keep your mind where your heart is and slow down.
Kristian explained how it took him longer to come up with a name than to write the music or lyrics to this song and why 'no name' seemed perfect enough to go with the sentiment. “But it was the day, my father died back in 2008, that changed the course of events. From then on life was more real than it had ever been and it has never stopped being so,” said Kristian, who claims his teenage years were pretty much a ride without consequences.
He had spent his childhood relocating from Mumbai to Goa, then to a boarding school down south in the Nilgiris, and then to a farm located on the outskirts of Goa. The only constant in his life at that point was his family and his love for music. His tryst with music began when his parents gifted him a drum kit in January 2007 as gift. He got so passionate about it that for next couple of years it was his dream to be the best drummer that lived.
Ten years later, Kristian's dream has moved up a couple of notches drawing influences from his own musical journey and life in Goa. He started recording his first original album. Kristian sings songs about the land, his heart and folk tales. His music is easy and honest and it takes inspiration from the storytelling styles of old American country and folk musicians. It even got a peer from the industry, fellow musician Ranjit Arapurakal to remark that “the song My Heart, My Motherland makes me cry every time I hear it. Kristian Bent is the homegrown superstar that India has been waiting for. Whether he's singing about a girl or about his beloved country, he has a unique way of pulling listeners in by their heartstrings,” said Arapurakal.
The songs in his album reflect his thoughtful and sensitive character and the maturity of his songwriting craftsmanship. Kristian discovered his songwriting skills when he wrote his first song Children of A Lie during his stint with his first band, The Streetlight People, where he played drums. It was only much later, in 2012 that he fell in love with the guitar, that's now an indelible part of his identity. His friend had gifted him a guitar for his 23rd birthday and Kristian spent the next year playing the guitar at home. The guitar brought a new dimension to his music offering him a much needed creative impetus to start writing all the songs he always wanted to sing. While working on improving his own songwriting and guitar playing skills, he began working as a stage manager for tours of the renowned singer Remo. “I learned a lot about stage presence and Remo's sense of professionalism definitely inspired me,” said Kristian.
Kristian then decided to follow his own music and formed the group The Acoustic Road - a cover band singing in four part harmony. By then he had already written about half of the songs on Campfire stories. The band gave him the platform to test new material, to perform in front of crowds that accepted original music on a regular gig and a stage to mould himself into the live performer he wanted to be. “Admittedly it was then that I realised that people enjoyed my music,” said Kristian while adding how this encouraged him to pursue his dream of recording his own album.
He started recording his album in January 2016 at Studio 52 with Noel DeSouza, but by June that year, he had to deal with a few financial hiccups but along with the support of his friends, Kristian did not allow this to deter him from the path he was on. He turned to a crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry in August. Much to his surprise, the campaign was not only a success but it reached its target in 48 hours. “It was quite a gamble, leaving it up to crowd funding, but as it goes, the success is incredibly driving. Reaching my target inside 48 hours was definitely uplifting and kind of spurred me on to try harder to make the music better than it can be,” said Kristian. With a clear vision in mind about how he wanted his music to sound, Kristian roped in a Russian upright bass player, a Russian cellist, a Latvian guitarist and a Californian blues harp player to record his songs.
For Goa, this is pretty much a first, an album filled with music that is soulful, lyrics that hit home and music that is simple, yet powerful. Kristian wants his music to paint pictures
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TGLife: What is Campfire Stories about?
Kristian Bent: From Goan sunsets to the raging monsoons, from passionate love to unruly desires, Campfire Stories is a compilation of nine songs that cover some of the darkest experiences to the brightest ones. Everything you hear has been recorded and played live by professional musicians. Though I’d like to say it is country, people would say that it’s simply indie/folk.
TGL: How do you feel about the response to the two songs released on Soundcloud and Youtube “ She and Song With No Name?
KB: So far it’s great. The people who have heard me have been kind enough to spread the word and up until now we have got a fantastic response. As usual, video always gets more attention than audio, so the response to the live video released in January was far better than anything else I’ve put out.
TGL: What are your plans to promote the album?
KB: As of now, we’re working on a two city tour, Bombay and Bengaluru. After all, India’s music scene is picking up immensely but it’s still in the early years. We can only gauge the response once the album is out, so fingers crossed.
TGL: You say that you want to dedicate this album to those who have supported you through a grand celebration, why is that?
KB: I specifically say that I want to have a grand celebration when it comes to the launch because just about eight months ago, somewhere in June or July, I was on my way to acquiring the masters of the album and was set to release it on a very small scale. Then of course I hit a little financial snag and everything from then on seems a godsend. The way things unfolded have been beyond my control and so I feel it’s only fair to give back in the same manner that I received all of this, in the grandest way possible!
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Standalone Quote
We always kind of had old country songs playing on cassette when I was growing up at home, but I must admit that I didn’t quite enjoy it until I was about 21 or so. I suppose that’s when I had more to say and more to sing about. If you ask me about my influences, the biggest I’d say is Johnny Cash. Also my Mum’s favourite, apart from constantly hearing his songs around the house all day, as I mentioned, it was the movie Walk the Line that kind of made it all real. Modern singer/songwriters like Chris Stapleton and Ray LaMontagne really stand out as well, simple music with simple progressions and simple lyrics with deep stories. That’s my kind of thing.
