Hey guys...Bill West here. I started this page to try and get caught up with everybody.
Some of you have seen me in a band. Many of you have seen me perform solo. Sometimes it was originals. Other times it was cover songs in your favorite bar. I thought I would start this page to set organize just where I've been and what I've experienced along my musical journey.
Besides playing air guitar and air keyboards on the arm of the sofa to ABBA albums, I studied drums in middle school and high school. I got my first 'campfire' guitar when I was around 16. I eventually started playing bass. And somehow after I turned 18, I decided I was going to sing.
I joined a band called 'Boo Radley'. That was fun. We practiced for months, did one gig at a VFW hut, and broke up a week later. I helped form a band called 'Bush Baby' that was REALLY cool. We practiced, wrote our own super creative music, recorded a demo, played a few shows, and then also broke up. I was a guitar player in a cool original progessive rock/funk trio called 'Izzy & Factor'. I won't even go into how cool and interesting that was. That trio really challenged me and help to expand some musical boundaries for me. Next came Underwater based out of Chapel Hill. We were rather amazing, opened up for some big named acts, and went into tons of debt trying to release our own CD. Guess what- we broke up too.
Shortly after that, I said no to bands and hit the road with just me and an acoustic guitar. I played wherever I could. I started out playing to empty coffeehouses for free. Then I moved on up to the places where I would make a few dollars in the tip jar. Soon, I was surpassing 25 dollar guarantees while spending 40 dollars on the trip to get there and back. One thing led to another and after many nights of driving home at 4 am, my experience level, my wallet, and my fanbase began to grow. I wrote songs and pieces of songs and piled them up in stoarge boxes. Soon, I was approached to put some of those songs to a band.
The Flood was this next band and we really socked it hard. We recorded a 5 song disc after having been a band for only two weeks. We all connected well and the whole thing was just one of those rare magical moments when everything falls into place.
Let me pause and interject something here. For those of you who may not know this already, being in a band is tough. You know how difficult it is being in a relationship? The communication breakdowns? The change of heart? Well imagine dating 4 or 5 people all at once. AAARRGGGHHH!!!!
The egos, the creative differences, the drama, the arguing, and yes....our favorite - the MONEY can really get in the way of making good music.
We changed members, recorded a 2nd album, and eventually parted ways.
Bill West & The Last Band
In the Summer of 2007, another band was formed up called 'Pull'. We got off to a great start but decided to enter a contest to win the chance of being on a TV show called 'The Next Great American Band'. It was owned and operated by a comapny that owns another TV show you may have heard of called - American Idol. Many of you were very supportive and voted online for us to go. We won, signed a 75 page contract, and went to Las Vegas to compete. We landed in Vegas, boarded a bus, and rode out into the desert...to a resort. They fed us and filed us into a large ballroom. We were told that our original music didn't matter and that they only wanted us to play various covers each week on the show. I was embarrassed, tricked, and felt ashamed to report back to all of my famliy, friends, fans, and anyone else who supported me for so long. It was real simple - we were lied to. So, we enjoyed Vegas for a few days on the company's dime, and retuned home. Being under that kind of pressure and stress tore the band apart. We never even got a chance to play a gig. Our first gig was on a TV show! We were selected out of 6,000 applicants nationwide and were one of only 60 bands to advance to Vegas. Pretty cool eh? (if you've never been to Vegas, you really should go. It is a TRIP!!!)
I flew home from that joke of an experience, and put together a power trio called Bill West & The Truth. Great fun and awesome tunage going on there. We recorded a 5 song album in Atlanta and opened for bands like Filter and Blind Melon. It was the funnest, most productive, and most effiecient band I have been a part of and yet - we never even broke up. We just stopped gigging. I haven't seen the drummer in over a year....not since our last gig together.
Aside from being burned out, I started to notice a trend from all of this band business. I realized that I could sing, write songs, and was really good at handling the business side of things. So, I decided to carry on, but do it under my name. Not for ego purposes, but for better marketing purposes. I laid low, invested in some recording gear, and kept plugging away while playing cover songs in bars.
I really do enjoy playing gigs in bars....don't get me wrong. But after a while - even honey gets old - you know? So, here lately, I've been putting my eggs into the digital basket. I love dropping singles into I-tunes and selling music to people all over the world. It's amazing! And I can't thank each one of you enough for spending your time and money with me. Out of every dollar you spend on me in I-tunes, I get about 70 cents or so of it. That wouldn't happen if I were on a label. The money you spend on my music goes straight into my hands so that I get to do wild and crazy things like....eat, put gas in my car, and feed my 161 lb dog.
Regardless of what you hear from TV and radio, the music business is in a very difficult yet exciting state of change right now. We are all witnessing history in the making. I never imagined that I as an artist would be able to be free of contractual suicide, still be able to play music, and pay the bills all inside of one lifetime. But it is here. However, the most important part of the equation is YOU. Every time you spend a dollar, you are furthering my career....very directly. You are not only fans of mine - but friends and I really appreciate your interest and support. I promise to always play and sing for you the best way I know how.
In 2010, I was accepted into SESAC in Nashville and also joined up with the NSAI to improve my writing skills. I've been writing, recording, and stockpiling tons of great new music for you to enjoy. So please spread my web site to as many people as you know. I guess it's pretty clear that if I haven't stopped by now, I don't plan to anytime soon. I love everything about music and that it offers so much oy and comfort to people.
Come grow with me!!!
See you somewhere at a show!
as always...
Thanks For Listening!!
Bill