Rising country artist calls Rock Valley Brewing Company debut a learning experience and a ‘truly awesome’ night
LITTLE FALLS, NY — Rising country music artist Ava Bently brought her Texas-inspired storytelling and original songs to Rock Valley Brewing Company on Thursday, June 11, drawing a warm crowd to the intimate venue at 56 W. Mill Street — including, by one account, a fan who drove all the way from Cooperstown just to be there.
The performance was part of Bently’s ongoing effort to build her live show, and by the morning after, she was already taking notes.
“My visit to Little Falls was absolutely amazing,” Bently said in an interview the following morning. “I got to see two of my favorite people, got to meet some new people, and the town is absolutely picturesque and lovely.”
But the night was about more than community. For Bently, the Rock Valley show was a deliberate step in figuring out the mechanics of solo live performance — and she found the process both rewarding and humbling.
“It was harder than I thought,” she admitted. “Trying to entertain somebody — or a bunch of somebodies — for an hour and a half is not as easy as you think. Even though I thought some of my songs were high energy, I thought I would bounce around more. But when you get into that limited space, you feel boxed in.”
Bently also found herself thinking about what makes a solo artist’s set different from a full band show. “It dawned on me that I’m the only center part of the stage,” she said. “When other bands are performing, they’ll do little solos and things like that to keep the entertainment going. So it tells me I really need to reach in and figure out how do I entertain — not just get up and sing, but truly entertain and keep people engaged for the entire performance.”
The good news: the audience was on her side. The reported superfan who made the long drive left an impression. “That was really awesome,” Bently said. “The performance helped me build out my layout with sound, with stage presence, and I was able to tell my story, and they were receptive to it.”
Between the show and the scenery, Little Falls clearly made its mark on the visiting artist. She described recording video from her window the morning after, captivated by the river’s view.
“It’s a place you may not think to visit initially if you’re just passing through, but it’s a lovely, lovely place to stop and smell the roses,” she said. “You look all around, and it’s just an absolutely beautiful little town.”
Bently’s next stop is North Carolina, where she’ll perform at a Silent Soundgarden event — a completely different format that she says will bring its own set of challenges. But returning home, she’s already planning her next moves.
“Ava Bently’s got some work to do,” she said with candor. “Going home, I feel like I need a lot of rehearsal time and to figure out the technical specs of the performance — and even do more beta testing. Maybe find some friendly audiences who will let me perform for them and really help me build my skills. After all, this is not what I’ve been doing for the last 20-plus years of my life. So this is all new to me.”
For more information on Ava Bently’s music and upcoming performances, visit AvaBently.com.
