Ty West
Ty WestMusician Ty West grew up in Bright’s Grove before heading west to start his career. “I love visiting home and walking along the water. Living in B.C., you get to see the beautiful mountains, but Ontario has an amazing view too,” says West. Growing up, he became an over-the-top music fan. “In my early teens, I was introduced to classic rock, and Led Zeppelin became a favourite. It also made me want to learn how to play the guitar. I became a huge collector of music, always looking for rare and imported releases.” When West discovered Phish, it ignited a love for the road. “I followed them on many tours. It made me understand what it meant to build a community around the music I’m involved with.”
While living in Hamilton, West and roommate Dale Hucker played music whenever possible. “We learned so many cover songs and then started to write our own music.” After moving to London, West began writing and recording his own music. “I did some recording on a 4-track machine while I tended bar at a live music venue. I was always there seeing shows, and this allowed me to skip paying the cover,” says West, with a laugh. “I made some connections within the industry and decided to move to Vancouver. I ended up getting one night a week playing some of my originals at the club I was working at, which led to opportunities to open other shows.”
A job at live music venue in Vancouver put West in the same room as record label folks, promoters and other musicians. “I was touring and playing songs from my newly-recorded album, Organic. I learned a lot about the industry by getting out on the road.” A conversation with a friend led West on his next adventure, a move to Nelson, B.C. “I always heard it was a great town, and thought I would check it out for a few years… and that lasted nine.” There, West became the electric guitarist for a touring funk and reggae inspired improv band. “I learned a lot about playing this type of gear, and how to find space within a band setting.” Then he met the members of Shred Kelly, his current band. “I had developed a friendship with them over the years when they played shows in Nelson.”
The opportunity came up to join the band. “I originally filled in for 12 shows on tour. When that tour ended, I was given the opportunity to join the band.” They are based in Fernie, B.C. and after many long bus rides back and forth, West and his partner Kate relocated there in 2015. “It’s been great in Fernie. The community is very supportive of the band.” West has been with the band for five years, and has done multiple European and US tours, including Germany, Switzerland, and the UK. They just released their fourth album, Archipelago. “It’s been fun to hit the road and play the new music, including Sarnia. It’s always a treat to come back and play at Paddy’s because my extremely supportive parents, friends, and family are at the show.”
Related Stories
Silhouettes Boutique
2001 was a big year for Lori Mitchell. It was the year she became a breast cancer survivor. It was also the year she purchased an established mastectomy and medical compression garment facility. "I went through breast cancer, so I thought this was something I could do, wanted to do, and needed to."
The Inn of the Good Shepherd
The Inn of the Good Shepherd was founded in 1981 by a group from St. John's Anglican Church on Devine Street, in Sarnia's south end, who became concerned with the growing needs of the disadvantaged in the area. When The Inn started, they quickly realized that the need was much greater than th
Valley Axe
In 2015, Bo Tait's friends took him to an indoor axe throwing range in Toronto for his bachelor party. None of them had ever been axe- or knife-throwing before. We had a great time. It's all we could talk about. We came back home to Sarnia and built targets in our backyards. Six weeks later,
Bluewater Hearing & Balance
When Nashlea Brogan was 18 years old, she received her first pair of hearing aids. "I lost the majority of my hearing as an adult, so I was interested in studying how people coped with acquired hearing loss. I wanted to understand...
Related Stories
Royal LePage Realty - Mike Cullis
Mike Cullis comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. His grandfather ran a fried chicken restaurant, called The Chicken Palace, that later became a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. He worked alongside Colonel Sanders opening the initial KFC restaurants in Sarnia-Lambton, and at one point operated
Copper Flats Bison Co.
David Noorloos has turned his childhood fascination with bison into a booming business. Growing up in Wyoming (Ont.), we were right around the corner from a bison farm, David says. Every time we would drive by that farm I would be trying to find them. It was always a highlight of the drive.
Finch Ford Lincoln
As a junior hockey player with the London Knights, Mark Guy had a reputation for sticking up for his teammates on the ice. He loved the camaraderie that he found in hockey and sought that in his professional life. Instead of moving back to Mississauga when hockey ended, he jumped at the chance to co
Stitcharie
Laurie Johnson had been quilting for 15 years when her husband suggested she open Stitcharie. "You are always driving to quilt shops. Why don’t you just open one?" he said. I jumped on the idea like a panther. I had worked in reta...
Own a local business in Sarnia-Lambton?
Your customers, your link, your revenue. We do the rest.
Become a #local Partner and we pay you 100% of every gift card members spend with you. It costs you nothing to join.
Free. Takes about three minutes.
