True West is a guitar band, often considered part of the

Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owin ...

. Singer Gavin Blair and guitarists Richard McGrath and

Russ Tolman Russ Tolman (born August 15, 1956) is a singer-songwriter who came to international attention in the 1980s as guitarist, songwriter, and producer of True West, a band associated with the Paisley Underground. Early life and career Tolman was ...

are the nucleus of the group.

History

Origins

Originally from California's

Sacramento Valley , photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg , photo_caption= Sacramento , map_image=Map california central valley.jpg , map_caption= The Central Valley of California , location = California, United States , coordinates = , boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...

, True West were contemporaries and friends with

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

bands such as

The Dream Syndicate The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the b ...

Green on Red Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen psy ...

Rain Parade The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012. History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86) Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...

Thin White Rope Thin White Rope was an American rock band fronted by Guy Kyser and related to the desert rock and Paisley Underground subgenres. The band released five albums. Origins The band was formed in Davis, California, during a period spanning 1981 and ...

, and

The Long Ryders The Long Ryders are an American alternative country and Paisley Underground band, principally active between 1982 and 1987, who have periodically regrouped for brief reunions (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016). In 2019 they released a new studio album � ...

. From 1979 to 1981, Gavin Blair and

had been bandmates in The Suspects, a

Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...

-based band, with a pre-Dream Syndicate

Steve Wynn Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...

and

Kendra Smith Kendra Smith (born March 14, 1960)Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, is an American musician who was a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist. Biography Afte ...

. In 1981, Tolman joined a band in

called The Meantime, which included Sean O'Brien, Rick Gates, and Kevin Vanderhoof (now Kevin Wilkins). The Meantime released a 7" self-titled EP with three songs, one of which was produced by

David Gates David Ashworth Gates (December 11, 1940 – January 5, 2023) was a American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts i ...

of the band

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

. The Meantime changed its name to True West later in 1981, at Tolman's urging. O'Brien left True West in January 1982, and apart from Tolman, the band had changed personnel completely by the time they recorded True West's first single.

Recording career

True West first gained attention for their guitar work in 1982 with a cover of the

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

song "

Lucifer Sam "Lucifer Sam" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, featured on the band's debut album ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' (1967). Music and lyrics The song is built around a descending riff, with the dominant instrument being composer Syd ...

," creating a psychedelic effect by placing the same song backwards on the B-side, titled "Mas Reficul." True West soon came to the attention of music writers in the East Coast, U.K., and Europe as part of the West Coast neo-psychedelic movement dubbed the

. However, the twin lead guitar interplay of McGrath and Tolman distinguished them from other Paisley groups. Their 1983 self-released five song EP, co-produced by

and

, enabled the band to tour the U.S. non-stop, coming to the attention of

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

guitarist

Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey and ...

, who took them to upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Bearsville Studios Bearsville Sound Studio was a recording studio founded by Albert Grossman in Bearsville, New York, west of Woodstock in 1969. History Albert Grossman, who was the manager of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, first arrived in Bearsville in 1 ...

to record demos for

EMI America EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s, EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which later ...

. More attention from the music press followed with True West being singled out in the March 29, 1984 ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine feature entitled "Rock & Roll Rookies: Ten Bands You'll Be Hearing From Soon." September 1984 saw the release of the band's first album ''Drifters''. While not as gritty and psychedelic as the band's debut (which by this time had been re-released as an eight-song

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

called ''Hollywood Holiday''), ''Drifters'', with its folk-rock influences, was dubbed "guitar poetry" by Rolling Stone scribe David Fricke. Other 1980s luminaries started noticing the band, such as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, who passed along the word after one

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

show that he was greatly impressed with guitarist McGrath's lyrical leads. True West landed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in April 1985 amidst what the U.K. music press had declared "The American Invasion," which had been kicked off a few months earlier by the arrival of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

Suddenly, England couldn't get enough of American guitar bands and True West made the front pages of the big three music publications of the day: the ''NME'', ''Melody Maker'', and ''Sounds''. Several major labels came courting with talk of production by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...

