[1] He was told by his father James Douglass West, a television writer for Lassie and Wonderful World of Disney and a former musician, that he had to learn the piano for one year before receiving a guitar, which he did.
[citation needed] Prior to performing in Los Angeles rock clubs before he was old enough to drink there, he would routinely form bands and play at backyard parties.
[2] The LA Times described him as a "master of the pop idiom" with "a flexible sound where Boyce & Hart bubblegum shimmer collides with shadowy-psych-garage menace, and his lyrics – whether delivering messages of loss, insecurity or ardent passion – draws [sic] the listener in, conjuring a relatable immediacy.
"[4] West cites Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, and Carol Kaye as influential when writing music, in particular the bass part of a track.
Chad Keller of love/hate Magazine called West's 2013 debut solo album Hot Corners: "Chunky and emotional, with traces of trippy Brit rock.
"[citation needed] LA Weekly called West "a pop stylist of rare quality, one whose originality and intimate involvement with music guarantees any listener soul-deep satisfaction.
[15] It’s Psychedelic Baby described it as a "sonic adventure" that "glows with neon hues and explores the shadowy corners of life’s untamed pleasures...West’s voice...invoking the spirit of rock’s heyday while remaining undeniably modern."
West has performed on stage and on record with notable artists including Sky Saxon of The Seeds, Bryan Maclean of Love, Rosemary Clooney, Maynard Ferguson, and Paula Kelly.
His career then took off during his teenage years in the psych-pop underground of the 1980s while performing with Sky Saxon, Bryan Maclean and his band Threw the Lookinglass, who played opening sets for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone.
[17] In the 1990s, West delved into the melodic and harmonic possibilities of jazz, studying with composer and arranger Clare Fischer, pianist Terry Trotter, and guitarist Ted Greene.
West, Dan Lawrence and Jerry Buszek comprise the Long Beach, California band Sidewalk Society[20][21] who have been described as "obvious anglophiles" and "the USA's best interpreters of 60s UK sounds.
Sweet, savory, gorgeously rendered and painstakingly arranged, every track is a masterly example of their complex bubble-gum simplicity...displayed in even fuller, richer form than ever before.
"[38] L.A. Record called the album "an eclectic and electrically exciting blend of excellent songwriting and pinpoint precise production, with melodies to live by and a dance beat to die for!
[citation needed] Psychedelic Baby debuted the Pete Handelman-directed video for the song "Good Leash" and said of the album, Rude Dawgs "is an organic time-capsule, capturing the turbulence of the past several years with post-punk angular guitars and psychedelic breakdowns, while Snail tackles the political climate, writing lyrics that capture the disorder and chaos in freeform poetry.
It spawned videos by Steve Hanft (The Cure, Beck, Elliott Smith) for the songs "Lovebirds On The Weekend," "Picture Perfect" and "Sunset Boulevard."
Beyond The Stage wrote, "Socially Distant has a bouncy, pop-punk vibe similar to that of an early 2000s high-school movie with songs about relationships and vulnerability, it fits right into that popular and loved narrative for its relatability.
[53] That year also saw the release of Frieda’s Roses' followup to Jessica Triangle (Mika Records), the EP Day & Night, produced by West.