LET'S GO!
We talk with ordinary people living extraordinary lives. Be inspired, LET'S GO!
LET'S GO!
Musician, Surfer, Firefighter, & Artist WES CHILLER
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Ever wondered how the internet revolution, striking the right note on a guitar, and riding the perfect wave are linked? Join us as we pick the brain of a Surfer-Firefighter-Musician who has journeyed through these worlds and has unique insights to share. We kickstart our conversation reminiscing about our first meeting, our shared love for longboarding, and how we navigated our career transitions.
Next, we roll through the lanes of technology, its rapid advancements, and the costs associated with it. Our guest brings to light some interesting anecdotes about the internet revolution and biking technology. And, of course, we don't forget to weave in some soul-stirring music discussions. We reflect on its timeless power, ponder on what a 103-year-old man might think of this techie leap, and how music has the power to unite generations.
Finally, we let you in on our guest's awe-inspiring journey in the music realm. From high school bands to Ethnomusicology at UCLA, we touch upon the hard work, passion, and the role of social media in shaping the music scene. As we sail along, we also discuss the therapeutic benefits of music and surfing, and how they've been our comfort zones in challenging times. So, are you ready to ride this wave of conversation? Tune in!
Thanks for taking the time to listen in. Please leave us 5 stars on Spotify & Apple Podcasts with a review. THANK YOU!
West Jeeler. Welcome to the podcast man.
Speaker 2Thank you. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1Yeah, I'm glad you're here, dude.
Speaker 2I can't believe I am. Yeah, this is good.
Speaker 1We've been planning this for a while, so I'm pretty stoked on this. As we get started, if you can, please follow us on our social media platforms, which is Instagram, Facebook, we're on Rumble and YouTube. Please hit that like and follow button. Give us five stars, I appreciate it. Anyways, now we're going to start it. Baby, yeah, baby West, my man dude. I've been waiting for this for a while. I'm excited, I'm stoked. We've been doing some projects together. This is going to be super cool, man. So people know how did you and I meet?
Speaker 2Dude, we met on an overtime and basically I was going through my second probation work, which was great, and you were just coming in. It was your first day driving, so that was day one, and you came in with your eyes like this, but you were chill, because you got forced prior and I was coming out with probably like a general look of malaise and I was like, oh, I like this guy.
Speaker 1And then, yeah, that's how that's right, I don't want to say the captain's name. The captain, he's a bald dude, right? Yeah, okay, I totally remember this, because I talk about this with people at work. All the time I was like, hey, I promoted, it's all good. I think I had a day or two off before I started on a new shift, it's a new position. I was driving now super nervous and then banged like hey, bro, you're forced. I was like what? So people know when in our line of work, when they say you're forced, they call it forced hire or mandatory, depending on which department you work for. But that means you have to go to work. You have no choice. You're going to work and you're working. And it's not your regular shift, of course, overtime, so whatever. But I remember I was scared dude. I was so nervous, I'm like I can't even work with my normal crew first. Nope, like I'm forced.
Speaker 2I'm like I'm not going to work.
Speaker 1I'm going to work because there was like a there's a wildland rig there and a normal fire engine. I was thinking, oh my gosh, I hope we don't get a brush fire today. I am so nervous I got to do all these checkouts and all that and yeah, that's, you know it's so. I'm so glad you're going, we would have been fine. We would have been fine. Water on fire is all right. No, that's red because you worked for a previous department. I did.
Speaker 2Yeah, how many years did you?
Speaker 1have there.
Speaker 2Gosh, I think I had just hit my fifth year of service like starting my fifth year.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. So it came over to the came over to the dark side. Yeah, the line of milk and milk, yes, yeah, baby, it really has been a great.
Speaker 2You know, at first it was like a little bit of culture shock in a good way, and then, as I acclimated and kind of got more settled into it, it was like 10 out of 10. Yeah, 10 out of 10.
Speaker 1Well, it's a hard move too, I think anyone. Well, with any career, right, you're in there for a while, you get kind of comfortable, right we do.
Speaker 2Oh yeah.
Speaker 1And then it's like you know I need to. Not that where I'm at is bad, but there's things I want to do that this other place has to offer 100%.
Speaker 2And I have like literally nothing bad to say about where I came from. Like it was incredible place to learn and they were patient with me and gave me tons of opportunity to do stuff. So like there is no like zero, zero ill will, it's just a. You know, it's kind of like a pretty tantalist offer to get the opportunity to work closer.
Speaker 1So Well, the cool part about this is that's the day when I first met you. I found out you're a surfer and you're a fellow longboarder, yes, which I love right. Because the real truth is, most of my friends that I grew up surfing with and people I surf with now met. A lot of them are mid-length and shortboard. Oh yeah, right. So my local breaks are here in North Orange County, huntington Beach, bulls, cheek Also baby tower 16. My dad still goes there. Dude, 82 years old, okay, just the hand yes.
Speaker 1So we met, we talked and then, like figured out, you surfed. I'm like wait a minute, you're a longboarder. Yeah, I'm like, bro, you're a god. Like thank you, it was good, it was really cool. And then, I don't know, it took a. It was some time before we actually went out and surfed.
Speaker 2Yes.
Speaker 1But I think we went out down to the churches, right? Was that where you first went out? Yeah, yeah, and it's funny because a lot of people most of my life, I never really had photos of me surfing, but I grew up surfing around. I'm mixed when I was black, that's why it was.
Speaker 2People look at me like what are you?
Speaker 1You, Puerto Rican? Yeah, Yo, you surf Like, oh yeah, you kind of surf right. Yeah, I'm not with the you know firefighters or the people I know that, yeah, I surf.
Speaker 2You get out there like there you go. Yeah, you have surfed a couple of times.
Speaker 1And then we get out there and, dude, we're both ripping. I was like yes, dude, we're hanging 10 hanging.
Speaker 2Let's temper the expectations, folks. I do not rip that hard. I can surf decently. There's pictures Tim was ripping Tim was ripping man.
Speaker 1There's pictures, dawg. No, it's super cool and I love that. You know, not only are you a fellow firefighter and a surfer, but you're also a musician, and that's something for me that's always been close to my heart. You know, playing music, that's what I grew up doing, Playing piano, singing oldies in the car with my mom. Oh yeah, that was like another connection point with us. And then I'm like wait, you write music too. I'm like, bro, this is a bromance in the making.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, dude, that was like a trifecta. I was like man. He speaks my language, he really understands me.
Speaker 1Oh, dude, it's awesome. Well, when did you start playing music? Was it something you picked up as a kid or as a teenager.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, so that's a cool one, frickin'. Basically, when I was a little grom, my grandma played the what do you call it? Like that home organ thing, forget what it's called. Oh man, it's like everybody used to have one and you can buy one now and most of them are a little broken but they're really sick. Let me know if you have one. But so yeah, she would play that and then I kind of was able to copy her. I was like probably like two or three years old and I could kind of like copy her right hand and her left hand, and so she kind of passed that along to my parents. And you know, I grew up in a house where in my life could have been a lot different. So like, let's just get this straight right here. Like I am the most fortunate dude. I got so lucky. My deck of cards was crazy.
Speaker 2So, we'll talk more about that. But yeah, dude. So there's a lot of like Hwayana around in my house growing up it looks like a dukes. If you go inside of it, like literally top to bottom, it looks like you're in Waikiki. You know it's fun you say that yes.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, because the house I think you're still in that house, right, or one of them.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, I see I feel the vibe. Yeah, I feel one way around, I feel one way around. I feel one way around, I feel one way around. Mine is like that what they're doing, like scaled back to like a four and like imagine like a 12, bro.
Speaker 1So I love it. It's oh, they're the best, they're the best.
Speaker 2But they loved Hawaii. They had tons of family over there, went all the time and that was like kind of in my like DNA, I guess, just like loving that little zone. And then, yeah, on the way down to a sterile beach in Mexico on a road trip with the family, I was like five my uncle, don Stewart, rest in peace. He was playing a ukulele and he passed it back to me, showing me a C chord which is like super, super easy, and I just played it for like five hours, dude.
Speaker 1God bless you. You're old and smooth dude.
Speaker 2Thanks, mom and dad, you know like thank you so much. But yeah, so they just like you know, I'm going to show everybody too what that C chord looks like, because Thank you for getting out. I just really believe in this thing, man. Over the years it's like literally paved my life, and you know like I don't really do these podcast things too often, so like I figured the best way I could be of service would be to teach somebody a little something. Let's go, baby. I like that.
Speaker 1Is that the same ukulele?
Speaker 2Yeah, no, no, no, much different. Oh sorry, you want to know why I don't do many podcasts, why Nobody asks. Okay, so my uncle shows me this little chord right here. It's a C chord, third finger, third fret on the bottom string. And it's that easy, it's beautiful, right, and I just did this for like five hours and like God bless my parents.
