MIke West

Mike West has earned a devoted following through his command of banjo, mandolin, and guitar, along with three straight Offbeat Magazine awards as Best Country/Folk Artist that began in 1995. The same publication named him Best Folk Album recipient in 1996 and repeated the honor the next year. The Big Easy Entertainment Awards have likewise recognized his work. Beyond instrumental ability, his songwriting stands out for populating lyrics with vivid characters modeled on the real individuals who supply his material. Over five years Binky Records, the Baton Rouge, LA imprint, issued six of his albums. Extensive touring has carried him across Australia, Europe, and North America, frequently alongside spouse Myshkin, with whom he collaborates while each maintains an independent path.

Born in Australia, West spent his formative years in the U.K. His initial professional ensemble, the Man From Delmonte, formed in Manchester during the 1980s and featured Howard Goody, Martin Vincent, and Shiela Seal. He fronted the cult outfit for roughly a decade, a period that included litigation from Delmonte Fruits, which objected to the group’s perceived tarnishing of its brand. Australian authorities banned the act, whose songs addressed bisexuality and transvestites in numbers such as “One Day My Prince Will Come” and “Batchelor Flat Affairs.” Departing that project, West arrived in New Orleans in the early 1990s, setting aside his electric guitar to take up banjo after purchasing one for one hundred dollars at a local pawnshop; he soon began performing in Vieux Carre clubs. He makes his home in the city’s Ninth Ward, near Fats Domino’s former residence, and draws creative fuel from stories recounted by neighbors. His session work appears on Shawn Mullins’s Soul’s Core as well as releases by Kirk Rundstrum and Chuck Brodsky.