Music
Press
"...the music is driving, percussive and hooky: the title track opener ("Better Get Started") is an anthemic rocker with a guitar solo designed for air guitarists...Full of hooks this is a pop/rock album with lyrical intelligence, that is entertaining and surprising - the sort of subversive product that gets you singing along (and) then pondering the lyrics and the lives depicted. Fun!" 
Jeremy Keens - Ampersand Etcetera
"The Verdict
What makes Vidiots Tune In!! so interesting is that no one else is really performing this style of music anymore. It's refreshing to hear synths and effects working in harmony again…(and) it works on so many levels. You want something familiar that's been made new again? Check out Geoff Westen's latest.
The Good
"Better Get Started" is a synth-heavy rocker that recalls the early years of the video music era. Westen's vocals are smooth and a lot more melodic than anything Devo was churning out at the time. "She's So Young" uses a silly falsetto that somehow seems to work with the rest of the experimental material. "Together" has a dark and somewhat haunting feel to it. "Action Man" could easily be inserted into your favorite 80s movie soundtrack, with it's electric guitar runs and smooth saxophone. "Some of You Girls" would make Thomas Dolby proud with its mix of effects and synths.
The Bad
Nothing"
George Dionne
- Rock Is Life
"Vidiots Tune In!! proves an era's aural trash is redeemable as a glistening neon-tinged treasure. Geoff demonstrates that it can be done with fantastic flair.
The artist's approach is pure. His obsessiveness guides his path. Every word, note and instrumental stab rumbles with vision and execution envisioned when I first played my dual tape deck. The production is masterful; its sheer absurdity perfectly balance(d) — particularly on "Better Get Started", "Angry Young Man" and "She's So Young"."
Adam Mico
- Ape Quake
"T: From what we've heard on the corking opening track, this may well have been Peter Murphy meeting Eno and Byrne, possibly inviting Bowie as special guest.
N: Early electronica with a tight hand on the reins, so as not to let proceedings run away with themselves, but most certainly, the songwriter has a fair reading of David Byrne and a handle on the music that came out in the post New Wave period.
T: "Together" reminds me of an updated Blancmange and the whole album is peppered with pseudo-references and quality compositions that ought to see Westen's status elevated threefold in the watchful eyes of the music industry.
N: It's encouraging that the deeper you proceed into this album, the slicker it becomes. An excellent release, but I must admidt to being reminded of Girls Aloud 'Sound Of The Underground' in the early bars of the opening track 'Better Get Started' - yikes!"
Nick James & Tone
- Atomicduster
Power-pop with a distinctly eighties bent - like Sisters of Mercy meets Aha.
Geoff Westen’s fourth album is another tour-de-force in campy eighties pop - awash with lynn drums and high pitched electric piano, mixed with the guitars. It could easily be mistaken for the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie.
A bit of a bi-polar description, really - but the fact is, this is a fantastically well produced album, exciting, and spine-tinglingly nostalgic - not too dancey, not too rocky, but with an overwhelming feeling of pop sensibilities - great songwriting - intelligent production and a genuine affection for the subject matter make this a lot of fun. If you wish you could watch mid-eighties MTV, you’ll love it. Chris Merriman
- Subba-Cultcha
Discography
Geoff Westen VIDIOTS, March 2008
THE PIGS' OINK!, February 2006
DIGITAL ACTIVITY BIRTH, November 2005
DIGITAL ACTIVITY XMAS VOL. 1, October 2004
Photos
Bio
Geoff Westen has a long history in music and design, working on scores of projects with hundreds of musicians and talented artists in all fields. He apprenticed his musical craft with pop music masters in the studio, on television and on the road. His apprenticeship took on many forms - owning a recording studio where he worked with artists as diverse as David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Dr. John; on the road with his own bands and top commercial pop artists; and on television as house band on a network television show.
Westen's style is a life-long amalgam of pop influences. He laughs at the comparisons heaped on his music. "I understand why people want to compare you to some other artist or band as a point of reference, but it really gets ridiculous. If I showed you the list of 'whom Geoff sounds like,' you would be amazed. It's a diverse group ranging from Oingo Boingo to The Killers to Chromeo. Wow! But, I'm not griping about it. It's great that everyone hears something different. It means if you're into rock 'n roll, you should be able to find something you like about my music - and that's what I'm striving for."
Rock veteran Westen has spent a whole lot of years involved in the production and performance of music. You can hear this wealth of experience; you can hear the maturity in his "wall of pop" arrangements and production style. It's what sets him apart.
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