Speaker 2But so from there, like I just liked it, it was around and by the time I turned nine I went to Hawaii and I saw this dude just ripping this local guy ripping on the yoke, and I was so frothed that I went up to him and he like showed me what he was doing. He was doing wipe out, and I was just like what is that? And he was doing the thing where he would make like a drum sound with his drum. He'd be like oh yeah. And I was just like what are you doing, dude? That's so sick. So he like gave me a couple lessons out behind the police station in Waikiki, which is like a little hangout for some of the musicians around that area. Wow, and that was like, really, when I like took to it, that's when it stuck for you, right? That's when it was like boom, like this thing is going to be with me forever, I love it, and then did you transition from the ukulele to guitar.
Speaker 2Yes, but that was a little bit later. How?
Speaker 1long.
Speaker 2How long later I was like that was the super bowl of Denver and Green Bay.
Speaker 1Oh my God, what year was that? It's a great question.
Speaker 2Are we going to hit you Red 99?
Speaker 1Oh, Sam too, Were you born in 2000.
Speaker 2Yeah, yes, oh, this is so sick. Yeah, I don't know what year that was, but my uncle, you know Don Stewart. The man came through with a guitar and was like hey, it's time. So he taught me freight train by Elizabeth Cotton.
Speaker 2That's sick and that was like the first and that was like a finger picking song. So like I started really kind of taking to that. I also got to drop one more name. When I got really good at the ukulele was when I started studying with this man named Bill Tapia and they call him the Duke of Ooke. He's probably greatest of all time in my book and I'll put that against anybody Sorry, but he was truly incredible at ukulele.
Speaker 2He was a jazz musician growing up. He grew up playing in Vaudeville Very good, and he was 95 when I started taking lessons from him Get out of here and I was like 10 and he was 95. That's so cool, though Initially he was like no, I don't do daycare, yeah, and then, thank God, somebody like warmed him up and like was like, no, take a look. And then that's like when I learned the art of jazz, like I would consider myself a jazz musician by trade, you know, and really instilled in me a lot of amazing concepts. But yeah, he passed away at the age of 103 and played shows up until his death.
Speaker 1Get out of here.
Speaker 2The last thing he told me before giving me his ukulele that was made side by side with mine was don't ever he goes, never skip an opportunity to play a show.
Technological Advancements and Musical Memories
Speaker 1Like always go and play, I like that yeah, that is so freaking cool dude.
Speaker 2Yeah, 103 years of wisdom, like he also said, the most interesting advent, like inventory or advantages no, the most interesting invention that he's seen in his entire lifetime was the internet. Dude, that's crazy. We're talking two world wars, folks. The automobile, yeah Plains.
Speaker 1Well, just think, okay, think of if that guy was still alive now, right, think about how long it took to get to the internet, all that stuff, right. And then probably when the iPhone came out to now was such a huge tech boom. Oh yeah, I mean, dude, where was it? The other day it was oh, I was looking. I was like I'm gonna go look at some new road bikes because you know I cycle a mountain bike and all that. And my last road bike that I bought when I was racing and doing crits and having fun and do my thing was like 2012.
Speaker 2Okay.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2But I still have it, dude. So you're like the ride in the old chair. You're like hey guys. I see you with your fancy equipment.
Speaker 1You know what it hit me was a couple of months ago. I went in just to have like the annual tune up on my bike, right. So I take it in, I take care of it, it's clean, I hang it up in my garage and I take it into my local bike shop and I know that the guy's there, but I usually I used to do a lot maintenance myself. Now I'm like, whatever, that's why I make money, I'm gonna support their company and I take it. And he's like, oh, look at that old thing. I was like oh God. I was like easy bro, why?
Speaker 1That's totally unnecessary. Yeah, I'm like bro, I'm putting 50 miles a day on this thing. Relax, homeboy, god dang, yeah, but that, that, that boom. Oh, anyways, sorry to get back to my point is, I was looking at the new bikes and most of them are Bluetooth shifting. I was just like, wait, what do you mean? Yeah, I was like how? I was like show me how it works. And I was like dude, whoa, like this is way different, but it's, it's a lot smoother shifting, especially when you're climbing or racing and do it. It's just, it's a smoother and your chain stuff doesn't loosen. It's really cool what happens when the power goes out.
Speaker 1That's the. You gotta keep it charged, but I do it. It stays charged for like a week. Okay, Okay.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1I mean, from what I understand, he told me even Twitter, france and Spain, all the, they, all the pros use, yeah, I was really shocked. But then I looked at sticker price and I was like $7,800. You don't say yeah. I was like I don't know, dude. I like, when I bought my bike in 2012, was like 2,200 bucks and that was like whoa. You know, consciously, I was like you know, I'm probably going to ride this for like another 10 years. You got to pay to play. Yeah, yeah, you got to pay to play. Yeah, you get all you need to grow and you got properties and you got mortgages.
Speaker 2Yeah, I can't go spend $7,000 on a bike right now. Man, sure you can, but man just thinking like when you get forced tomorrow, dude, it'll be fine yeah.
Speaker 1The forces are real. People, the forces are real. But if he were to be alive to see that technology boom, I wonder what his thought process would have been on that. Because even my dad love my dad, lifelong surfer, great dude he just, I would say a year and a half ago, got rid of his flip phone.
Speaker 2Wow yeah.
Speaker 1He had it for a long time Long time.
Speaker 2How old is your father? 82. 82. Okay, so he's a little bit older than my old man. Yeah, my dad's 77.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2He's like a technology lover. Yeah, he's got his iPhone. Bless him. Like I am doing. I am an IT specialist for the Miller family, dude. It's like I am like I'm routing cables, dude.
Speaker 1I'm fixing passwords every day yeah, Well, all of my parents call me all the way over. Our internet's not working. All I do is like reset the router and it's like whoa, you're so tech Guys. I just hit reset, it's fine. I think it's so cool, too that what I think is beautiful in that because I say this to a lot of people when I talk about music it's it's so cool For me. In my opinion, music is a universal language. When you, we can be sitting together and say you like blues, right, maybe I don't like blues, or I like country, but we hear something that's blues or country, even if we might not like it, you're like, hey, that actually sounds really good. Then you both sit in their jammin' how cool is that that you were 10, he's 95, and coming together, you get like I have lifelong experiences as a musician, teaching as a young kid Like how special is that dude? Oh man, and who's to say what that did for him?
Speaker 2You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1Maybe he was like, I don't want to be a kid, but I mean, maybe one day, you know, next life dude, you might know what that actually did for him. Yeah, you know, it's freaking rad.
Speaker 2He was special dude. He would, when he would give me a lesson, right Like he'd give me a song a week and whatever it was. But the way he would transcribe the song, he would take out a piece of blank paper like printer paper, turn his ukulele over like this and then proceed to draw the music staff and then, note by note from memory, write the entire melody line with chords over the top, and it took him about like eight minutes, nine minutes to like. Hand me then a sheet of like chicken scratch, like barely legible, written by a hundred year old man. Whoa dude. And that was like my lesson. That's so rad. And oftentimes we did it every Wednesday in the bamboo room. It was either at his house in Westminster or we would go down to the bamboo room at Sano just past Old Man's that's sick, dude. And there was a group of musicians there that were like seriously legendary musicians like Mike. Mcafrey is a great singer. He always played down there. A bunch of other guys, jack George.
Speaker 1You're talking down at Sano where?
Speaker 2we surf, yeah, interesting.
Speaker 1You say that because I remember that as a kid. Go now my dad like, hey, those guys were there playing music. I just put two and two together.
Speaker 2That's insane. That's them. They were literally like some of the best musicians in Orange County and LA best surf guitarist, jazz guitarist. They'd all come down and they played from memory so like not anybody could just pull up with a guitar or ukulele and play, it was like no, like we're playing T for 2, k for C, like it was kind of like a flex. Yeah yeah, but it was cool because as I got better they invited me to play and I got to sit in between sessions out at Old Man's with my buddies and it was just like dude, it was just crazy.
Speaker 1How old were you at that time?
Speaker 2I was like 10 to 15.
Speaker 1See how that's cool that they even like. It's almost like they're nurturing the next generation.
Music Journey and Career Progression
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, and unfortunately, music in that function. Now that we have streaming and speakers with us everywhere, I truly believe that it's taking on a different function. Now you don't see as many random jams and you don't see as many like oh, let's just get together. And not everybody knows all the same songs. There was very much a genre of standards that you learned in the jazz world at least. Well, when did you start writing music, gosh? I wrote my first song called A Day in the Islands. You're such a little wind, when.
Speaker 2I was freaking. How old was I? I was in fourth grade, fourth grade, fourth grade, that's pretty cool. It's like it was like something like super Dude.
Speaker 1you wrote that in fourth grade.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's coming a long way, you know, but a lot of mileage on that one man Is that kind of did you have a band then?
Speaker 1You know high school, high school bands, because you have a band. Now I do. That's why I'm wondering what was the progression to get you to where you're at, because you have a couple of records out right.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1So it's like what was that progression to get you? I got bit by the bug, my man. Yeah, ok.
