Bendre the Giant LIVE at the Rosebud

In 2023, Ben Estrada was stuck. The singer-songwriter and producer, who has released music as BendreTheGiant since 2020, was living alone in Seattle, dealing with isolation, depression, and the end of a long-term relationship. Needing to change something, Estrada went out on a very long limb: He reconnected with and eventually became roommates with his childhood friend Delos Erickson, relocating to Portland, Oregon for a fresh start. Erickson, a keyboardist and recent music graduate from the University of Oregon, became Estrada's collaborator, and the two set out to transform the sound of BendreTheGiant. 

 Moving out of Seattle and finding  a new community has been a frequent subject for Estrada's songwriting. The now Portland-based musician has focused several songs on his feelings of desperation while living in Seattle, and the powerful impact that his relocation and forming an ensemble had on his mental wellbeing. On BendreTheGiant's recently finished sophomore EP, "Wading In The Deep End," the focus is squarely on the dark period Estrada experienced in 2023, as all four songs on the EP were written during and inspired by stagnation, frustration, and the desire to make a change. 

 On BendreTheGiant's 2024 releases, his musical collaborators were prone to genre hop, and  "Wading In The Deep End" sees Estrada and company pushing into ever new sonic territory: The four songs on the forthcoming record span multiple genres, featuring everything from  90's hip hop drum sounds, to distorted indie-punk guitar tones, to a horn section that sounds straight out of HBO's Yacht Rock documentary. Following the release of the EP, BendreTheGiant will begin work on their debut album. 

Host or Publisher The Rosebud Theatre