They usually perform as a five-piece ensemble featuring vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, electric violin, alto sax, upright bass, drums and live looping. Lately they've started adding piano at some shows. Trio and quartet formats are also a thing.
Adrian takes delight in setting thoughtful lyrics to joyful music. His subject matter can veer a tad dark at times but the underlying music is uplifting, giving the listener a richly layered experience. Whether he's telling a story about a skinny-dipping episode gone awry or grappling with some major challenge facing humanity, his lyrics are infused with equal parts hope, realism and whimsy.
Born and raised in Montreal, Adrian is an exciting performer to watch: a charismatic vocalist, he also moves effortlessly between guitar & violin, and sometimes uses live looping to sneak extra layers of sound into his arrangements. With a knack for plainspoken poetry, he's not afraid to tackle tender subjects:
- The One-Way Pony Ride asks whether time really does heal all wounds
- Lovers of the World speaks for a younger generation inheriting an damaged planet from their elders
- Ironclad V2 portrays human memory as a double-edged sword
- Evader delivers a pep talk to the procrastinator in all of us
The band ususally peppers its sets with rock and jazz covers by the likes of Paul Simon, Talkingheads, Roy Hargrove, Norah Jones, Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morisette, Miles Davis, Kenny Garrett, Squeeze, Dolly Parton, Supertramp, Dave Brubeck, Tom Waits, Thelonious Monk, The Pretenders, Billy Joel, Elton John, Elvis Costello & Noe Venable.
Adrian started playing violin at age four and in his teens studied classical violin at the McGill Conservatory of Music in Montreal. He later learned to play drums, guitar and developed his singing and songwriting chops.
He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995 where as a sideman violinist he began supporting local Bay Area bands, playing some of the area's better known venues including the Fillmore, Yoshi's SF (main stage), Slim’s, The Independent and The Sweetwater. In 2005 he formed the Adrian West Band which performs at venues and festivals all over the Bay Area. |
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