Speaker 2So, gosh, fast forward. Ok, playing the ukulele pretty good, bill, to be a taught me a ton of stuff. I learned as much as I could. And then, when I was a senior in high school, one of my friends' dads passed away and they hired me to play at his funeral. At that funeral I met a guy named Chris Wolfe who was a guitarist for the Shies, which was a really really, really really bitchin' Orange County rock and roll band that they had like a record label deal with Sire Records, and so my buddy, kyle Crone, who was the singer of that band, kind of like they pulled me into this fold of like I was like 17, 18, and we were playing Troubadour and House of Blues on these places and they were like in their prime.
Speaker 2They're like 26, 27. They're crushing it, money flying on the table. You're out there playing and.
Speaker 1I'm like what's happening? I'm like 17. I'm like this is crazy. So did you originally want to do music for a living?
Speaker 2I don't know, I just had always done it. And then there was like a couple of two key factors that gave me the rock and roll bug and I was like, oh my god, I can be doing this. And I had been playing guitar for a while and it just made me really want to do it. So I started a band with my buddy Dennis and Tanner, and we were called the Yocos. The Yocos- the. Yocos, I'll remember that.
Speaker 1I like that.
Speaker 2And then we went through a couple iterations of that and I had to learn a lot about like. That was where I was like learning how to run a band and wasn't doing a very good job of it. That's an art in itself.
Speaker 1Yeah, I was also 16.
Speaker 2So, like whatever. But that set me on a trajectory, ended up going with this really beautiful girl at the end of my high school experience and she was just such a special girl and she ended up getting into UCLA for world arts and cultures and she told me about this degree there called Ethnomusicology. So your boy applied. I had a decent GPA in high school, but not, yeah, I'm not getting into UCLA. In fact, my academic counselor was like ooh, you should set some marvelous expectations. I'm like what do you mean? They're giving me an audition. Like, don't you see what I can do?
Speaker 1Yeah, dude, it's better than what my dad told me. He's like yeah, you're going to JC.
Speaker 2Yeah, he looks at the grade card, he's like, all right, well, hey, good effort, kid, yeah, dude, yeah, so, dude, so yeah. I ended up applying. I got an audition at UCLA and I played in front of Kenny Burrell and a couple of the other folks there and they let me in, dude Get out of here.
Speaker 1They let me in. I love it, dude. Ok, so you say they let you in? Does that mean like, hey, all you got to do is fill out the application. You're good to go, we're going to take you.
Speaker 2That was a part of my secondary application.
Speaker 1OK.
Speaker 2So what happened was, as you applied on your normal application, you fill out your ethnomusicology and then you get the secondary application. Then they schedule you for an interview, audition.
Speaker 1OK.
Speaker 2So I went to the audition, nailed the audition, my man, of course you did Sort of. I made a couple mistakes, but then it was off to the races, dude. So how long were at UCLA? I was there for four years. You did the full four years. Yeah, full four. Whoa, yep, wow, good for you. Man Was in a band up there Like learned the whole college scene, like played all over Los Angeles, did like the gigging thing, you know where. You're like like you don't know any better, you're just like, oh well, if I play everywhere, then maybe they'll listen, yeah, you know. And you're just like, no, absolutely not, don't try it.
Speaker 1You know like I'll save you a lot of time. Well, I think a lot of people don't understand the grind of a musician in touring and playing. I mean, it's not like you get big overnight. Maybe there are some right. That's that.
Speaker 2maybe what 1% and a lot of folks are really good at marketing. Yeah, you know, like if you're able to get a little head start on that, you'll, you know, go a lot farther quicker.
Speaker 1Oh gosh, even now with social media. I mean, you look at it now I feel like social media and SoundCloud are things still. Soundcloud. Remember, soundcloud, soundcloud goes OK. I remember like once all that stuff kind of started happening. It kind of almost changed the music scene just a little bit, because now you have a lot of people who started just putting their own stuff out, yeah, and doing it and playing and making the videos and it. You know, I'm trying to figure out the best way to put this, but to me it just changed the game a little bit from like growing up and playing music and kind of seeing how it used to always be, to now it's like you got people getting big off. You know their songs, they have great voices, they're shredding on guitars and they put on YouTube and boom, they got like millions of views.
Speaker 2Yes, it's crazy. So fun fact here Bring it Played with a band right after COVID kind of ended. These guys are awesome, they're young kids. The singer went famous on TikTok I might be botching this, I'm sorry if you guys are listening. The singer went famous on TikTok prior to any sort of band for like some like stylish California videos Like Grom.
Speaker 2Like you know, he's like a handsome young kid, you know like a high school kid, and then his I think his parents are like pretty wizardess with like the marketing thing and they kind of were like whoa, dude, you went viral, like what do you want to do? He's like well, what if we get banned? And like parents kind of handle a little bit of the brand aspect of it. And, dude, now they are playing like sold out shows internationally, wow, and they kill it, like they're good and but the funny thing was, is that that gig that they played with me, like you know they didn't.
Speaker 2They were like brand new to playing shows and they're already playing shows to a sold out crowd, right, and like you know, like I've worked real hard for that man, you know like I've worked really hard for that man. So like no, I don't know, but it was cool. It was just to me it was inspiring. Like a lot of guys are like, oh you TikTok bands like blah, blah, blah, but like no dude. Like it's cool to see people's art independently get blown up. Like it's really awesome, because that's the whole point of all this leveled the playing field.
Speaker 2Like yeah if I can stay in the game. Like you know, I'm not going anywhere, Right? You know, like I can run my operation off of what I'm doing now, and guess what? No one can take down my masters because I own them.
Speaker 1Oh, you own them.
Speaker 2Maybe You're a catalog, you know, and like whatever maybe it's sitting there collecting dust, doing whatever, but like it's mine.
Speaker 1Yeah, I'm such a firm believer of, I love the arts, I love creativity. I'm sure you've seen that. I mean, that's why you even have the pocket. It's just cool that we can do something on our own. Oh yeah, put out art.
Speaker 2And look at what we're doing right now.
Speaker 1I know Isn't that crazy, it's awesome. And, dude, what's cool is people need to know you played at a pretty big event in Huntington Beach, oh yeah, which was that was the US Open of Surfing. My man.
Speaker 2Yeah, that was sick, that was sick.
Speaker 1Best tour manager you ever had. Yes, that's right.
Speaker 2That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1That really was. That was rad. I was. I mean, it probably sounds weird, but I was like I was so proud of this guy. It was a school to see on stage. It was great that I could help out and be around just make sure they were running smooth, but it's like you sit back.
Speaker 1You were instrumental. Ah, my man. Yes, but it's cool. You see a friend who like-minded, but he's up there seeing you in your element, playing with your band and vibing and people are out there dancing. It was dude. It was such a great experience.
Speaker 2There were some classic characters in that audience.
Speaker 1Yeah, dog.
Speaker 2Dude. I don't even know what to say. There were some classic, classic dudes. We have a little video on Instagram of it. I encourage everybody to go check it out at West Chiller. It's funny Like there's always a couple of those interesting folks that come out to the show that just make the experience 10 times better than like what it previously was, and that's what I love about my shows in particular. Right, I'm going to look directly in the camera. Nobody is not cool enough to be at my shows. I am not about the like. You should feel very cool enough to be there Like I have gone to yes, yeah, be you.
Speaker 2I have gone to so many shows where I'm like, dude, am I not cool enough to be here? Or like, oh man, that guy is so much cooler than me and he's like and he probably knows it, you know, I'm just like I'm not about that. So like I think that is kind of naturally cultivating at these shows and it's like especially that one, it was really cool to see like all these like young, like 19-year-old groms, like befriending this, like cyclist, like old guy and they're like doing the same dance like this, like trippy-looking thing. I'm like what is going on?
Speaker 1It was super rad man, it was good and you, speaking of which let's go to, before we keep talking about these shows that you've played. What is your band's name right now?
Speaker 2So my music project is called West Chiller, ok, and my band is called the Low Tide Barnacles.
Speaker 1Ooh, did I like that? I already knew that, but I'm just playing it. Yeah, yeah, when did you guys form? When did you start playing together?
Speaker 2So I now run my band. I've got like a roster of guys to draw from. Ok, I used to have a very set group in college and it was awesome. But I just saw the challenges of that and I realized like I was like dude, like I can't, like can't keep asking all of this time from these people and like barely paying them, like you know. So it's just as ridiculous. So, like you know, I figured out that if I work on songwriting and producing with my friends, then I can take like a set list to talented musicians that I know, tell them the deal about the gig up front and then leave it up to them if they want to play it. So, like I very much do have like a good crew now that like they've kind of been in it for a while and they're very easy to like run and stuff.
