Music saved the life of Lake Babine Nation musician Joel West and he plans on using this new-found time to help others facing the same troubles he did.
West, 30, is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic who is exercising his guitar skills and gruffly voice to document his time in the trenches while seeking a greater footing in the music business. He is also a life-long Burns Lake resident who wants to help his downward spiralling friends find a new and healthier approach to living each day.
"Being in the party scene and interacting with people, I don't need that anymore because I have myself and I'm starting to love myself again," said West, noting his dream is to one day play in a stadium and open for one of his blues rock idols. "Now I've got offers to go to Nashville to record, offers to go to Vancouver and record and I have to work around my [work] schedule, but things are starting to work. They're starting to happen."
This reality almost didn't occur, as seven months ago West felt the urge to give up on his now nearly two-year-old sobriety. A seminar at Choices in Abbotsford, a series of sessions that teach attendees the tools of forgiveness and love for oneself and others, helped him lean in his present direction and also helped him quit smoking after 18 years.
West said like many others he felt like he had an empty tank that needed filling up again and that is what Choices or Alcoholics Anonymous or counselling helps give people. He said the knowledge to remain confident gained through attending these sessions along with his natural ability to be a shoulder to lean on is giving his peers who are going through a rough stretch a chance to seek him out for a natural pick-me-up.
"People fail at a lot of things, but the real winners are the people that come back and keep trying," he said. "I'm doing my best to work as hard as I can to show people if they've got a dream they've got to push for it."
An EP (extended play album that is longer than a single and shorter than a full-length) featuring West's original song Shine My Way as well as a few covers from his favourite artists such as Buddy Guy, Merle Haggard and Ray Charles is the next stage of the local artist reaching his goal. West said people are always approaching him asking if he has any CDs for sale, so to appease his fans he'll be heading south soon to record his first album.
"Always people ask on Facebook, a ridiculous amount of people, 'you got a CD,'" said West. "Well, not yet, [but] I'm going to make some soon and that's where it's going to start."
If anyone is looking to find out more about West's music they can look him up at his Joel West Tunes group on Facebook and if a venue is in need of a performer they can contact West's manager Nick Erickson also through Facebook.