The West Side Winders

Artist Information

Biography

The West Side Winders (recent winners of the "Open for Bon Jovi" band competition) were started by Chicago based guitarist/vocalist Dan Peters. (Top 5 finalist/runner-up in King of the Blues 2009, Featured in both Guitar Player and Guitar World Magazine, Top Ten finalist/runner-up in Guitar Superstar 2008, 2nd runner-up in North American Rock Guitar Competition 2007, Winner of Chicago's Hottest Guitarist in 1994 and his playing can be heard on jingles & video games including the popular video arcade game Golden Tee.)
Originally called The Sidewinders, the first album "Come and Get It" was released in 2003. The CD perfectly captured Dan's vision of high energy American roots music wrapped around his intense guitar playing. The band has been building a tremendous regional following and capitalizing on it with incendiary performances at various festivals throughout the midwest and east coast. Now, with 2 CD releases under their belt and the current monster lineup of Derek Brand on bass and Kyle Olson on drums & backing vocals, the band has had the pleasure of opening for such great artists as Bon Jovi, Marshall Tucker Band, Bruce Hornsby, Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, Dickie Betts, Charlie Daniels Band, Anna Popovic and Joe Bonamassa to name a few.

Press release for "Snaken Not Stirred"

Straight out of the Windy City... The West Side Winders (formerly The Sidewinders) are back with their latest release "Snaken Not Stirred." The West Side Winders play original American music. Rockabilly, Swing, Surf, Country & Western, Rock 'n' Roll, Jazz and Blues all packed into one CD - sometimes in the same song. On "Snaken Not Stirred," guitarist/vocalist extraordinaire Dan Peters shifts effortlessly through a variety of styles, delivering one jaw dropping riff after another, while the rock solid rythmn section of bassist Derek Brand and drummer Greg Marsh lay down the kind of monster grooves that will literally force you out of your seat. This is NOT another retro band, playing the same old songs while carefully adhering to some narrow formula. This is raucous musical exploration of everything American and To Hell With The Rules!!

Instrumentation

Dan Peters - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Derek Brand - Bass
Kyle Olson - Drums, Backing Vocals

Discography

Come and Get It - 2003
Snaken Not Stirred - 2006

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Dan's performance at King of the Blues 2009
• MySpace
• Our Reverbnation Page
• The West Side Winders performing live.

Audio

• Keep It In The Family
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• Stand Down
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• The Girl at the Diner
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• The Long Road Home
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• Slick Black Cadillac Daddy
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• Little Doggies
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• The Spooky Surfer
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Lyrics

• Keep It In The Family
• Stand Down
• The Girl at the Diner
• The Spooky Surfer
• Little Doggies

Video

That's All Right

Photo Gallery

Press

• It's hot!! [+ Show ]
  

  Oh, wow! What is it? Retro? Rockabilly? Souped-up lounge music? Hot blues? Crispy-fried country-rock...Oh, wow! What is it? Retro? Rockabilly? Souped-up lounge music? Hot blues? Crispy-fried country-rock? Or, hell, just plain Americana? Yeah! I don't care what you call it. Spin it and get yourself out on the dance floor with whoever you like to swing with, these three guys can rock it in an old-style roots fashion that transcends time and space. You don't need to do anything but enjoy it, so forget about what you wanna tag it - the band themselves call it "surfabilly." Say what you will. It's hot.
  
  Take three guys - Dan Peters on a smokin' lead guitar and shining vocals, Greg Marsh pounding the hell out of the drums, and Derek Brand on a steady bass, and apparently that's all you need to really entertain. The only guest joining the guys is Randy Riley's vocals on "Slick Black Cadillac Daddy," which features some awesome screaming guitar work, as well. Not to overuse a phrase, but Dan Peters plays the heck out of that guitar. He's one of those guitarists you can just sit back and be in awe of, his steady pulse all the music that's needed with his drum-and-bass line; he positively shines on "Your Love Is Evil," a showcase for his fingers' skills, and like all great guitarists, he has to show off with a cover of "Little Sister," a song that was never really meant for the vocalist (even if Elvis and Dwight Yoakam both did it, it was always for the guitarist), as is the self-penned instrumental "Little Doggies," one of the standout tracks on the disc. Peters wrote most of the music on Snaken Not Stirred, except for Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right," the aforementioned "Little Sister," and "My Baby," written by Leroy Kirkland and R. Luke.
  Now, the West Side Winders started life in Chicago as "The Sidewinders," with their first album Come and Get It (also available at their website, through CD Baby), but changed their name in the spring of 2006 as explained on their My Space page for no other reason than to avoid possible trademark infringement as "Sidewinder" was already in use by other bands. I actually like the new name better, since it not only shows where they come from, it's more distinctive. As they said, there's other groups using the term "Sidewinder." They still have the snake in their trademark, and as an Arizonan, I certainly know what it means when I see it, so knowing they're 'winders from the west side, it works for me. I'm thinking they've come through Phoenix once or twice, I think I've seen their name in the little live music dives I frequent. If not, I'd love to see 'em trek down here and rock the Yucca Tap Room. The dancers there would sure love 'em! And I always love to bask in the glow of a great guitarist in a nice, intimate setting like the Tap Room offers. In any case, live or otherwise, this is the disc for anyone who likes their roots music to ROCK. Take a little country, a little blues, a little jazz, and a lot of spice, and you get the West Side Winders.
  - January 2007
  Reviewed by Kathy Coleman
  www.countrymusic.about.com
  

• This album has it all!! [+ Show ]
  

  Rockabilly. Hard! With inspirations ranging from Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Stevie R...Rockabilly. Hard!
  