Speaker 2But that's how I operate. It's like with like different guys because it just frees it up. You know what I mean. Like I could go and I could go play with a trio down in Costa Rica, like I did. Or I could go play with like a 20-person ensemble of ukuleles in Hawaii, which I'm going to do, like you know what I'm saying so it just frees the whole thing up and it works for me, it works for my brand, it works for what I'm trying to do. So I think that's the jazz guy in me Like that's like the jazz core is. Like you know, I will go and play a show all by myself, or it could be a massive 10-person band, like I've done it a couple times.
Speaker 1Which always sounds so beautiful. It's crazy, dude, having such a full band is. It's such a God. It's almost hard to explain this. You're on stage and you're playing, dude, you just feel the vibe. Dude it's jamming. It's such a great feeling.
Speaker 2The horns go in and like it's so gnarly dude, it's just like whoa. I remember that first time that we had like a horn section come in and like I just like, just immediately all the hair on the back of my neck stood up, I was like whoa, dude, that's crazy.
Speaker 1Oh man, it's cool because to me there's a time for cusics, there's a time for a full band, maybe there's a time that you don't have the horns. But God, music is so special in every way and you know we can hear the same song, but it'll speak to you different and it's going to speak to me different and it's going to impact us and it's like, oh, we just connected off this. It's so rad, you know. So I just, I love music, dude, I love music.
Speaker 2Dude, I really do too. It's brought me into some of the coolest situations, some of the scariest situations and like, really, like you know, you can't expect it to not drag you through the mud a little bit too, like it's a labor of love and like, if you don't truly love it and you're searching for something else from it, like I don't think that bodes well and like I don't know. I think, gosh, dude, I worked with this artist yesterday. Her name is Revenge Wife and she is like she's got it so down, like top to bottom. She's doing it because she loves it and like doesn't have a choice in the matter. You know what I mean. Like she has to. And like literally every detail, top to bottom, is just like checked off perfectly. And gosh was that just like I was just like looking at her notebook, being like OK, this is what I got to do, this is what I got to do.
Speaker 2OK, that's what I got to do.
Speaker 1Right, what's cool to play with other artists and musicians. So many times it's made me better. Oh yeah, you know, you think, oh, I'm doing good. And then you link up with someone. You started playing like oh, they're really good.
Speaker 1Hell, yeah, makes you grow. It's a good thing, though, you know, because to me it's like, if you think you know it all and you think you got it down, you stop growing. Right, you know, it's like you want to be a lifelong learner. You know you want to always be a student. Right, I want to be learning. Right, I don't want to get too comfortable. I always say it on here Comfort is a slow death. Try to always push yourself. Try to make yourself better. Play different music, you know. Play with different musicians. Go to different shows. There's been so many times I used to go to symphonies by myself.
Speaker 2No way yeah.
Speaker 1I love, love orchestras.
Speaker 2I have some crazy shit to tell you.
Speaker 1Yeah, dude, almost to a point like I haven't gone in a bit. But even just sitting there and hearing the music, I would sit back, sometimes I wouldn't even watch, I would just close my eyes and just listen. And man, you can, almost you can hear the violins and the cellos, and you can. You just hear everything coming in. You're like, oh, that vibe that's coming here, dude, get you, get me emotional.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, you start contemplating life, you're thinking, oh my god, kind of like becoming one with the furniture.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll just to piss, escape people. Who's this kid? He's crying.
Speaker 2What are you doing?
Speaker 1No, that's cool man. The cool thing that we need to talk about, too on here is you have a show coming up yes, that's October 28th and that is the Dead Man's Luhau. It's the Dead Man's Luhau. We need to talk about that, because that is going to be off the hook, yes, so please inform our people about the Dead Man's Luhau.
Speaker 2Yes, sir. Okay, dead Man's Luhau folks. October 28th, santa Monica, california. Be there, it's my music festival. We started this back in 2017. My buddy, jake Joseph he goes by the artist's name of Dead Gringos. Him and I were living in Venice at the time and I was like a gosh. What was I doing you?
Speaker 1were living in Venice.
Speaker 2I was like I was like a bar back or something. I was like I was just figuring it out. I had a hair down in my back and we were kind of living this like how are you still alive right now?
Speaker 1I don't know how long you live in Venice.
Speaker 2I was there for like a year to three. I was in the Santa Monica Venice area for four years.
Speaker 1That's like 20 years, bro, that is it.
Speaker 2It was fun, dude, it was wild. I was like 21, yeah, 2021, 22, 23. It was epic, let's be real, oh yeah. So I came away relatively unscathed, but when we were down there we were just really letting that like lifestyle permeate in our brains and we ended up writing this tale called Found at Sea, the Liquid Tale of Captain Rusty Ankers, and it kind of established this universe, and the Dead Man's Luhau is where that story is told. So essentially it's like a very guerrilla-esque project where it's multimedial, there's characters, it's a full universe and it's a very immersive concert going experience. Dead Man's Luhau 3, this is our third iteration is going to be probably, for sure, the best one yet, the concept one. The Eventbrite Reconvene Accelerator Programs Judges Choice Award that's right.
Speaker 2Which was mental. That changed my whole life.
Speaker 1It was huge. I remember when that happened, dude, I called you. I was like Timmy, timmy, timmy.
Speaker 2Like what the hell these people, what are they thinking? Who signed off on this? But that changed my life, so I will touch on that. When I was at work, we got up late at night for a call. I'm on my way back. I never bring my phone with me and I never typically check my phone late at night because it keeps me up. So, for whatever reason, I was like I brought it and I one eye on Instagram. Eventbrite, reconvene Accelerator Program you can win some money. Oh, okay, so I'm like maybe I'll apply. So I swipe up and I'm in bed. I'm literally just letting it fly on the application card. Love it.
Speaker 2Like just unfiltered all of it and filled it out right then and there late that night Submitted it. I think I might have submitted it in the morning but didn't look too much into it, Forgot about it. And then I got an email being like hey, you got selected to go into the next round or whatever, and there was a voting process. I lost by a long shot, like 1,800 votes or something. I was like okay, well, at least I tried.
Speaker 1You're boy voted.
Speaker 2Okay, I appreciate it. I voted yeah, I think we all did, but I just like.
Speaker 1Bought it out.
Speaker 2Of four times. Yeah, yeah, so, yeah. Then, long story longer. I got an email being like hey, wes, can you join us on this day to talk about the contest, and I was like cool, so went in there and it was their CMO that announced that, like the five of us had won, that two were the voting winners and then three were the judges picks, and so the CEO and yeah, that's a big deal.
Speaker 1Man, like people, you understand that's. That's. That is a you know cumulative thing. That happened for you, right? That's from when you started playing ukulele with that 95 year old man to go into college to put in the time practicing your guitars, writing music to boom. Now you just got picked and the judges are like, hey, we want this guy. That's huge. You put the time in.
Speaker 2It was awesome and that that little bit of validation really, really gave me a lot of like confidence. But then I was like, okay, what do I do with this confidence? Like I've thrown concerts many a time, I'm good at it. Like you know, what am I doing with this? And they challenged me to like write my business plan, okay, and like make a pitch deck things that are like totally foreign to this dummy. You're like, oh, I'm like oh, so you, I need to like understand what I'm doing. They're like, yes, wes. Like you should, you should understand that I go. Okay, I'll give it a shot.
Speaker 2So I wrote out this like 30 page document and like legitimately changed my life, because I realized in that moment what I had to ask of the people around me that want to help. You know, it gave me direction as far as like what my actual vision is with my brand. And then it really just pointed me and I have a, I have a rudder on my ship now, you know, and now that, as wind increases on that, like we're steering in a good direction and making some headway.
Speaker 1So we're going to take that to the dead man's loo. Well, maybe yes we're going to take that to the dead man's loo and, by the way, I'm going to be there. Yeah, it's going to be a good time. Come look for me.
Speaker 2Yeah, it is going to be a blast.
Speaker 1That's going to be rad. So that's what's. It's October 28th, which is a Saturday.
Speaker 2Yes, it is. What time does that start? It's going to be from 530 to 930 pm. We're abiding by the like the actual Luhal hours. Okay, it's designed to be a start of the evening for everybody. Okay, and it's really amazing because, like we're not really competing with anybody for that time frame and it's been like really encouraging seeing the sales and like I just truly believe in this, especially as we like go beyond this year and into like the future, like outdoors, and like it's going to be amazing.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, oh yeah, so are you. Is your band the only band playing, or there are going to be other artists that are going to be there?
Speaker 2Yeah, so it's going to be three. Excuse me, it's going to be my band headlining. We're going to have this amazing artist out of Los Angeles who is seriously like one of the ones to watch right now. His name is Deluxe D-E-L-U-X. Insane. Like Chromio meets. Like what's the word I'm looking for? Like not the B-52s. Who's the other guy Talking? Heads Talking.
Speaker 1Heads.
Speaker 2Yeah, like kind of like Talking Heads and just an incredible performer. Hold on here. You said.
Speaker 1Deluxe, deluxe. Is he mixed?
Speaker 2I know no, no, no.
Speaker 1No, okay, I think another person, because I think I had another artist on here a year or two ago. His name was Deluxe. I might be wrong.
