FINE GOLD UK  

MIKE WEST: WHERE THE ‘HOME’ IS

There are songwriters who search their muse for hooks and little else, and there are songwriters who cram so many words into a song that their muse must be a bottomless well of life experiences.

Mike West, who falls into the latter, probably fuels his creative fires via his ‘three hundred performances a year across three continents’. The man’s a storyteller you wouldn’t want to avoid on a quiet night down the pub.

West has just released his 6th CD, Home, and describes his collection of vignettes as being about: “That place we come from, a place we left and may not want to go back to,” and as, “moving from the tragic to the side splittingly funny.”

To the ear, his songs are fun; You’re Gonna Burn, sinister; Don’t Wake The Children , Elise, The Strap, and beautiful; House Full Of Flowers.

His voice portrays all of the songs’ emotions as though he were not just telling the tale, but living them that very second. How he finds time to write such torrents of magnificence, when he’s touring on all but 65 days of the year, is mind boggling!

The music, ‘Rootsy country, infused with glorious elements of bluegrass' may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the stories, depth of their meaning and Mike West’s passion fueled delivery, mean you should get down your local store, or surf over to www.mojono.com/mm/ and not let summer pass with hearing Home.

“Banjo players aren’t exactly a sought after commodity,” West says, “but if you need one, I’m in the book.” Phone him, tape him and tap into something real unique.

www.mojono.com/mm/