BendreTheGiant Wades into the Deep End

Take a quick glance at a photo of BendreTheGiant and it’s easy to see why Ben Estrada goes by this moniker. He’s got a head full of tight brown curls framing his round face, reminiscent of the larger-than-life pro wrestler of yore. And the opening track, “Move,” on his new four-song EP recounts how he’s gonna “punch your lights out” while giving zero f*cks about “what you think of me,” all set to a slinky jazz flow with clinking cymbals, delicate saxophone and a twinkling piano solo. His neo-soul and -funk vibes are full of these contrasts and are on display on “Wading In The Deep End,” out March 7.

Estrada spent some of his formative years in Central Oregon. “My mom moved to Redmond when I was young, and in my junior year of high school, I went to live with her and attended Ridgeview High. I first started performing when I lived in Redmond, playing in bands, gigging in Bend,” he says. “My creative journey will always stem from this area because this is where I met one of my closest collaborators, Delos Erickson. Later in life, he and I reconnected to create what is now known as BendreTheGiant.”

Estrada relocated to Portland from Seattle after reuniting with Erickson, a keyboardist and music grad from the University of Oregon. They became roommates and Estrada found a new community that he was so desperately seeking. At the midway point of BendreTheGiant’s 2024 single “Make It Stop,” Estrada shares a heartfelt message to his bandmates, saying they helped him “recontextualize this music to be more than I could’ve ever imagined.” He continues: “I am worth it. You are worth it. And if anyone tells you different, they are lying!”

When they were recording “Make It Stop,” “we had the last-minute thought to change it to me sharing my journey and the pivotal role these people have played in it,” Estrada explains. “I felt so grateful and still have so much pride for the work all of us put into this song. At the time, it was our most ambitious recording — having technical horn parts, intense rhythm section grooves and trying to accurately represent some of our greatest influences musically. We spent countless hours in multiple studios tracking, composing and mixing this song to make it our own pop funk voyage. This group of musicians made it clear that I’m not making music to throw it away anymore. That it actually means something to myself and others.

“Having these people become not only band members but close friends has also connected me to a huge community of creatives like myself,” Estrada says. “This band helped me realize my music in a way I wasn’t able to conceptualize at the time. Truthfully, I will always struggle with mental health — like many others — but I’m now in a place where I have a better support system and outlet to use my creativity.”

“I’ve gone from one person with a keyboard and an interface in a bedroom, to a team full of successful musicians, producers and creatives with access to multiple studios and instrumentations. This has allowed our sound to expand sonically from simple MIDI arrangements to full-blown large ensemble performances,” Estrada describes. “The more we have spent together as friends and musicians, our music has become more collaborative and expressive of our shared vision.”

In anticipation of the release of BendreTheGiant’s sophomore EP, the group will play Bend’s Silver Moon Brewing with Biscuit Brigade Organ Trio on Friday, Feb. 28. Until then, hear a premiere of the band’s new song “Homeless” and read about its meaning below.

Source Weekly: The new track “Homeless” contains the EP’s titular lyric. What is the significance behind this song?

Ben Estrada: The idea for this song and the meaning of the lyrics heavily stem from my real childhood fear of being unhoused. With that being said, the song is veiled behind a character that I feel embodied the double entendre behind the lyrics. This character is your classic “Stifler” archetype (from the “American Pie” films). Unabashedly trying to score. “Don’t lead me on, just take me home, then leave me alone” is a clear indicator of his motives. Diving deeper into the lyrical meaning, you hear the desperation of a person that craves comfort. The character begins the song stating, “I’m wading in the deep end,” and it is ended to paint this character as a creep, but ends with the same statement, in a new context — representing this character’s feeling of depression and anxiety. I am not this character, but the feelings portrayed in the song come from a real place.

BendreTheGiant With Biscuit Brigade Organ Trio
Fri., Feb. 28
Silver Moon Brewing
24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend
Doors 7pm, show 7:30pm; all ages
$12 advance, $15 day of show
venuepilot.co/events/bendrethegiant-biscuit-brigade-trio-2025-02-28-silver-moon-brewing-bend-12072d/orders/new