The kick-off concert in February 2014 for the Ghost Light venue in the Columbia Theatre
peaked with aperformance by West Without, an indie rock band.
The photo features (From left to right) Derek Deblieux,
singer, songwriter and guitarist; Johnny Sheets, drummer;
Raine Landry, the now former lead singer; Alex Holeman, bassist and
Dane Monic, singer and guitarist.
The Lions Roar / Allison Crady
Last semester, the Columbia Theatre began a successful “Ghost Light” concert series for local bands to entertain the Hammond community. This semester, the venue will continue, bringing back popular bands such as West Without.
Fans of West Without may notice a shift in the band’s direction: Raine Landry, former lead singer for the group, has parted ways with the band.
“To put it simply, things don’t always work out the way you plan,” said Dane Monic, guitarist for West Without. “We had an idea in mind, and it didn’t quite pan out the way we’d envisioned. It worked and was very unique and cool for some things. We’re all proud of what we did as a five-piece, but we all agreed that for the long-term, it would be better for all five to go off in separate directions.”
Her departure left Landry with no hard feelings. She cites the decision as a visionary one, not a personal one. She praised her former bandmates for their musical talent and offered well wishes for their careers.
“The thing about music and the wacky world of entertainment in general is that there are no set guidelines,” said Landry. “Each artist has the right to their own vision, and that isn’t really a matter of right versus wrong. People come together. People drift apart. The guys have as much motivation as they do talent, so I don’t think they should have trouble building a career for themselves in music.”
The indie rock band will return to the Ghost Light venue Thursday. The band promises a diverse performance of many rhythmic colors.
“We try to walk this line of fun, memorable and entertaining without compromising the things that are important to us as artists and musicians,” said Monic. “You can expect to experience some high-energy moments in our set, but the show is designed to be dynamic. Some parts are very quiet with only a few things going on, while others can be very intense and chaotic. We want to have fun with our audience, and we want to engage them by offering up different types of emotion/energy throughout the night.”
West Without is now made up of singer, songwriter and guitarist Derek Deblieux, drummer Johnny Sheets, bassist Alex Holeman and Monic.
“I had been working on demos and looking to start a new project when I met Dane and Alex,” said Deblieux. “They liked the songs I had, and we pretty much jumped right into the studio with a friend of mine filling in on drums. About half way through recording the first EP we met Johnny, and he was interested in becoming our full-time drummer. We ended up redoing most of the tracks with him on drums, and the band was formed.”
While the band moves forward with fresh ideas, Landry is focusing on furthering her own musical career. Though she is optimistic about her new pursuits, she is still adjusting to performing without her former bandmates.
“As for now, I’m really enjoying writing and the behind-the-curtains stuff,” said Landry. “It only gets weird when I get up on stage.”
The decision to part ways was made several months ago, and the band is excited and motivated to move forward in a new direction.
“We’ve been more focused on what’s in front of us,” said Monic. “We feel our music/performance/product is at the best it has been since the project’s inception.”
West Without is hoping to release their second EP early next year. For updates on the band’s progress, fans may check their Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.