Jason Dea West at his family’s farm in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

I recently traveled to the family farm to meet with Jason Dea West, and see where his story started. Jason is one of my old pals, we’ve checked in with him at various times over the years. Hopping trains with Benjamin Tod (https://youtu.be/wwxAqeSMc0k?si=O7Hk3pzQt7nYDzMi) and stopping at a random truckstop and playing for Vietnam vets (https://youtu.be/3N9l5_48atc?si=IO2bVmt3RDsTRRGC). Jason has always been salt of the earth, one of the good ones, and now, after seeing where and how he grew up, I understand why.

His childhood home is still occupied by family, now his sister Nora and her son live there. I got to see the bedroom he slept in, the furniture he carved his name in, and the basement the neighborhood kids jammed in with their mohawks and punk songs. I went to the family farm his uncles still work tirelessly, with their cattle and fields. He even took me to the truckstop on the edge of town where his mom still serves tables.

For this video, we recorded live in a historic theater in town. I mixed in a bunch of footage with Jason running around the farm, life at the house with Nora’s family, playing in the theater and some old historic footage from the era/area. The result captured the vibe of Jason’s current chapter in life, I think.

Check out more from Jason, including his vinyl, on preorder now;
https://honeybabyrecords.com/products/pre-order-louella-jason-dea-west-double-lp?variant=49967924117733

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Written by GemsOnVHS