Speaker 2Yeah, this is like this guy is like a really, really, really epic, like he's just this, like rad individual dude. Okay, I'm thinking of somebody else. Sean is a really cool dude. He's super, super, super, like technically just dialed on all of his equipment, which is like so cool to watch, so, and his show and his writing is obviously fantastic. That's why he's playing, but then we'll be having pink skies do a DJ set and he produces music for me and does his own thing, which is incredible.
Speaker 1That is so rad. Now do people have to get tickets before, or can they show the day of?
Speaker 2You can go day of. We're doing early bird pricing right now for another couple of days, so I would highly recommend getting on that. It's $20. You get a drink and you get a ticket and there's some VIP options if you want, like a merch bundle and little sign set list a couple of things.
Speaker 1So can I buy it yeah?
Speaker 2You got to have whatever you want to do it.
Speaker 1I gotta bring this up here. Have you had this mustache for a while? Cause you've you shaved the mustache and you have it.
Speaker 2I'm trying to because it's on point right now.
Speaker 1I'm gonna put the camera on real quick, please. He's nice flavor saver bro.
Speaker 2There's some grays coming in.
Speaker 1I don't want to talk about it. Yeah, I know there's a reason why I shave every day. I know that my beard grew out too much I got a lot of gran left side, no, on the left and kind of under them. I'm like to what?
Speaker 2Yeah, it's happening to my life, it does happen.
Speaker 1Yeah, 37 hit hard.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's okay. No, I think the mustache is going to be here for a little bit.
Speaker 1I'm a serenade, bro. It's a look. It looks good.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's not a bad thing, just trying to be more magnum. Anyway, I've humanly, possibly can You're doing it. It's a different, different. You know I have no chance but any.
Speaker 1Oh my God, dude, You're so funny. I had a mustache farmer. I think I know I like it. Do you remember when I had the full on twirls going on? I had them. I was I think I was known for that for a hot minute.
Speaker 2Yeah, you were like Mr Mysterio. You know it's like hello.
Speaker 1I put a picture you know, we have those photographers that follow us around on these big fun stuff, right and I showed up as safety officer and I'm doing my thing, and they snapped a shot and put on Instagram and I took it. I was like, oh hey, you know, repost, dude. I got fillayed on Instagram. People were like doing the side by side photos. They had like Mr Pringles. Then they had this dude who was in jail who had like hair, just right here, that was coming curl. Yo. Oh, dude, I think I have. Why do people Got to be that way, dude. Honestly, I loved it.
Speaker 2I just kept reposting them and if people just kept catching on? Kept making them.
Speaker 1Yeah, I got and I was like all right, we're done.
Speaker 2Guys Like starting to hurt a little bit. Yeah, they're like putting up like really aggressive ones. You're like dude stop.
Speaker 1Oh, dude, it was so good. I'm like I love the internet. Dude, I got roasted so hard on that one. That's so great, but that my mustache at that time. That was a lot of work. Yeah, it was a lot of like twisting and wax every morning and you know you'd be at work. We get a night call and you get up and like one straight down here, one curl going way up here and stuff yeah, like I'm like I got to sleep on my back and not move, keep the look, keep the look.
Speaker 1But well, I don't know. Some people are telling me to bring it back. I think you should. We'll see.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1It was, that was. That was quite the mustache for a long time.
Speaker 2You could do a. I feel like you could do that a lot of different ways.
Speaker 1Now you know like you could kind of like bring it like out, oh yeah, well, the funny thing is, like, usually during the summertime, because I'm mixed, right, my mom's black. That's why, when I grow out a mustache or even have, like I have my beard now there's there's white in it. But, yeah, you know, for whatever it's probably being mixed, but there's blonde, red, black, white, like there's a lot going on, and people already always kind of like what's your name? There's like a season, yeah. Yeah, they're trying to figure out like what's that? Do you? Do you dye your mustache? Like no, it's just, I don't want to. I'm mixed. Okay, yeah, about it. That's good.
Speaker 1Dude, the Deadman's Luhal that's coming on the 28th. I really want to encourage everyone to come. You're gonna hear great music. It's going to be a good time. Great people, good vibes Show up. I'm going to be there. Wes is going to be there with his band. There's going to be a lot of other people that are just rad, the musicians. It's going to be such a good time. Don't miss out on it. I'm just putting a plug in Hell. Yeah, you got to come. You got to come. I'll probably. I ordered some new merch for the podcast. I was going to come start throwing it up, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2That's what it's all about.
The Role of Music in Creativity
Speaker 1It'll be a good time, dude. Yeah, now your music dude. There's one thing I want to hit on with. Music is you know, life can be interesting. It has its ups and downs and for me, in a lot of tough times where I couldn't find the words to say during tough moments, music always filled in for me. It always would put something on and it would call me dude. It would bring me back to that level, like you know what it's going to be okay.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Or just pick up the guitar and start playing and doing my thing. There's so much more to playing music, in my opinion, that people don't really understand who aren't musicians and that's why I think it's so unique in our positions as far as the career field went right. It's not that Feynman are I want to say this right, it's like Feynman are smart people. Okay, we're A-type personalities. Some of the best people I know, probably some of the craziest at times too, when you hang out with them you're like whoa, you're wild. But they're also people who give you the shirt off their back.
Speaker 1But in our instances, as creatives, it's so different for us because we're used to thinking outside the box of what we're doing and creating, right Creating, and either it's music or podcasting or whatever your art is. And I always found it so interesting because we had this conversation a while ago. I was saying to you like it's so interesting, we're what we do for a career, because reality is it's paramilitary. You got to fit in that box. Everyone wears the same uniform, you follow the SOPs, you do what you're told, you work as a team. But for us, sometimes I find that not difficult, but almost, maybe, not maybe difficult or challenging because it's like I want to be creative. Right now I'm at work. You feel that hit. You're just like I want to do something a little different, but as far as you can, we're like this is our career. You're doing it right? I remember my old department guys well, you do music.
Speaker 1Are we trying to be famous? You're like, well, no, it's just, that's what I do, man. It's how I connect, not just with myself, with spiritually, mentally, emotionally, like it centers me. It's almost like I relate to surfing. For me, dude, being in the waves and the water I've talked about here so many times it's just, it's therapy in its own way and that's what music gives for me at times too. I don't know if you heard about this, but there's for probably everybody. I wouldn't say just first responders, military, but they have that EMDR music. Is it EMDR? Does that right? Yeah, emdr music. So it's that bilateral flow, and it's again it's music that it calms me, it sits me down. It's like man, you can. Just it's weird, it sounds like dude. There's times I just feel in my soul dude, oh man, this is like this. Is it right here? Is that something that also correlates with you when it comes to music, because you've been doing it for so long?
Speaker 2Yes, it's dude, it's like I run the risk of sounding like a maniac, but like, but, like I like think almost exclusively in in terms of like song and it's almost like, it's almost like a nuisance at times Because, like, like, I love it. But like dude, there is like always some like song going on. Like, if we're having a conversation I'm suddenly kind of like checked out, like I'm listening to what I like. Most of the time it's not that great. It's like the way that it was described to me is like an antenna right and, like you know, an artist just sitting there shining their creative antenna for that, you know whatever.
Surfing and Songwriting Therapeutic Benefits
Speaker 2And dude, most of the time it's just kind of like a scratchy AM radio, you know, it's like kind of like some like it's like no, what is that? Like, go away, bring me my next mo, nothing. Or, like you know, it's not, bring me a good, something good. But yeah, I would definitely say that in our line of work. I don't envy the guys that really define their whole life by it. Like, I will never be a paycheck firefighter. I go to work, I get my stuff handled, I do everything that's required of me and more I love, because that's just how my brain works. I can't stop.
Speaker 2So, I will never be that way. But you, at the same time, like you have to find an outlet because if you don't, then when that retirement bell rings, like what are you going to do? Are you going to be the guy rolling through the station? And like, trying to relive your glory years, like you will never find happiness. So you know, I was told, when you get the job you get a badge and you get a proverbial bucket right, the badge is your pride. The badge is like how you feel about helping the public, it's the calling, and then the bucket just fills with accumulative stress. And my form of emptying my bucket is through songwriting and surfing and that's how I stay mentally well.
Speaker 1Oh, dude, what's that dude? It's almost. It pretty much like surfing and songwriting. The music is interwoven with itself Sounds and vibrations, oh man, I love it, dude, it's whales and pulses. I try to tell it to people a lot about surfing dude, honestly. You just like what surfing does for me and what my father taught me about surfing. You know to respect the ocean.
Speaker 2Yes, Don't turn your back on it right, no man.
Speaker 1And how everyone goes down to the ocean for different reasons but leaves so much better. It's being grounded. Your feet are in the sand, even for me getting off duty. You know, a lot of times I drive my RV to work.
Speaker 2I got my boards inside as soon as I'm off boom, the HQ baby. Yeah, dude headquarter.
