Huston West
“Hi there! My name’s Huston, Huey if you like. I play banjo and sing songs, usually at the same time! Truth be told, I’d rather be busking…”
photo by Jay Outhier. Click the photo to visit Jay’s instagram.
Huston West
Philadelphia Based Musical Entertainment
Huston, though sober now, was called to the banjo after high school while on mushrooms and hearing the soundtrack from “oh brother where art thou”.
Playing clawhammer banjo with a very rhythmic and percussive core, he enjoys dusting off archaic old Appalachian tunes and reinvigorating them for modern audiences.
His originals retain the old time flavor with current day subjects such as sobriety, politics, bike lanes and Tommy Wiseau.
A friend once overheard a stranger in the audience comment during one of Huston’s performances “he sounds like he just fell off a turnip truck” and that about sums it up!
Giggity giggity gigs:
As always, if it’s tolerable weather-wise, I’ll probably be busking either the rittenhouse farmers market on saturdays, or the Headhouse farmers market on sundays. Or both!!
May:
🪕 Sat, May 9th 11:30-12:30 Roxborough Spring Festival on Ridge Ave
🪕 Sat, May 9th 3-4 pm Northern Liberties Spring Festival at Liberty Lands Park
🪕 Fri, May 15, 10 pm, screening of “The Room” with director Tommy Wiseau in person, Ritz 5 Theater,215 Walnut st. Going to play my song for him again and give him my album which he’s on and doesn’t know yet!
🪕 Wed, May 27th, 6:30-10pm, Wooden Shoe Books, 704 south st. There will be clowns, literary readings, poetry and music. Masks required. $15-20 NOTAFLOF.
🪕 Thur, May 28th Muppets Extravaganza/ Mose sober anny party at Grape Room in Manayunk! Doors 7, music 8. $10 cover, 21+
🪕 Sat, May 30th WEST PHILLY PORCHFEST!!! deets TBD
June:
🪕 Tues, June 2nd, 5pm, Bridge Music Series, Manayunk Bridge Garden
🪕 Fri, June 5th, 4-8pm Percy street First Friday in South Philly near Cheesesteak Vegas ™️
🪕 Sat, June 6th, 4-6pm happy hour at 118 North, Wayne, pa
🪕 Fri, June 19th, 8-11pm at Moonshine, South Philly
July:
🪕 Fri, July 17th, 7pm, Maidin (NYC) and others, Moonrose Vintage, 1112 Pine street
my merch store (click image below ⬇️)
tab for “you are my sunshine” and link for free tutorial video below:
A man in a wheelchair dances to me playing a Cat Stevens song and it was a lovely moment:
”The Ballad of Tommy Wiseau” played FOR Tommy Wiseau AND Tommy joins in!
In April of 2025, I had just written this song, and I saw that Tommy would be in Philly that month for the yearly screening and Q&A he does. I already had two gigs that afternoon and evening so figured I’d just go and play my song for him the following year, that way I’d have a year to play it and really have it ready. But one day at work I felt a strong calling to make it work and go to the screening and play the song for Tommy. And so I did! Three gigs, a train ride from the suburbs to west Philly and an uber to the screening. And when I approached Tommy in the lobby and asked to play him my song, he insisted “Promote yourself! Play in theater for whole audience!” So I went in and sat down as the theater filled up, a sold out screening. When Tommy came in to thunderous applause he called me up and this video is the result:
My cover of ”Undone In Sorrow” by Ola Belle Reed.
This is based off the Riley Baugus version of her song. It is such a beautiful and mournful tune I love to play. This recording I did in 2021, shortly after learning the song, has gotten some decent traction on youtube. I remember thinking “I wish I could experience the type of love this song expresses” being chronically single at the time. A few months later I was to meet Megan, the love of my life.
Sometimes when playing this song quietly at home or while out busking and closing my eyes, it can almost bring me to tears, thank you Ola Belle, for writing such a gorgeous tune; and thanks to Riley for his interpretation.
Busking Magic, 2011.
Back in 2009 I moved back to my mom’s in Philly fresh from a five month stint in county jail for DUI in Atlanta where I was living. While living at her place, and before getting sober in 2013, I would see musicians busking in the transit station when I’d go into town. Being unemployed (and unemployable) I took up busking myself. Eventually through busking and open mics I met my friend Russ, who’s seen here playing guitar with me. We would go on to start a band “the white cheddar boys” together ( later shortened to the cheddar boys in light of rising fascism and racism during the 2016 ascendancy of maga). This video circa 2011 of a young boy Matthew proudly showing off his Irish dancing skills, and is soon joined by a random young man. A group of strangers with lots of surface differences sharing a moment in passing, brought together in music and dancing. I thought about this moment for years and would tell people about it, and finally tracked down his mother Vicki from my Facebook contacts and asked her to send the video again.
circa 2011? We opened up for Biz Markie*
*well, my band “the white cheddar boys” played in the lobby for a New Year’s party for an ad agency where Biz was spinning records in the main room..
