George West delivers new EP with no fear
Vik Montemayor — who records atmospheric, soulful electronic music under the moniker George West — says an oft-repeated phrase from his childhood spurred much of his ambition.
“I remember as a kid my dad would always say
‘No tengas miedo’ — Don’t be scared. It was a simple saying that still resonates in my head. He would say if you really love doing something, go all in and be the best in the world,” Montemayor says.
“My dad has been the biggest teacher to me in all this, and without my mom giving me that push, I wouldn’t be here.”
That sense of personal history informs much of Montemayor’s work. His new EP, “Palmetto,” boasts a quartet of lush tracks that paint vivid, droning soundscapes. Intro track “Say Hello” calls to mind Frank Ocean and Miguel.
The new EP title, “Palmetto,” comes from a street name in Houston where it all began for Montemayor’s parents. The family split time between Houston and Doctor González, a small Mexican town between Monterrey and the South Texas border. The name George West comes from a small town in South Texas the family would pass on those road trips.
“My grandparents bought a house on Palmetto Street, and that is where my parents first starting dating, then later on got married young, not knowing where life would take them” Montemayor says. “My parents lived in a small, detached apartment for a bit when I was a newborn.
“They shaped me into what I am today. They let me be creative, funny and weird, and they never judged me for it. My parents would find ways to buy me used gear to drum, even if it meant cutting back on things that were more important. My mom would even let me play drums in the house while she watched
novelas (soap operas). “Come on, what Mexican mom would allow that?”
Montemayor, who turns 32 Sunday, says he’s also inspired by the works of electronic musician Shigeto, Mexican indie-pop singer Carla Morrison and James Blake.
He’s also the drummer for dreamy electronic act Bang Bangz.
“Being in the studio with Bang Bangz, when we first started, that is what gave me a fresher idea on electronic music,” Montemayor says. “With George West, I dove in pretty deep. Everything goes hand in hand.”
The bulk of “Palmetto” is filled with ambient electronic sounds, to be sure. But Montemayor incorporates field recordings taken on his iPhone, everything from voicemails to an oven timer to “the dopest clicks and chimes at Marshall’s while my wife shops for random things.”
He released “Silverio” in 2015 but calls this a more polished effort.
“My music does not fall into your typical pop, rock, indie genres of music, so it’s tough to explain what I am creating. But people are slowly catching on,” he says. “It makes me feel very weird, but a good weird. I get goosebumps when I hit those right notes. It has made me adventurous, getting out to nature more and connecting with energies that help create this music.”