Speaker 1So funny because guys are like dude, where's your RV? Why are you driving your car? I'm like I can't fit at the station, it's too small over here. But, dude, to go to be in our line of work and see the things that we see, and the job's great, it's fun. But there's a lot of times the general public and even our families don't understand what we go through on a day to day or shift, shiftly basis and what we see and we go through as a crew. And a lot of times you know you get off duty and it's like all right, go be a father, son, husband, cousin, you know whatever you need to be. But you're like dude, I just like fire.
Speaker 1You know we saw something, I got a lot of stuff going on and for me it's getting in the water and getting that. You know you first pull out and that wave hits you and you're like, oh yeah. But you know like it wakes you up, you feel good and because you have to focus, you know so much on, you know the timing of the wave, watching to see when the you know it's the wells are coming in the set, and then getting up, standing up on that wave and just working the wave and being one in the ocean and getting up there and learning your balance and, at least for us, longboarding, learning to walk the board, how you shift your weight and hang it five hanging ten, being able to freakin slap the lip on your longboard, I mean it's. It makes me forget About a lot of things that I'm dealing with and I leave so much better From the ocean.
Speaker 1The one I went in, yeah, I'm always smiling, dude. As soon as I get up, it's like, oh yeah, dude, it was gonna be right. Oh yeah, I feel so good right now, man, and I've had some tough days where it's like now I get down there, down to the ocean, it's a great day, and you know I'm in my head, I'm bombing, do you're? So? Oh, dude, life and decisions and this and that, and then you know I feel like I don't want to go, I'm just gonna hang out. It's like no, just get the water catch one wave and you catch on one way back.
Speaker 1I don't say nothing. Yeah it's so worth it. Man, it's what I try to tell people. It's hard to For me, it's so hard to explain what surfing does for me internally, yeah, emotionally, spiritually, in so many different ways. I say you just gotta go right. You're not gonna pick it up right away. It takes years, master. I've been sorts house eight, yeah, you know. So it's one of those things you stick, you stick with it, you keep going, you keep working at it. But, man, it's so just so good for you, man, oh yeah.
Speaker 2I think a couple things you can really point to. Like it's number one, just, it's so like grounding right. Like you're, that floating sensation dude is just good for you, I don't care what anybody says. Like you're Belly up it's, it's amazing, yeah. And then, like that forced presence of mind, like definitely, definitely, definitely has some sort of therapeutic benefit because, like you're said, like to your point, you're just, you know, you're all. You're normally all over the place mentally right. You're like going like, oh, should I said that? Or like, oh gosh, I have this coming up, whatever. But when you're, you know, taking off on a big bomb out at HP brothers, you got everyone's locked in in the moment, man One with the water everyone's staring at us cuz we're the only two dudes with longboards of massive ten foot holiday Like.
Speaker 1oh me, give man yeah.
Speaker 2No, I don't know the. I do it. I do here at your same man it's. It is such a beautiful experience and the thing is is that, like you know, as the crowds get worse and as everyone is starting to learn, I think it is incumbent on people that have been doing it for a while to like remind folks Respectfully where they should be surfing. Yeah, because it's dangerous, dude, I have seen it. More head injuries like bad ones in the water since COVID, like, and it's odd, like you know, anybody who who is anybody knows that surfing literally blew up exponentially in COVID. They literally didn't have room to make more surfboards because it takes so long to dry them with all the resin. That's never, ever happened, right.
Speaker 1So you know, like, like, yeah.
Speaker 2Like like there's more people in the water, which is cool, yeah. But like hey, if you're learning like, go to Dohene.
Speaker 2Yeah go to dogpatch at Sano and then go with somebody that knows you know. Or if you don't know anybody that knows, then, like, go take a surf lesson. If you can't afford one, there's free ones. Yeah, you know. Like, like, dude, just like, do yourself the favor because you're putting yourself and others in danger by not knowing. They etiquette a little bit, yeah. And like when you and I were growing up, we learned it because we got hammered by the old dude. Oh yeah, and now nobody's doing much hammering anymore, which is probably for the better. But, dude, but you, I mean, I don't know. I got it handed to me several times and like, scared, yeah, and like then I learned no, dude, I don't know threat.
Speaker 1I remember being like 11 years old I'll kick your ass, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, like a grown man in his 40s. I probably came off just like, probably just smoked like three marble reds and it's like a halfway through a bottle of like I don't know Evan Williams or something you know like in his gnarly Winnebago. He's out there just breathing on you. You're like, oh God, like yeah, oh yeah. I better not cut that guy off again. He's yeah.
Speaker 1I remember my dad saying he, cuz my dad would, he would do. You know, my dad taught me how to surf. Yeah, you know, he never forced me. We always go to the beach and I was like, hey, dad, I'm gonna have a certain day. Okay, he just gave me a surfboard through the leash on. He's like meet me out there, mike, what? Yeah, there's boys were too far up ahead of me, or I'm done. You know it was a mess, but it was such a cool moment that is gonna stick with me for a lifetime and I'm at. I was eight years old, I was getting hammered on the inside and I finally figured out kind of the balance. And there's a foggy morning, right, you could. You could hear the waves breaking and you couldn't see him until it was probably maybe six, eight feet in front of you. You know, oh, it's coming right. Yeah, I remember I finally was getting out to line up and I heard the wave break and it was the guy was.
Speaker 1It was a left you know, he was coming towards me on his left, you know, and I remember looking up like whoa, that's so cool, look like I surfed, and it was my dad.
Speaker 2Bro, it's such a special moment.
Speaker 1Remember seeing him come out of the fog dude and he had his stance like he's yeah baby 60 stance, kind of like that Dude and he yeah, he's like he's funny cuz he whistles, you know you'll blow. Yeah, yeah, he's like fucking whistling stuff and I remember looking up like my dad is so cool. Yeah, you know I was like I want to do that that.
Speaker 2Look on his face. You're like dude. I need that, you know.
Speaker 1You know, and that ended up being probably yeah, you know, I just talked to my dad today about that and he was saying you know, when you're a kid he's like those are real special times for me at the beach, growing up with you.
Speaker 1We had so many years of going out early in the morning and surfing. It was just you and me, yeah, you know. And like I get emotional thing right now because I was on the phone, I remember telling, like you know, down safe, like as much as I probably should, but I was like I love you man. Yeah, like those are, those are some of the best years of my life. Oh, yeah, things I want to do with my kids one day when I have them. You know, it's just special, it's just amazing. Dude, the ocean, gosh, go surf, go learn to be respectful, learn to etiquette.
Speaker 1But man, the ocean, and what it does for you, and it's, it's beautiful, man, it is, it's such a beautiful thing and, speaking of which, you and I were gonna surf, oh, mm-hmm, it's come along, dude.
Speaker 2Yes, you know, I like about it too.
Speaker 1We're not rushing it. No, he's got a little flow, baby. Yeah let it flow, sam or Sam, what's his? I'm for his last ever, sam Freeman Freeman. Yeah, let's set Ferguson. Sam Freeman, miss you, buddy. I miss you too, sammy boy. That's been fun, because the days that we've been going out and where we've been filming have been so much fun.
Surfing, Music, and Future Plans
Speaker 1Oh yeah, it's been such a rad time. Yeah, it's been amazing, dude. And it's cool when we go out too, because you can tell like we get out, we serve, like we know that, okay, we wait or turn, do our thing. But I've come to that point in my life a server be doing it so long. I could care less if I get the main break, do whatever, I just want to get a ride. That's it. Have fun. I'll go off the side and get the small. No, just having more fun surfing off the side kind by myself, but I need a retire.
Speaker 1To that well, you're just going out and I love cheering other people on. Yeah, you get away a love whistling, hooting for you. It's just a good time. Oh yeah, good vibe because, let's be real, everyone's in the water, like everyone's got their lives. We got issues, things going on, work, stress. Let's come out and have fun. That's my thought, dude. Let's cheer people on. Hey, some mess up. Hey, like, don't do that again. Right, learned a kid, right, but to go out, I don't have you seen it like. Even with when I've been out with you, I started making friends out there. Oh, yeah, I'll pat on my. Hey, dude, that was a sick ride. Right, you know where we go at churches. A lot of times there's a mixture of the short, mid and long.
Speaker 2Yeah, you know, the class is riding everything out there.
Speaker 1Yeah, you know the old classic tension. Oh, you're short one, he's longboarded. But there was that one dude, scott I don't remember account numbers, last name, super. I've seen three other times out there and every time he comes out now he's like hey, man, you always put the good vibes out. He's like do I love it. He's like it's cool to see that you're on a longboard, because a lot of you know this younger people out here and they'll get upset because I'm short. But he's like dude, you're cheering me on, you're cheering the kids on, you're like well, yeah man, let's have a good time.
Speaker 2That's the whole point.
Speaker 1Yeah, let's have. Let's have some freakin fun, dude. All right, let's get out here, because life is is what it is highs and lows but out here let's have the eyes, baby.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's 100% good time to create the W's baby.
