The Westar

The Westar are a Los Angeles based band made up of professional musicians/songwriters. The sound of the band lays somewhere between Tom Petty & Radiohead with other influences including The Band, Alison Krauss, CSN&Y & Wilco to name a few . The band is comprised of five unique singers and the various instruments they play. Together we can play Bluegrass, Country, R&B, ragtime, Rock, Pop, Jazz & Space Rock. We focus a lot of time on harmonies and counter melodies and having five excellent singers gives us the opportunity to create something that is missing in a lot of contemporary music. Another important aspect of The Westar music is the sound design & rhythmic experimentation.

The group formed when I (Vic) sought out like-minded musicians to embark in a music venture unlike any common rock group. The idea was to assemble a group that can play anything and even interpret traditional music from the 30's, 40's & 50's all the while adding a very modern touch to the music. I found some of the best musicians I've ever met as well as a good group of friends. Brian Lang is a mate from back home (Miami, FL) and a superb bassist, upright bass, singer and songwriter, sharing a lot of similar musical tastes as myself. For lead guitars, we have Jackson Allen a monster player who's country rock-influence gives the band tons of excitement, oh and he looks great with a beard! Through Jackson, I met Mike Hughes who has impeccable timing, groove and when you thought that's all it took to make a solid drummer, this cat can sing like you wouldn't believe and he's quite a character too. Through Jackson I also met the lovely Tahkus Ekedal, who shares the bulk of the vocals with me. She also plays keyboards and percussion and is a classy songwriter and co-captain! I'm Vic Kingsley and as cheesy as it is to write about yourself, I'll just say my life is music and songs. I can't go more than a few minutes without thinking about em! I sing lead on a lot of our songs, but honestly, when the other folks are singing with me, they just make me sound much better!! Here's a self quote "If I wasn't in this band, The Westar would be my favorite band." haha!