West 8 Five

West 8 Five is an energetic young band that originally formed in New York City. Their music is a soulful blend of catchy pop/rock with Latin rhythm and style.

"It's like a night out for margaritas and tequila shots
with Maroon 5 and Jack Johnson!"

The band's Spanish/English fusion creates a uniquely contagious sound that unfailingly gets fans on their feet. A quick look at the fan base tells the diverse, culturally transcendent story of this band - breaking boundaries in the tradition of some of the best music of our time. The name of their debut album, “Life Is Good,” encapsulates the attitude of West 8 Five; a fun-loving pop band that lives and plays in the moment. The message is to remind everyone that NOW is the most important time in your life, take control of this moment and enjoy it with us because life is definitely good!

West 8 Five began as an acoustic duo back in the spring of 2003 when lead singer/guitarist Adam Piotrowski met fellow singer/bassist Felipe Cano at New York City's HB Studio, an esteemed theatre school. The duo quickly discovered a strong creative chemistry, naturally blending their musical, personal, and cultural backgrounds, giving life to an exciting new sound. As the music progressed they brought in drummer Jeremy Portwood and began playing live show dates as a band. Finally during the recording process of their first album they added percussionist Demian Arriaga to complete the current roster.

The recording of their debut album, Life Is Good, began in the early summer of 2005. The band spent time traveling back and forth from NYC to Boston to complete the record. The recording process shaped and defined West 8 Five as they crystallized their new sound and direction. They were honored to work with such talent as mix engineer Carl Nappa (Nelly, N’SYNC, Extreme), percussionist Eguie Castrillo (Tito Puente, Jennifer Lopez, Ruben Blades), as well as Steve Cattazone, Leo Mellace, and Jeff Yurek of Sanctum Sound Studios in Boston (The Click Five, Wyclef Jean, My Chemical Romance). In 2006, West 8 Five released Life Is Good to a beyond capacity crowd of 450 at the Coda Lounge in NYC.

Their following grew quickly in NYC and the band began packing shows at the city's hottest music venues such as The Mercury Lounge, The Knitting Factory, The Cutting Room, and Crash Mansion to name a few. Soon after, they were invited to share the stage with Grammy award-winning artists Ozomatli at the closing show of the Breckenridge Spring Massive Festival in Colorado. Following the release of Life Is Good, the band has recently relocated to southern California for a host of new opportunities following a wave of press throughout the entertainment and music community. West 8 Five has received recognition and been featured in: Stuff Magazine (Mar '07), Spin Magazine (Nov '06), Hamptons Magazine (end of season issue ‘06), and Garageband.com.

Upon arriving in California, West 8 Five has already started to create a buzz. In their short time there they have already played notable LA clubs such as Santa Monica's Temple Bar, The Knitting Factory Hollywood, and Molly Malone's. Watch out for this great band on the west coast! It is only a matter of time before they have the fans and the reputation in Southern California to match and surpass their already impressive history.