Will West

Modern folk & blues

Carolina-born songwriter Will West performs with a rotation of acoustic musicians called The Friendly Strangers, featuring an array of fantastic Portland players on banjo, cello, mandolin, horns, percussion and other surprises. Together they create a signature acoustic sound blending Old Time Roots and Folk Influences with Modern Inspirations & Positive Vibes. They tend to improvise and experiment, and they have a great time doing it.

Will West & The Friendly Strangers are cruising along after the release of their 2nd album called "Sunshine" in July 2012.  Performing in various  Northwest Festivals & Outdoor Concert Series during the Summer of 2012.  Songs have been featured on KNRK 94.7, KINK fm 101.9 and KZME 107.1 in the Portland area.  
 They released their debut album called "Take this Moment" in January of 2011.  The song "Understand" was featured on the KINK FM Local's Only  CD  Volume 4 in the summer of 2011. The album was nominated for "Album of the Year" by the 2012 Portland Music Awards and it has recently launched as a station on Pandora Radio.

The son of a fiddle player, West cites Old-Time Bluegrass, Blues and Heavy Metal music as some of his early influences. West moved to Portland in the summertime of 2002 and began cutting his teeth as a performer at Open-Mics and busking in Northwest Portland. He picked up his first formal gigs in 2004 and has been on a steady rise in the vibrant Northwest Music scene.

Will West has also released 3 solo albums and several limited press EP's. 
"to inspire" by Will West (live & lo-fi) ~ April 2009.  A collection of live studio recordings and home studio work by Will West and guest bandmates. (limited press)
"Shine" by Will West ~ April 2007.  Will's debut studio album. Recorded with Rob Stroup at 8 Ball Studio in Portland, Oregon.
"Reconstruction" by Will West ~ Jan 2004.  A collection of intimate acoustic recording of Will West at Ethos Studio in Portland, Oregon.

Their live performances continue to evolve and change. As a solo performer or with variations of a band, West pulls off fantastic acoustic guitar playing with smoothly delivered vocals and harmonica. Each show is an experience and it's all about the vibe...

Website:

http://www.willwestmusic.com/

MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/willsmusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thefriendlystrangers/

Video:

https://vimeo.com/195249689

Bre Paletta, Santi Elijah Holley

A poet at heart, Portlandia native Bre Paletta's velvet-honey voice delivers thoughtful lyrics over intricately woven melody and guitar. Her carefully crafted songs about love, struggle and self discovery display strong musical sensibilities and perhaps a touch of the mystic...

Oftentimes accompanied by various stringed/wind instruments and percussion, Bre's unique sound is inspired by a slew of musical foremothers and fathers running the gamut from Tori Amos to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Pink Floyd and Alison Krauss.

As a book-worm, visual artist, self taught guitarist who studied music in college, Bre's highly imaginative, intuitive and expressive nature is here paired with a structured understanding of theory and form.

She brings to the table vulnerability, passion and mystery. Her music has been called enchanting and haunting, possessing a breadth of vision and and fraught with vivid metaphor. She believes words are magic and that music has the power to heal, inspire and transcend boundaries.

Bre is also currently co-front person for Portland's very own The Sale, an indie-folk-reggae-rock band. She regularly performs as Stephanie Schneiderman's back-up vocalist, has added vocal harmonies to several other groups such as Will West & the Friendly Strangers and Keegan Smith & the Fam and was the lead singer for regional act Rye Hollow.