Unexpectedly Good Music on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica

Sometimes you discover cool, new music where you least expect it. When I was shopping at Old Navy on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica earlier this evening, I was literally drawn out of the store by the soulful, acoustic music I heard being played outside the store's entrance. That is where I found John West who, within minutes, had acquired a substantial-sized crowd of interested holiday shoppers.

John West, a Baton Rouge native, seems to have already started making a name for himself in the music industry. He's made several music videos, he has over 30,000 fans on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/johnwestsongs) & he's played shows at popular Los Angeles venues like The El Rey Theater (my favorite LA indoor venue) & The Roxy Theatre on Sunset (where he has another show coming up on 1/23/10). Yet he still plays for free regularly on 3rd Street in Santa Monica because all this guy really seems to care about is spreading the joy of good music.

Check out some footage from one of John's springtime appearances on the Promenade:




If you like what you heard, go see John West at The Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard on January 23, 2010: