Joe West and the Sinners was one of many alt-country bands in Austin, Texas in the late 90s. It was more offbeat than most, though, with songs about dream tractors, chasing UFOs in Roswell, and NPR-listening trailer park liberals. The band's 1998 album, Jamie Was a Boozer, was acclaimed by Austin critics as a masterpiece and one of the best CDs of the year.
Joe West and the Sinners played in clubs and bars from Texas to South Dakota before imploding and band members going their separate ways. Jamie Was a Boozer fell out of print as Joe West recorded other albums, including his 2011 release, Aberdeen, S.D., a collection of songs about the town where he graduated from high school. But one of West's Aberdeen friends has just re-released Jamie Was a Boozer on the Baby Black Panda label.
Joe West was also a theater major at the University of South Dakota. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where his current band is the Santa Fe Revue. He created The Theater of Death, a company performing his original dark horror/comedies.
West joined Dakota Midday and shared the stories behind the Jamie Was a Boozer.