Album Notes

David West was born in Los Angeles, California on August 13, 1952. He has made Santa Barbara, California his home since 1971.

In 1972 David co-founded the "Cache Valley Drifters," a modern style bluegrass band that went on to record three ground breaking albums for Flying Fish Records (Chicago, Ill.) and tour North America for twelve years.

At roughly the same time, he worked as accompanist to the legendary songwriter Kate Wolf playing guitar, banjo and contributing original songs to her repertoire. He maintained a musical connection with Kate from 1974 until her untimely death (leukemia) in 1986.

Since the end of the Cache Valley Drifters in 1984, David has worked as a freelance musician, playing as a sideman in recording sessions and performances with many well known artists. The many hours in the studio have prepared David for work as the producer of many fine ethnic and regional style albums. They have involved various groups as well as a reunion album of the Cache Valley Drifters and two well received solo albums released in Europe and the U.S., featuring mostly David West compositions.

As a staff producer for CMH Records, David has now produced over 60 instrumental CD's for their "Pickin' On" series of tribute albums. In late 2004, David approached FireHeart with the idea of compiling his favorite hot bluegrass tracks from these albums and releasing an artist album that showcased his unique flair for instrumental adaptations of popular songs. "Off the Rails" represents the very best combination of David's creative arrangements and hot licks.

An avid adventurer, David's travels have taken him to India, Africa, Polynesia, Europe, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and all over North America playing music and pursuing his interest in ethno-musicology. Currently, David spends his days writing, recording and performing material designed to advance the cause of regional musical styles. His goal: To bring more diversity to the popular musical menu, and in so doing, promote cultural tolerance and communication through music and art.



Reviews:

Samantha Strum - 8-12-05 - "Astro Zombie.com"

Title: Off the Rails
Artist: David West
Date: 11.08.2005

David West "Off the Rails" is pop/rock turned into instrumental bluegrass genius. David takes songs from his very popular "Picking On" series and makes "Off the Rails" something to be proud of. This album is a compilation of some of his best works from previous albums. Even if you don't love the genre of music that these songs are taken from, you will be sure to love this album. If you have never heard these songs before curiosity will peak and you will be wanting to hear what these sounded like before they were turned into this awesome bluegrass sound. "MLT" (Pickin' on String Cheese Incident) starts this album off in a fiery way. Gabe Witcher does an excellent job on fiddle and Lorenzo Martinez joins in for some amazing percussion. This song is jumpy and just what the album needed to start off. "Crash Burn" (Pickin' On Blues Traveler) has a certain Blues Traveler feel while adding something completely new. Adding in the harmonica by Tom Ball makes this song something to cherish! "Born To Run" (Pickin' On Springsteen Volume 1) sounds a bit too much like "Crash Burn" and leaves listeners feelings like they have been listening to the same song over and over. If this had been moved down a few tracks it would have been a whole lot better. It is a little too much harmonica back to back. "Guinevere" (Pickin' on Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Volume 2) has such a sad feel. Almost bringing a tear to your eye, the guitar playing by David himself is at its best. "All Hands" (Pickin' on Blues Traveler) has a very Irish feel and is one of the albums better songs. It adds something different to the mix so again you don't feel like you are listening to a repeat of the same song. "Dancing in the Dark" (Picking on Springsteen Volume 1) features Steve Fishell on Dobro and he adds something that would be greatly missed if he wasn't there. His Dobro skills can be compared to Jerry Douglas, Union Station. "Weekapaug Groove" (Pickin' On Phish) is again made great by Gabe Witcher on fiddle and David West on banjo. This song is unlike any other on the album and really showcases the talent of these 2 fellas. "I Cant Make You Love Me" (Pickin' on Bonnie Raitt) is another tear jerker. This version is almost better than the original because without the words you can really feel the emotion of the song. The only complaint is that it could be slowed down more towards the middle of the song to really capture the true emotion. "Turn, Turn, Turn" (Pickin' on the Byrds) is fun and again with David's banjo its made into a dancing song. Something like this would lighten any party and make everyone want to dance. Tackling someone like Jimi Hendrix on "Foxy Lady" isn't something just anyone can do. Jimi is a music legend in a boat of his own, but David made this song into a bluegrass treasure. Bo Fox adds in some snare drum and enlivens this track. Musical masterpiece! The last track of the album is another Phish song entitled "Maze". It begins with a clock ticking and is great. The ticking clock builds you up to a spectacular ending to a decent album. It starts almost like one of those old lonesome train songs and holds true until the end. SS. David West has accomplished something that most people would be afraid to even try. He makes music that most bluegrass lovers wouldn't even consider listening to something great and brings a complete new audience to the bluegrass world, for this we should be grateful.