Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
June 27, 2008 — It wasn’t that long ago that Dierks Bentley was a concert-goer, rather than a main attraction, but he still remembers what it was like to get psyched up for a big show. For that reason, he’s been known to hop out into the parking lot before some festivals to hang with his fans.
"We take the Jeep out, and we drive around and surprise people camped out," he told The Oshkosh Northwestern. "It really makes it fun. The last time we were [in Oshkosh], I wound up singing karaoke to my own song. Someone had a machine in the back of their truck, so I sang ‘What Was I Thinkin’.’"
That was, of course, Dierks’ first hit some five years ago. But he’s less inclined to look backward at the moment than to look ahead. He’s working on another album, and he’s got high hopes that it will raise the bar for him artistically.
"I don’t want it to sound like a collection of songs," he said. "I want it to sound like an album. For me, I grew up listening to records — the whole thing — like making records was really making great bodies of work. I want to contribute to that. I want to build my music and look back at each record as its own entity that sends a message."
Dierks has a high standard to live up to. His most recent CD of new material, Long Trip Alone, was nominated for a Grammy this year for Best Country Album. The title track also earned nominations for Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal.
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