Biography
Bob Dylan. Doc Watson. Pete Seeger. Wes Leslie.
It sounds like Wes Leslie should be a folk singer, but that alone doesn’t make him one. No, it’s his roots, his family story that led him on this journey. Inspired by romantic tales of his great-grandfather hopping trains to come out west, and with a beat-up acoustic that his mother taught him how to finger pick, Wes took off to find California and follow his family tradition. But you can’t hop freight trains that easily today.
You see, post-9/11 America is a different place. The economy might be in the same place, but after train-jumping nearly got Wes physically thrown off once or twice and threatened with arrest another time or two, he took to the equally unpredictable (albeit slightly less illegal) travel means of hitchhiking. Sure, the trip was slow and had a few detours, but that’s what made it great. San Francisco wasn’t waiting for Wes Leslie, and it was only on the road, meeting real people, that Wes could have found his voice as a folk singer.
So he’s finally made it to San Francisco. Wes’s uncle mailed him the family banjo, and the secondhand stores still sell old LP’s for fifty cents a pop. There’s an old expression, to go west, and it refers to something being destroyed or lost. But in this case, going West has nothing to do with going west. At least, not for Wes.
###
Wes Leslie and His Deadly Medley is a communal folk band from San Francisco comprised of Wes Leslie, Jordon Jo, Ted Davis, Tyler Akers, Tim Rottenberg and Cayla Harris. The band values include those of cooking together, playing non-competitive pool, matching outfits, sharing meals, enjoying quality beer and much laughter.
Alumni and occasional collaborators of the Deadly Medley include Cornelius McMoyler, Reese Kolar, Roxane Moaveni, Chloe Mier, Shayna Rader, Kristyn Poehner, Kady Moore, Jesse Lemme Adams, Muriel Schneider, Joanna Morris and Derek Schultz.
To join the Electronic Mailbox Present Club (updates and exclusives, plus the password to enter Best Friends With Wes Leslie) or to simply say hello, contact weslesliemusic@gmail.com