  With inspirations ranging from Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Marley, The Beatles, Brad Paisley, Elvis Presley and Joe Satriani plus ‘Jazz’ this band promise a great deal. Kicking off with a powering version of ‘That’s All Right’ they chuck in some mean guitar licks and you can see where the heavy rock influences have taken them. They’re really guitar gods underneath it all. Eddie Van Halen has a lot to answer to.
  
  ‘Keep It In The Family’ brings it back to what’s stated on the tin. Rockabilly and swing. That big Gretsch pumps out an awesome sound. Keeping the Van Halen momentum going on the intro ‘Slick Black Cadillac Daddy’ these rockabillies then introduce shades of Brian Setzer, particularly during his full on rock years.
  
  This album has it all. Swing, surf, country & western, rock’n’roll, jazz and blues all packed into one titchy cd and often in the same song - primarily on their cover of ‘Little Sister’’. ‘Little Doggies’, ‘500 Miles’ and ‘Can’t Get A Break’ go back to Rockabilly/rock’roll whilst the instrumental ‘Scary Harry’ finishes the album with their trademark guitar solo’s and verges on hard rock again; like Dick Dale’s ‘Misirlou’ in ‘Pulp Fiction’.
  
  Play loud. Quiet ain’t no good.
  - January, 2007
  Reviewed by Phil Edwards
  www.americana-uk.com

• It's all about fun!! [+ Show ]
  

  How can you take seriously a man who sings ("Keep It in the Family") about expanding his love circle...How can you take seriously a man who sings ("Keep It in the Family") about expanding his love circle to include not only girlfriend, but her exhibitionist mama, flirtatious little sister and halter-and-thong-worthy (presumably) grandma? But lead singer/guitarist/song writer Dan Peters is serious - about his musical ambitions, anyway.
  
  Interspersing a couple of Elvis hits ("Little Sister," "That's All Right") with an impressive batch of originals, the West Side Winders (formerly the Sidewinders) make clear their reverence for tradition with a sound rich in rockabilly, surf and good ol' rock and roll. But Peters and company are intent on carving out their own identity. A tight, heavily percussive sound that also features Greg Marsh on drums and Derek Brand on bass is abetted by Peters' clever lyrics and lively guitar, which occasionally veers toward Hendrix. A dark edge shows through on "Your Love Is Evil" and a mellow sides sneaks in on a third cover tune, "My Baby."
  
  But it's all about fun on this confident disc by the Chicago natives. The originality clusters in the execution, but this is an homage, not a chestnut.
  - January, 2007
  Reviewed by Don Armstrong
  www.countrystandardtime.com
  
  

• Really Hot!! [+ Show ]
  

  Also on CDBaby.com is The West Side Winders (formerly The Sidewinders) with their latest release “S... Also on CDBaby.com is The West Side Winders (formerly The Sidewinders) with their latest release “Snaken Not Stirred”. This is mostly Rockabilly and is one of the best I have heard since Alvin Lee’s “In Tennessee” which included Elvis backups Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. The West Side Winders are really hot!!
  - January, 2007
  Reviewed by Jerry Henry
  www.theplanetweekly.com

Setlist

Depending on the gig, we've played anything from one 45 minute set to three one hour sets - and in addition to our full on rock show, we have also performed stripped down acoustic shows.

Here's an example of a typical 90 minute show at an outdoor festival.

That's All Right - Elvis Presley
500 Miles - original
Gone So Long - original
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - Jimmy Liggins
The Long Road Home - original
Stand Down - original
Lotta Lovin' - Gene Vincent
Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny
The Girl at the Diner - original
Little Sister - Elvis Presley
Somebody to Love - original
Slick Black Cadillac Daddy - original
Six Days on the Road - Dave Dudley
Keep It In The Family - original
The Spooky Surfer - original
Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly

We have 2 full CD's of original material. Here is our list of cover songs:

Rock This Town – Stray Cats
Stray Cat Strut – Stray Cats
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Cry, Cry, Cry - Johnny Cash
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
Slow Down - Brian Setzer
Not Fade Away – Buddy Holly
Just Because – Elvis Presley
Little Sister – Elvis Presley
Mystery Train – Elvis Presley
That’s All Right – Elvis Presley
Good Rockin' Tonight - Elvis Presley
Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran
20 Flight Rock – Eddie Cochran
Texas Flood – Stevie Ray Vaughan
Working Man Blues - Merle Haggard
Cruisin' – Gene Vincent
Race With The Devil – Gene Vincent
Crazy Legs - Gene Vincent
Lotta Lovin' - Gene Vincent
Leave Me Alone - The Band
Matchbox – Carl Perkins
Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny
Hava Nagila - Dick Dale
Misirlou – Dick Dale (surf medley)
Pipeline – The Ventures (surf medley)
Peter Gunn Theme (surf medley)
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah – Jimmy Liggins
She’s Got A Spell On Me – Little Milton
All Blues - Miles Davis
Hideaway – Freddie King
Back at the Chicken Shack – Jimmy Smith
Smoke That Cigarette – Merle Travis
6 Days On The Road – Dave Dudley
Whipping Post – The Allman Brothers

And, finally, here are our originals:
From - "Come and Get it" 2003
The Girl at the Diner
Gone So Long
Stand Down
The Long Road Home
Somebody to Love
Way Down Low
The Spooky Surfer

From "Snaken Not Stirred" 2006
Keep It In the Family
Slick Black Cadillac Daddy
Your Love Is Evil
Little Doggies
500 Miles
Can't Get A Break
Scary Harry

Basic Requirements

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