Billy’s exact words were ‘Arlo, you gotta move to Austin Texas!’
Arlo also toured and recorded with members of Johnny Winters band, members of Black Oak Arkansas and has even played with Mick Fleetwood!
To say that Arlo has learned his craft would be an understatement!

Arlo is joined in EL VATO by Colin Wilson (Bass) and Paul Bonney (Drums) from the acclaimed, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, where they have played together for the past ten years in some 15 countries worldwide. Rhythm sections don’t come much tighter!

EL VATO play a dynamic mix of original material and cover versions – often a surprising blend of styles from straight out Rock to gentle Country; from Soulful Blues to Texas ‘flat tire’ shuffles – guaranteed to please any fan of good time music.

EL VATO rehearsals involve Trans-Atlantic multi track file swapping through cyberspace! Colin & Paul rehearse to recordings sent by Arlo and vice versa - a very modern way to rehearse! New songs are even written and recorded this way. Each member adding his parts to the multi tracks, and digitally sending them on to the others.

EL VATO are currently working on a debut album and plan to perform at select venues in 2008. Like they say, if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well – and this band is building things slowly and solidly from the ground up.

I have played with a few cats in my time, Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughan), Rob Lamothe and Mark Danzeisen (Riverdogs), Bobby “T” Torello (Rainbow, Black Oak Arkansas), Uncle John Turner (Johnny Winter), Tico Torres (Bon Jovi), Eric Singer (Alice Cooper, Kiss), Ron Young (Little Ceaser), Dave “Snake” Sabo (Skid Row) and the list goes on and on……….

While touring Sweden in 2006 I was approached in a little pub in Stockholm. The gentleman asked "Are you Arlo West?" to which I replied "I sure am" the guy went on to say "I saw you play in Stockholm 20 years ago at Pipeline!"

Having played in Sweden for so many years has created a network of friends for me. One very good friend of mine, (and Colin’s it turned out) Trons, told me about one of his favorite bands “The Australian Pink Floyd Show.” He emailed saying that they would be playing in Portland Maine and that I should go and see them. That is how Colin, Paul and I met for the first time.

I told Colin that I would be going to Sweden for a short tour and that maybe he should try to come over and visit Trons while I was there so we could jam. Well that was it for us we decided to start the project that has become EL VATO.”

Today Arlo is also the President/CEO of Creative Forensic Services, LLC a forensic audio and video investigation company. He has aided law firms, police and civilians investigating cases all over the world. His expertise and reputation has ranked him as one of the top 10 forensic audio and video experts in the USA. His company Creative Forensic Services is located in Auburn, Maine. Several magazines have interviewed him about his involvement in solving high profile homicide cases and he has worked with ABC, The Dr. Phil Show, CNN and many others.

Arlo was also an audio engineer at the Dallas Sound Lab in Texas. His work there was as interesting and included assisting with the Grammy award winning band “U2” and the Oscar award winning “Titanic” soundtrack to name but two projects.

Arlo West has recorded over 14 albums and many of those were recorded at the Dallas Sound Lab with some of the recording industries best. Tim Kimsey engineered many of the best recordings that have come from those sessions and his talent for capturing and mixing that Texas Blues Rock style was integral in West’s success.

Kevin Kimball: president of the Maine blues society wrote:

“When Arlo West straps on a six-string, he personifies the term “guitar slinger”. One of Maine’s most respected blues artists with long-standing popularity both here and Europe, Arlo plays bare-knuckle Texas blues with a take-no-prisoners attitude.”

 

It was during this period of the 1970’s that I was exposed to bands like AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Skyhooks, Kevin Borich Express, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and the Ted Mulry Gang amongst others. Along side these were the international acts making a mark on the Australian market, particularly Status Quo who were huge in Australia and were one of my early favourites.

As well as this, my brother Andrew, a couple of years older than me, started buying records by Queen, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and many more, and this had a big impact in our house (thanks bro!). Previously the best available record had been Neil Diamond’s ‘Hot August Night’ which I still have, albeit on CD, to this day.

