Will West & The Friendly Strangers

Will West and the Friendly Strangers create a fusion of folk, bluegrass, pop, jazz and other wonderful weirdness. The son of a fiddle player, Will West grew up in rural eastern North Carolina. Inspired by his parents’ vast record collection, he began playing guitar when he was 11 years old, first finding a love for old-time blues and heavy metal.

In 2002, he loaded up his guitar, his dog and a handful of original tunes and moved to Portland.  From his humble beginnings busking on downtown sidewalks and exploring open mics, Will West has been on a steady rise in this rich Northwest music scene.

Nowadays, Will is joined by a collection of stellar musicians called The Friendly Strangers. Together they create a signature blend of modern folk, bluegrass, pop and groove elements. Will West & The Friendly Strangers’ live shows can be wildly different from night to night. They perform in a variety of trios, quartets and larger-band line-ups for special events.  The band is currently wrapping up their highly anticipated studio album called Transitions, due for release in fall 2019.  

Whether they're performing for crowds of thousands at a summer music festival, rocking a raucous wedding celebration or playing for a handful of quiet listeners at an intimate house concert, Will West and company create a sweet vibe and energy with their friendly sounds. 

Will’s band has started getting into the NW Festival Circuit with recent performances at Wildwood Musicfest, Juniper Jam, Pinefest, Brewcamp & Manzanita Music Festival. They've shared the stage with Ryan Montbleau, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Vintage Trouble, The Lumineers, Fruition, Dirty Revival, Scott Pemberton, Cascade Crescendo, Poor Man's Whiskey, The Druthers, Lewi Longmire and many more over the past 8 years.