LegallyBlondo

I love Facebook! I love that it has re-connected me with so many people from my past, especially high school classmates. I graduated in the ’80s from a rather large school, considering the fact that it was located in the prairie lands of northeastern South Dakota. I was active in several extra-curricular groups, including theater. It was through this avenue, that I had a chance to perform with Joe West. Joe was MUCH more talented than I was. In fact, he went on to major in theater in college. However, I was unaware of the fact, that his first love was music. It is actually his music that has been his bread and butter in life. Once, I reconnected with Joe on Facebook, I started really listening to his music – and it has definitely grown on me.

If you are looking for mainstream pop, or even mainstream country, Joe is probably not your guy. Joe West’s music is more along the lines of indie country, bluegrass, and folk. If you like artists such as the very talented, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, you will more than likely enjoy Joe’s music, too. Joe spent many years in the Austin music scene with his popular band, Joe West and the Sinners. Eventually he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, which he actually considers his hometown.

Joe recently released his first official kids album. It is not your typical kids music, but rather it endeavors to give children an appreciation for folk music. I like that it shows kids that there is music beyond the more limited pop selections of Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, Jesse McCartney, and so on.

Joe West is actually involved in several music projects in the Santa Fe area, and he is on Frogville Records. You can buy his latest kids cd, If the World Was Upside Down at CDBaby. Joe also has several other cds available. My personal favorites are South Dakota Hairdo and The Human Cannonball.

Darryl Tonemah was another high school and college classmate. In addition to holding a Ph.D in Psychology and being a keynote speaker, Darryl is a very talented musician. In his professional music career, he usually goes by Tonemah. Again, his music is quite not mainstream. Tonemah’s music would most likely be classified as Americana / Folk Rock / Christian / Acoustic.

Tonemah, who now lives in Oklahoma, was awarded the NAMMY (Native American Music Award) in addition to others. He has also performed at the infamous Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His latest CD is titled Inkblots & Random Thoughts. I listened to this particular cd for the first time tonight, and I loved it! I like that his music comes across as very pure. Darryl doesn’t need a huge, overpowering band to back him up. I think that he knows that sometimes less is more. Some of my other favorite Tonemah cds include Welcome to Your Rainy Day and A Time Like Now. His music can be found on Gladiola Records.

Both Joe and Darryl are great storytellers. Each of their songs seems to have some kind of story behind them, in addition to strong vocal talent. You really should check them out!

Joe West’s Website

Tonemah’s Website