One of the concerts that I was fortunate enough to see in Adelaide was Stevie Ray Vaughan. I loved his style and showmanship. His announcement at the beginning of the show;
‘Hello Adelaide, sister city’, has stayed clear in my memory ever since. I was fortunate enough to see many other acts too including ZZ Top – another long time favourite of mine.

Inspired to take up the guitar myself, my early band experiences were of parties and small pub gigs. A lack of suitable bass players in the area meant that a change to bass was soon taken, and I’ve never looked back. For me the thrill of being in a band has always been the interaction between bass and drums. That moment when it all locks in together is magic and sends the hair up at the back of my neck to this day. Next time you listen to Led Zeppelin, try and focus in on John Paul Jones and John Bonham – pure magic!

Having been in many many bands of various quality, I find myself a member and co-owner of The Australian Pink Floyd Show – the most successful tribute band in the world. It has allowed me to travel the world and make a living as a professional musician for the past 15 years – a fact of which I am truly thankful - and it has enabled me to make some really good friends around the world including the eminent photographer Trons in Sweden, and of course Arlo West. It also introduced me to Paul, who I have been playing with for the past 10 years in what we refer to as 'The Engine Room!'

I live in England now with my wife Wendy – my soul mate in every sense. We share our home with our two cats, Matilda and Monica and three cockatiels Dolby, George and Millee and they are all rescues. Matilda came to us after a nasty accident with a truck – she was never claimed by anyone so we stepped in to make sure she got the care she deserved, and she repays us daily! Wendy and I are strict vegetarians, and we won’t buy or use any products which are tested on animals, or contain animal products. I can’t understand the need to still use these antiquated methods and ingredients in this millennium and I think that vegetarians are the next stage in human evolution. Nuff said!

EL VATO represents for me a new opportunity to play the kind of music that I love best with two guys that I admire as players. It is a chance to play songs that we love, and to write music together in the style that we love. For me EL VATO is a band – not a business, and that is very exciting!

 

Black Keys, Ground Hogs, Egg, The Beatles, The Who, John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davies, Herbie Hancock, The Allman Brothers, Bert Jansch, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Early Genesis, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd...These are just a few to mention; the list is endless!

“I absolutely adore my hobbies, one of which is watching Manchester United – who as a Salford native are my home team. I am Red all the way through! I go regularly to the match with my son Jack, the buzz is amazing and watching my lads face light up when they score is a memory for life!! Playing snooker with my dad is another; he just can't get enough of that sport and I also enjoy hacking my way around a golf course. And not to mention DRINKING, each one of my hobbies involves that at some point!!! Ha ha.
I spend most of my time with the future wife, Karina, and the kids, Jack and Katie. They are absolutely mad. Jack is a keen footballer and Katie does ballet and tap dancing; she has also just learnt the bass drum and snare drum pattern to 'Shine on you Crazy Diamond' and she's only 4yrs old! Karina is the maddest of all. They are all brilliant!!”

I started drumming at the age of 5 in a tiny marching band. I started to progress through high school listening to big band jazz, mainly Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa and Max Roach. I then studied music at Salford College University for three years, before joining The Australian Pink Floyd, playing in big bands and listening to lots of jazz and rag time bands. I then got
introduced to Zeppelin, Floyd and Peter Greenbaum. That was it, I was off …

Drum wise I have just recently been endorsed by Bucks County Drum Co. which is a new company from Philadelphia, with the owner Chris Carr. The drums are outstanding, which I’m obviously gonna' say! They have that old Ludwig acoustic sound about them, which is lush. They sound huge and the bass drums I have are 24" deep x 22" which are like cannons. The finish is champagne sparkle. I also have Bucks County and Ludwig black beauty snares, Zyldjian A Custom cymbals and DW hardware and pedals. I also have a deal with Pro Mark sticks thanks to Mick Reece.

EL VATO is such an exciting project. When Colin asked me if I’d be interested, and played me some of Arlo’s recordings, I nearly bit his hand off!!! This is gonna be fun

The statements and views within these bios are of the individual and not necessarily of the whole band

©EL VATO 2007