Speaker 1No L's. Yeah. When do you have a show coming up before the dead man's?
Speaker 2law. No, I do not. The dead man's law is my next show.
Speaker 1Okay, yep, are you using the same band that was at Huntington for the W cell?
Speaker 2a little bit different. Okay, we are bringing in a new Instrument for this one.
Speaker 1Do you keep a secret?
Speaker 2now. No, I'll tell you, my friend Koli is gonna be joining us. He might be playing the flute get out of here, that is. He might be playing the saxophone, okay, and he will definitely be playing the lap. Steel Hawaiian guitar lap still is sick, and we we stumbled upon a sound on the last rehearsal when I'm like mainly on this guy. Yeah and it sounds we, we've fat, we're on to something. It's. The coolest thing I have ever done was that last rehearsal you know who played the saxophone, sam to.
Speaker 2Sam to yeah, alto, yeah yeah, you know I got my fingers down. Still that low C pinky. All about that on brochure. Yeah, all the people who are musicians.
Speaker 1I said like what's so?
Speaker 2funny.
Speaker 1I remember being banned dude. Yeah, it was the same. He's like whoa, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, I just try to make it happen I.
Speaker 1Squeaking like hey, dude, keep your, read what? It's like tasty funny and yeah, look it up, people look at anyway, saxophone baby. It's gonna be sick dude.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, it will be sick. I'm really proud of what we're doing on this one Dude, but our surf film is gonna be so sick. Oh yeah. So, oh yeah. The first song of the album is coming out the night before the luau get out here you show me some of the songs.
Speaker 1You that we met up at your house one day with Sam and you showed some. I was like hey West, this is really freaking good, thanks. I'm like, uh, like keep going, like, keep riding. Maybe we don't need surf today. Like, let's stay. You need to keep writing right now, bro. That's cool man, yeah man. You think you're gonna make the songs from the film into its own record? Yeah, no, that's what it is.
Speaker 2It's gonna be a side-by-side multimedia project, so we'll run the surf film and then we'll be able to run the tracks right alongside of it.
Speaker 1Patience for me sometimes really hard, I know we're gonna be there.
Speaker 2July 2024 is, like I think, realistic.
Speaker 1Well, okay, perfect, because I'm also excited because we're supposed to have an ill Nino right this year. Think, so that should bring some pretty good surf. Oh yeah, some big surf. Oh yeah, and I got a couple new boards.
Speaker 2They're really good for that. Let's do it. Let's go charge. Just beer league Chargers I get. Would love that so much. They're just 30 minutes of wipeouts, you're right, right.
Speaker 1I'm just getting cooked. No, I love it. Man. Now, sam, is he gonna? Are you gonna film the dead man's?
Speaker 2lowell. Yes, so there's a couple people bringing out. So Sam's gonna be doing something very awesome, which is a surprise. Okay, he'll be doing something at the luau specifically for me, and then we have a team through event bright team on onara okay, an incredible company. They do, you know a Level advertising stuff and they're coming to film it and I am so excited because they're just gonna have a spectacle on their hands. I think they're gonna just be like what do we feel? You know?
Speaker 1like that is probably going to turn out Pretty epic. Yeah, if you have something, you know a group of that caliber that's gonna be there filming. Yeah, that's gonna turn out pretty pretty sweet.
Speaker 2It's gonna be exactly what we're gonna. It'll be a nice little launch pad, oh.
Speaker 1Oh absolutely, oh, dude, friggin absolutely.
Speaker 2So we're gonna, we're gonna see what we can do with it, but of high hopes.
Speaker 1What's the plan after dead man Luau? Do you have any other shows coming up?
Speaker 2after dead man's luau, I'm going to the Maldives. And did I get the invite? You did not. I'm so sorry, I probably don't have the time off. I yeah, you got forced, oh yeah.
Speaker 1Don't promote.
Speaker 2Yeah, exactly, um, no, I did. I actually saw this opportunity to go out there on a boat trip with Some really, really talented surfers and I like there was like one spot left and I just snagged it. So that's rad how long you'd be out there for 12, 13 days.
Speaker 1Do you how we Okay, I'm gonna back up here. Where did you go again a couple months ago or a month ago, where we, at I, went to Costa Rica. You were there for a long time.
Speaker 2I was like 16 days, yeah, that was. That was incredible.
Speaker 1I wish dude.
Speaker 2I just go go, we'll go. Yeah, we'll go.
Speaker 1Well, the hard part is traveling with boards. Our size is, you know, I have a 10 footer. Yeah, that is. There's no way I'm putting that in airplane. Have you seen the videos on social media of how some of these airlines handle long boards?
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Do? There's one I saw he just dropped it down to the ground from like a second level. Yeah, I was a thrash him. Oh, yeah, yeah, I mean I looked at. I think I told you this look like the macaroni resort, yeah, something like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and I had called them because there's a few years ago I was gonna go I'm fortunate to cancel cuz some other stuff came up but I was messaging them Online and I asked them like hey, do you have boards rent? Cuz it's gonna be hard for me to bring like even a nine six.
Speaker 1Yeah whatever, and I could bring a mid-length. But, dude, how sick would it be to be right at your longboard, have you know? But they have boards there. They say, oh no, we got plenty of boards rent. Do your thing, it's made some full surfers. Yeah, yeah, you know so I Don't know that whole shipping surfboard thing. It's no ship of shoreboards, a nightmare.
Speaker 2I'm going to. I know it is a nightmare. This would be the first time that I'm traveling with my log, but like I am so excited to get on like perfect waves on my surfboard Right, like that's gonna make such a huge difference. So did you rent boards? No, on my last trip I actually was was given some boards to use. That's sick. Yeah, that was incredible. My buddy Matt Wignall Thanks Matt, he freaking Really dawned me out with some surfboards and my buddy Kyle showed me like all the zones, dude.
Speaker 1So you know, the cool part about that was was when I saw Sam made it up. Dude, I know last minute, oh my god.
Speaker 2How do I always miss? Out on this man. That was crazy. I was playing that set in the jungle and Like, literally like him and his buddies come out of the pouring rain and he's got his little like like you know, whatever, like MP3 or like MP4 camera, he's like dude. Well, you know, he's got that crazy. Look in his eye like he. It's like what's up? Man, I'm like Sammy boy, you know, just jungle reunion, you know.
Speaker 1I hope people get to meet Sam these days. He's such a rad dude.
Speaker 2He's the best he really is. He's good for many, many reasons but, like, out of all the videographers that I've worked with them there's been a lot of them. No shade to the rest of you Sam is just a like pleasure to be around and work with, like he's the like. He's like my. He's my best boy, you know. He's like my, he's like my, like my, my brother, you know. So it's like I don't have to worry about the camera. I don't have to feel like I need to like be a certain way. I get, I get really nutted up in front of cameras. Yeah, so it's like I just as we have one in your face, right now?
Speaker 1Well, I have my ukulele, that's that's what helps me.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's my.
Speaker 1This is like my like.
Speaker 2You know, you know, I so.
Speaker 1I've talked to you about the first responders. I don't hope yes, dude thing that I'm putting together it's March 8th, tentatively and Getting it's cool. We got professional musicians and usually you know I was doing music, always had the guitar for me, right, a comfort thing. And as time has gone on, I was like I'm not gonna play, I'm just gonna focus on singing.
Speaker 2Dang.
Speaker 1I'm gonna rock it with Mike dude, I'm going for it. I've been feeling that super hard dude, yeah, oh.
Speaker 2Just go, I'll be in there. I'll be in the good yes.
Speaker 1Yeah, I'll be, ruthie. It's, it's a comfort thing. Yeah, when you have, you feel like you have this barrier in front of you in the crowd, right, mm-hmm, and then you take that away. It's different man, it's totally different, but I've been feeling it like I'm just need to focus on the words and singing and getting people to engage and delivering them. Yes, dude, just going for it, right, so I might be practicing too, of my own, just without, just in front of the mirror, dude, yeah, oh yeah, no you got you, bro dude.
Speaker 2Like I was, I saw something about Michael Jackson, and His like notebook of how he wanted to portray himself and perform was like Forensically detailed. It was like, okay, like I like how Chuck buried dresses in this year, I like how David Bowie, like his drama from this year, like it's like all these like little, like ting, ting, ting, ting. And I was like whoa and like at the end of it it's like I will be the best in the world and it's like, okay, then he did like so.
Speaker 1What's almost to get to the level he was at. You have to be that way. Oh yeah, you have to be so in it, my goodness. You got to be detailed, or any. You can't just go in and say how to work out. I'm just gonna feel it like not right, I'm gonna be myself.
Speaker 2It's like no, you're not. Ain't nobody that cool man.
Speaker 1Yeah, oh, no, no, no, you know it's a fun. Another thing that I Was reading about gosh Taylor Swift. They're saying her concert was like three or four hours. Yeah, I was like how many songs is she singing? How do you do to keep your voice, your vocals, for that long? That is so impressive. Like I'm not, I don't listen to her Swift. When I read that I was like there's a reason. You're pretty much the best like you. That is Amazing, dude her.
