A veteran musician, vocalist and songwriter who has spent the best part of his career as part of other bands, or a hired gun for specific tours and musical recordings, Chas West has been bursting at the creative seams to be able to unleash the full spectrum of his talent and artistic enthusiasm on an endeavour that is well and truly his own.
Finally, with the backing of top international melodic rock record label Frontiers Music, West is finally putting himself and his music out there under the guise of his solo band West Bound. The group’s initial offering, the album entitled hopefully as Volume 1, will be released through the Milan, Italy-based label on Feb. 22 worldwide, and West is excited for fans of straightforward melodic hard rock – of any era – to be able to hear the fruits of his labours.
“It’s the first time where I am really in the driver’s seat, and that’s what I like about it. I have been the hired singer for quite a few bands, right up to and including the Resurrection Kings, and it’s exciting because it’s the first time that it’s my name on it: it’s my baby. It is a band, and want to get that across, it’s not just a solo project, it’s a band, but it’s my band,” he said, adding that had few trepidations putting himself out there in such a bold way, and that he is unconcerned with any criticisms or negativity that may come his way.
“I don’t pay attention to the haters. You’re always going to have jealous haters out there and that’s fine. I have paid my dues for a long time and I still am, and I think this kind of a project is long overdue. I am very grateful that this came about, and that Frontiers gave me this opportunity. I always say that if you are a hater because of something I did to you or because I do know you personally, that’s one thing. Tell me and I will apologize. But if you are a hater because of enviousness or jealousy or whatever, screw you, that’s your problem, not mine. And I have to say, there has really been nothing but positivity so far. The vast majority of the comments from the couple of videos that are out there has been positive.”
When West was offered the opportunity to helm his own project by Frontiers Music president Serafino Perugino, the first person he contacted was Roy Z. West’s long-time pal is as well known for his production skills as for his musicianship and songwriting abilities, having worked with the likes of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson and Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford’s respective solo projects among others.
“Serafino said he loved my voice after I did the Resurrection Kings record, and he knew about my background and experience too. He said he loved my voice and loved my ideas and wanted to do something with just me. So, I contacted my old friend Roy because Serafino said he wanted me to have someone I could write with and who could produce the album, and Roy was up for it. And the rest is history as they say,” said West from his home in California.
West has a vast portfolio as a musician, vocalist and writer, having stints in bands such as Bonham, Lynch Mob, and working alongside Roy Z in Tribe of Gypsies. With their combined experience and common influences, it is not hard to understand how the music created by West Bound has intonations of the classic rock acts of the 1970s and 1980s, but with a modern twist that has some critics likening the material to that produced by younger rock acts such as The Rival Sons.
“I knew that our writing styles would click, and they did. On the first day we got together we wrote the song Dance of Life, which will be the third video we release on the day after the record comes out. Roy is such a huge Zeppelin fan and Deep Purple fan like me as well as bands like Van Halen. And he knows how to work with somebody with a powerful voice and a sense of melody because of his time working with Bruce,” he said of his key collaborator.
“So, I would say it’s melodic hard rock with a blues edge. Obviously, everyone is going to make their comparisons, like you can definitely hear some Whitesnake influence, some Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and maybe a few other things. But, really, I like to leave it to the listener too, I don’t want to say exactly what it’s like because they may hear something in it that I don’t. It all just goes back to our influences and the bands that we grew up with and we loved.”
West Bound, the band, is comprised of the core creative duo of West and Roy Z, as well as a solid mix of veteran players, some of whom are also long-time friends and collaborators.
“On drums is Dave ‘Chilli’ Moreno, who is best known as the drummer for Puddle of Mudd and he has been my bro for over 25 years. The other guitar player, Jimmy Burkhard, I met him through my friend who is the bass player for Billy Idol, Stephen McGrath , and he has done a lot of stuff. It’s like I’ve got my own Jimmy Page or Joe Perry, not only in the style of his playing, but his image. And then Jason Cornwell is playing bass and he has played with Eric Martin a little bit. Playing keys is Stephen LeBlanc and I have known him for years. He played with Jason Bonham for a while too, and he was in an all-star Zeppelin tribute band called The Moby Dicks with me and Brian Tichy, who also played on the record,” said West.
“Tichy co-wrote and played on two songs with me and of course everybody knows him from Whitesnake, and Foreigner and the list goes on and on. The two songs are Ain’t Gonna Drown and Turn to You. And not only does he play drums on them, but he plays guitar as well. He is another one of those people who is just so amazingly talented that it pisses me off.”
Volume 1 is infused with a positive energy that is reflective of the attitude and tone of the lyrics, embodied within the album’s first song, and the first video released by West Bound back in December, Never Surrender.
“Of course I was involved in writing every song, because it’s my baby and I wanted that. So that’s what made it exciting was straight off the bat, I was involved in every aspect from beginning to end of the writing and recording process, and I was able to impose my ideas and the approach I wanted to take right from day one. Overall, I guess it’s more about life and trying to stay positive and to not give up on your dreams and goals, which I think is a good message for younger people. I think I said this in another interview, but there’s just too much divisiveness in the world – not just in this country, but this world. And I think we need to come together as human beings as a species. Instead of fighting against one another, we need to work together,” he explained of the motivation for his lyrics.
“There is more of that thing, whereas when we were younger it was all about girls and cars and partying and living life to the fullest. There’s still some of the latter which is great, but that’s not necessarily the main trend as far as what I am trying to get across at this stage of my life and my career. Never Surrender is about just that: it’s saying do whatever it is you want to do in life that makes you happy, because it’s important in life to be happy.”
Keeper of the Flame, West explained, is also about hopefulness and keeping positive but is more directly related to keeping rock music alive and vibrant.
“Z and I wrote that one together in the studio. It’s got the message of keeping the music alive. That’s what I like seeing about bands like Greta Van Fleet, they’re getting kids in their early 20s and younger listening to rock again. They are not just listening to pop and hip hop, they are paying more attention to rock music now because of bands like that,” West said.
“And then many of them start going back and listening to the older rock because of that, which I also think is great. So, keeping the flame going, the flame of rock music, is very important. I was thrilled when they won their Grammy because that’s going to help even more as far as rock goes, and for the future. The same with Bohemian Rhapsody winning the Golden Globe and getting people to talk about the genius of Freddie Mercury and the music of Queen. It’s also going to help rock music and hard rock music.”
As for Resurrection Kings, as confirmed by band co-founder Craig Goldy in our interview with him a few months ago about the Dream Child project, a new album is in the works, to follow up their critically acclaimed 2016 self-titled debut.
“We have definitely been working on it. We are writing it right now and recording it soon. I just worked on a song that Craig just sent me a week ago, so we’re going to be heading into the studio for that later in the year,” said West.
As for West Bound, West said the plan is to start with gigs in and around southern California first, before solidifying bookings in other pats of North America, including Canada.
“I love coming to Canada. I played at a place called the Rockpile in Toronto a bunch of times with Lynch Mob. I love that place, and hope to get back there, and lots of other places in Canada,” he said.
For more information on West Bound, Volume 1, and any impending tour dates, visit www.facebook.com/westboundofficial.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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