(U2, XTC), but problems with their work permits did not allow the band to make scheduled appearances on

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

and other British TV that would have pushed them over the top and into the arms of a waiting major, unlike other Paisley Underground bands. After a successful tour of the European continent, the band returned to the U.S. to write and prepare to record their third album. However, as soon as they were home, R.E.M. invited True West to join them for the 17-date western U.S. and Canada portion of the Athens combo's 1985 ''

Fables of the Reconstruction ''Fables of the Reconstruction'', also known as ''Reconstruction of the Fables'', is the third studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on I.R.S. Records on June 10, 1985. The Joe Boyd-produced album was the first recorde ...

'' tour. Playing venues such as Seattle's Paramount Theatre, L.A.'s Greek Theatre and Irvine Meadows put True West in front of the largest audiences of their career.

Breakup

Two years of constant touring and several disappointing close brushes with a major label recording contract had taken their toll on the band, and True West called it quits in the summer of 1985. Tolman started a successful solo career and the band decided to reform without Tolman shortly after and go on to record and release their third album ''Hand Of Fate'' the next year. However, in 1987, bassist Kevin Staydohar (who had also been a member of Central Valley pioneers

) died of a heart valve infection. In the following years, guitarist Richard McGrath was a member of

Wall of Voodoo Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and ...

frontman

Stan Ridgway Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original le ...

's band and joined singer Gavin Blair to release two albums as The Fool Killers, which released a collection in 1989 called ''Out Of State Miracle''. Russ Tolman recorded eight solo albums, the most recent released in 2019.

Reunion

True West reformed in 2006, with original members Tolman, McGrath, and Blair, along with new members drummer Jim Huie and bassist Ian Barrett and began to tour for a series of concert dates, continuing several times a year through at least 2009. On June 5, 2007, Atavistic Worldwide/Touch And Go Records released ''Hollywood Holiday Revisited'', a CD collection of True West's first two albums ''Hollywood Holiday'' and ''Drifters.'' A concert DVD called ''The West Is History'' (2011), which contains a five-camera shoot of a 2007 live performance from the House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA, plus vintage video from a 1983 San Francisco performance and a 1985 Nuremberg, Germany show, was released on January 24, 2012, by Atavistic Video (distributed by MVD). In 2009, True West played at a festival in Norway called Down On The Farm, which also featured

. The band released the 3CD set ''Kaleidoscope of Shadows: The Story So Far'' on their Bring Out Your Dead label in 2021. It contains all three of the band's studio albums, including for the first time on CD ''Hand of Fate''. Also included are six demos from 1985, bonus tracks from the ''Hand of Fate'' sessions, along with many live recordings of the band. It was compiled by True West drummer Jim Huie and noted author and reissue producer

Pat Thomas (musician) Pat Thomas is a San Francisco-based musician, music journalist and compiler of music reissues. Compilation Thomas was the founder in 1988 of Heyday Records. He later moved on to Water Records, and currently compiles reissues at Omnivore Rec ...

Discography

Albums

* ''Hollywood Holiday'' (1983, New Rose & 1984, PVC/Passport) * ''Drifters'' (1984, PVC/Passport) * ''Hand of Fate'' (1986,

CD Presents David Ferguson was an American international outsider-culture impresario, activist, music producer and concert promoter. Over his career, most of which has been spent on the West Coast, he worked with musical acts such as the Avengers, John Ly ...

)

Reissues

* ''Hollywood Holiday Revisited'' (Atavistic, 2007) * ''Kaleidoscope of Shadows: The Story So Far'' 3CD (2021, Bring Out Your Dead)

EPs

* ''True West'' – 12" 33⅓ (1983, Bring Out Your Dead Records)

Singles

* "Lucifer Sam"/"Mas Reficul" (1982)

Videography

* ''The West Is History: Live at The House of Blues'' (DVD, 2011)

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Alternative rock groups from California Musical groups from Davis, California 1981 establishments in California 1987 disestablishments in California Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1987