Speaker 2Her concert tours are like shifting the world economy, like they're like I've never seen anything like that. I don't think we ever will. I think she's as big as it gets.
Speaker 1Yeah, when it was really cool to, when she was wrapping up her US tour, she gave all the truck drivers of the you know the stage, the gear. She gave my hundred thousand dollar bonuses. I'm like, dude, that's what I'm talking about. Take care of your people, that's how it's done. Yeah, it's like she wouldn't be performing and getting that stuff done if it wasn't for them, if it wasn't for people, say the little people. It's like, no, everyone has a part to play, everyone has a piece of pie. She wouldn't be there and that probably wouldn't be happening if those she didn't have that team and she's taking care of them. Like, how much hard are they gonna work for her? Want to come back, you know?
Speaker 2twice as hard? Oh, absolutely, and we'll be twice as down. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1Oh, big time, dude. Now, before we wrap this up, dude, I'm not gonna cause conspiracy theory thing here for you. You ready for this? I saw today that in Colorado, which I just came back from, these people there's like a group of people, there's a lot of them, and they have their cell phone and it's a really good video and they're up on the mound. Everyone's like look, look, look, full-on Sasquatch Walking across, huge dude, and it sat down. It was looking at him, everyone's freaking out. I was like wait a minute, dude, wait a minute. I, because I want I'll be real here. Okay, I want aliens to be real. I want Sasquatch the Yeti, like let's talk about this. You know I'm saying like let's make this real. What is your thoughts on that, bro?
Speaker 2I'm working on my Mitch McConnell. Yeah, that's rude, sorry, mitch. Anyway, dude, I I don't know, I don't know, I like I want to believe in all of it, man, like I like. So I'm a sucker for a good story. Okay, like you, me both. Dude, you know, if some Toothless guy comes up to me babbling about Sasquatch and how I just saw him right up the road, I'm gonna be like yo, everybody. This guy just saw Sasquatch, like let's go take a look. You know, like I'm in, like, if you can come in to me and you're like yo, dude, I just saw this crazy.
Speaker 2Yeah, man, it was right there, man, I'm like all right, like let's go, dude, let's go check it out.
Speaker 1He's like, by the way, you gotta get in my van or go to my basement.
Speaker 2Yeah, dude everybody get in, just take a hit of this. You know he hands up like some like it's like whoa, okay, you know, like and you know, so I'm in, I'm in on all of it, like I, and I do think it's a large, large place and this universe, so like, who's to say that you know anything's possible, man? I think the second we put limitations on anything, you know, that's that's when we stop becoming a thing in progress. That's a big part of like. My faith is like a friend of mine kind of recently exposed me to the Orthodox Christianity ideals. Okay, and I might be butchering this too, but you know a lot of it is like just understanding that we're all kind of a work in progress. So like when you apply that framework to everything, suddenly like decisions and like losses and an anger becomes less Meaningful because you're like, oh well, you know, like of course it's a blunder, like we make mistakes, we're in progress, type of thing.
Speaker 2Yeah so I, when it comes to the topics of like those, like far out things right, like I'm all in, like I think you know, I think there's totally viability for like different you know Dimensions of time and space, and like you know how our barrel receptors and all of our different nerves like Perceive things and like, who knows, dude, like maybe that was Sasquatch who knows, you know?
Speaker 2Or maybe with somebody in a big old suit, who knows right, I don't know who knows, I'm in on it, though I'm down to, I'm down to clown I, I love all that stuff and, like I'm, I truly believe in like, like the exchange of, like energy, as like how it relates to, like what you're attracting and what you're not. Yeah, so, like I think, if your heart and your soul and your mind remain open, like you know, you might see some crazier things in this life, like go figure.
Speaker 1So yeah, I mean, you know me, dude, I, I have my faith. I believe my creator. Am I the perfect, a perfect person? By no means people. I have my own issues. Okay, straight up with. Yeah, but I don't like just got a lot a lot of them.
Speaker 2I get it, I get well you.
Speaker 1To me it's just like, like you said, the universe is so huge. Yeah, I mean, and I read a few Every month ago how they're saying space is still expanding. Yeah, dude, it blew my mind. I was like, wait, what I do? My second Mitch McConnell impression here. Well, you know, it's really cool, that's so real. No, there's. It was From that same place where I read these articles about, like, science and space. It was really cool. I think it was about three years ago.
Speaker 1I don't kind of wrap it up with this, but it was talking about they brought up music and they brought up how you know playing, what we do, what we say. But it was saying how everything we do we're playing, music or even talking it doesn't just stop when it's in between you and I or the crowd that you're playing in front of. It continues on forever. Just like you look at the stars, how they relate the stars. There's some that are burned out. We're just seeing, because so far away we haven't seen it burn out yet. It's still traveling. It was saying how the things you put out in universe, when it comes to music and talking, it continues on. I do, for some reason. I thought that was so beautiful.
Speaker 2I was like man that is heavy and it goes and it gets like sticky. You know Like, so like you got to be careful what you're, what you're putting out. Oh, you know, friend, like dude, like you know what, if, what if you're driving along dude, and like what if you run over Sasquatch? You know like what if, like Sasquatch is like your roadkill now and like only Ruthie, bro.
Speaker 1If that happened, I couldn't handle it.
Speaker 2Side of the road like clothes ripped off.
Speaker 1I'm always talking about like, oh, aliens this, and did you hear that? And you know, sasquatch here, the Yeti, and it's like you say, well, what if it was you hit with your car? I don't think I could comprehend. About what would fishing game, do you think? Oh, here's the thing. I don't think it'd be fishing game. I think it'd be the government have to worry about. They'd be coming to your front door real quick, dude.
Speaker 2I mean, I don't know man, fishing game is aggressive dude, those guys are gnarly very, yeah, very, very gnarly. But did I tell you about my guys that freaking uh, that got arrested.
Speaker 1Oh my god, tell me.
Speaker 2Dude, it was so gnarly. I got a couple of these buddies. They're a little, you know, little little gnarly. They are fishermen and they were doing some fishing up and god, I kind of forget where it was. Like I want to say was, like you know, idaho or something like that, and they're driving out and, dude, they hit this, this bore, on the side of the road. Okay, so it's only not their fault, it just happened, not their fault, but they, they're fishermen, so, like they, they take this board of the side of the road. It's like squealing, like dying, you know. So they like they, they cap it and and take it into the bushes.
Speaker 2Six months later they both get served and arrested and like basically booked on illegal Illegal hunting for like, like poaching, basically how in the?
Speaker 1world? Did they know it was?
Speaker 2them the pig squealed. That's all folks.
Speaker 1I fed into that so hard.
Speaker 1That was my whole goal this entire time oh my god, wes, you are a good man, my friend. Thank you for coming on this podcast. I'm really excited for your future projects, not that, not even just the ones we're doing, but your music, your creativity. I Just want to encourage you, man, keep going. Thanks, buddy. You got to keep doing it. Dude, you have a talent, you have an ear for it. You never know what it can turn into. I always tell everybody just go for it. Do you have nothing to lose? You literally have nothing loose. You never know what could turn into.
Speaker 2I have no choice at this point. It's just something I'm doing. Baby, I love it FUN.
Speaker 1Yeah, so dead man's luau October 28th. You, I'm gonna be there. Wes, of course, is headlining. It's gonna be amazing cum.
Speaker 2That sounds terrible yeah 10% of proceeds goes to surface healing and the Maui firefighters Relief trust. So do it. We're doing doing 5% of proceeds to surface healing, which puts on Free surf camps for kids living with autism, and then 5% will go to that Firefighters trust for the Maui first responders who lost their home.
Speaker 1Well done, my friend, well done.
Speaker 2I love it.
Speaker 1Baby Wes. Where can people find your record that you have out records?
Speaker 2Just anywhere that you listen, look up West Chiller, join me on Instagram or any socials at West Chiller and, most importantly, go to West chiller comm and join my email list and I won't spam you, but I send you the important stuff.
Promotion of Podcast and Sponsorship Acknowledgements
Speaker 1So Facebook West Chiller. Yeah, instagram at West Chiller, uh-huh beautiful. Yes, sir, do it, babe, cheers. Um, at the end this podcast, we always do a let's go into, be ready, babe. Yeah, hit us a court, let's get in tune here. Just a court One, two, three, let's go. Bye everybody. Thank you so much for listening in. If you liked what you just listened to, please leave us a five star review on Apple podcast and on Spotify. Please follow us on YouTube, on Instagram and on.
Speaker 1Facebook. And a big shout out to Stephen Clark, our sound editor. He's a huge part of this team that is unseen. It's eight, nine barbers our first sponsor. Look good, it's feel good to be great. That's two locations Orange, california, and Long Beach, california. Book your appointment online eight, nine barbers dot com. Bye, everybody, you.
