A Tribute to Wes Wehmiller

From News Archives

WesFest 2006

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Photographs by John Wehmiller and Mitchell Rose

The first annual WesFest, A Concert To Benefit The Wes Wehmiller Scholarship at Berklee College Of Music, took place at The Gig in Los Angeles on February 16, 2006. It was a gathering of friends, family, and loved ones for a night of music and celebration of the life of Wes.

The event was a great success, raising over $10,000. for the scholarship fund, and living up to Paula Wehmiller’s exhortation to Wes’ friends to “carry it on,” so that Wes’ memory would live on for those who knew him, and even for those who didn’t. That’s what WesFest is all about - sharing Wes’ musical life with others to raise money for a deserving student to someday attend Berklee, and have the same opportunities Wes and his friends had to express their musicality to their fullest potential. The organizers of WesFest and the Wehmiller family would like to thank everyone who contributed to the event, either by buying a ticket to the show, making a non-ticket donation to the fund, or helping to organize the event in any way. We look forward to making WesFest an annual celebration, and invite your participation in any way you can contribute to the event’s ongoing success.

Backstage at The Gig in Hollywood, CA, between set changes during the first annual WesFest. Top, left to right: John Wehmiller, Rick Musallam of SMUG, Abe Wehmiller, Mike Keneally, Peter Gordon of Berklee College Of Music. Bottom, left to right: Bryan Beller, Paula Wehmiller, Kira Small.
The four-hour inaugural concert featured seven acts, all of whom were touched by Wes’ music (he played with just about everyone on the bill), photography (his pictures were used in the album artwork of many of the acts), and spirit. We would also like to thank each of the performing artists for their generous donation of time and talent by recognizing them here, and providing a link to their websites so you can get an idea of what Wes’ musical world was like.

Dan Rockettwww.danrockett.com

Left to right: Dorian Heartsong (drums), Dan Rockett (vocals, guitar), Marc Brunner (bass).

Ali Handalwww.alihandal.com

Ali Handal (lead vocals, acoustic guitar)

SMUGwww.smugband.com

Left to right: Rick Musallam (guitar, vocals), Sean Daniel (drums), Bret Helm (bass, lead vocals)

Bret Helm of SMUG

Kira Smallwww.kirasmall.com

Kira Small, with drummer Toss Panos in background

Left to right: Dawn Bishop, Jude Crossen and Tristana Ward (backing vocals), Toss Panos (drums), Kira Small (lead vocals), Bryan Beller (bass), Griff Peters (guitar)

Touchedwww.touchedmusic.com