The Canadian curly haired Wes De Witt, mysterious lead guitar enthusiast fondly expresses, “Let's fall in love with music, the only international language.” His lyrics clearly have a conscious as they take you on a nostalgic journey of old time rock and roll story telling. He brings to life real topics within his music, and when he gets into lyrics it’s based upon his lived experience as a human on planet Earth. His original music is anointed with Bill Hicks quotes as well to add an extra spice of life. His relatable style bridges the gap from the old school to the new evolution of rock music. Wes was born in the lower mainland city of Vancouver, Canada. He was then raised in Latzville on Vancouver Island. Currently he is now based out of Nanaimo on the Island residing on the south banks of the port city. His west coast influence is heard throughout his bluesy rock. Wes was swept away into his musical journey at a very early age. What inspired him into his musical journey was a moment he had as a child. “I was probably 3. It's my first recollection of hearing rock guitar. I remember being blown away and I HAD to make that noise.” That fire within his soul has burned brightly throughout his life as a dedicated artist in his time. Ultimately, Wes has a desire for his listeners to really feel his music, and to know that deep down it’s from the heart and it’s from a soul centered space. When he was in Australia playing lead guitar for his “Australian brother from another mother from the land down under,” the legendary Matty Devitt, he won the blues over Byron busking competition in Byron Bay, New South Wales. For that they received the award of getting a few days recording with a well-known producer. They also got an opportunity to play at the east coast Blues and Roots festival, better known as Bluesfest, which that year featured John Fogerty, and The Black Crowes. It was a good experience, and Matty won best song in the Indigenous category. Wes expressed that, “I'm glad I got to be a part of that.” It’s really a wonderful gift as a musician to bridge the gaps between cultures, and Wes did just that in his travels to Australia with his international musical language skills. As far as Wes’s approach to guitar and music, Mike McCready from Pearl Jam is a huge influence. Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB king, and Hendrix are hugely inspirational as well which you can hear their legendary tones flowing throughout his music. Being a new age rock artist he draws on various different influences from time to time. “I guess different people inspire me at different times. But those guys, yep, for sure, always.” Wes also gathers a lot of inspiration from his parents who supported him every step of the way. He often has bluesy guitar riffs and solos that echo the deeds of the past into the wake of the present. When it comes to production, Wes prefers to have a quiet clear space to work where other people’s noise isn’t going to be bleeding into the mic, and onto the tracks to ensure crystal clear quality. Currently he is using the Audio Evolution app for Android. Which is a great affordable home use recording application that only costs 9 bucks. Along with the app, he uses one of those IRIG mics that plugs straight into the phone. That's his humble setup basically which any aspiring musician can try on for size. You can catch Wes out there on the rock doing the odd lead guitar gig as well as hitting up open mics in Nanaimo. He has formed a band now, so he is mostly focused on writing, practicing, recording and producing new tracks at the moment, so stay tuned to hear more from Wes de Witt and his band soon!
By Courtney Sparks
Listen to Mentally ill society (war on plants) by WesdeWittMusic
Listen to Smoke n Drink n Jam the day away by WesdeWittMusic
Listen to Comfort Song by WesdeWittMusic
Listen to Take that home with ya (feat. Bill Hicks sample) by WesdeWittMusic
Listen to Love is All that's Real by WesdeWittMusic
Listen to Space Gypsy by WesdeWittMusic
Wes de Witt on Facebook