Meet Lee Briante | Musician – Bartender – Father

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lee Briante and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lee, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In regards to The Far West, there wasn’t a whole lot of looking at it as starting a business! We started it as a creative pursuit , and that’s what it is, but somewhere along the line we had to start conducting certain aspects of it as a business. Taxes, touring, accounting, contracts, making / selling T-shirt and merch etc. I’m not gonna lie and say I’m really any good at that, or that I enjoy it very much, but at the level we are at, we have to wear a lot of different hats, A LOT.

When I filed a fictitious business name as The Far West, it was to cash checks from venues that wouldn’t write me a personal check, so I had to start the DBA. So in terms of looking at that as the start of the “business” , it was to cash checks, that was the thinking .

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My creative pursuit is music. Right now I’m excited about my bands new album (The Far West – Everything We Thought We Wanted) coming out in September. We started it back in 2015 or so. It took us ten years to get it all together and finish it off. Lost hard drives, raising a family, Covid, the Eaton fires …all played into that timeline, but somehow we kept our goal in sight and finally finished it. We’re very proud of it, and we wanted it to see the light of day. So we kept taking little steps in the right direction, and eventually it got done.

The bands been playing music for almost 15 years. Anyone in the music world will tell you it’s a challenge these days. There’s very little money, it’s a difficult world to carve out a career in. . We’ve just always kept moving forward because it’s an itch we have to scratch creatively. It’s not even a choice. I know we’re in it for the love of creating, because there certainly aren’t any many other spoils. Any challenges that popped up along the way, we just dealt with them. Figured out solutions in the moment. Having the brotherhood of a band is really helpful, that support is critical. I’ve also learned to let go of control a bit. When you’re in a band with other creative people who have ideas, you aren’t going to be right all the time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When I first moved here from NY in 2007, any friends who came to LA , I’d take them up to Point Dume to just park and look at Bob Dylan’s house and try to pick up some vibes. My car at the time was a 1988 BMW convertible I had gotten for $1200, so it was always a great drive up the coast with the top down. We’d stop at Neptunes Net and have a beer and food and head back to mid-city.
When I moved to Los Feliz , I lived across from the Dresden and would take any visitors there to soak up as much Marty & Elaine as possible. I lived above Figaro Bistro, we’d often just hang up there on the roof and throw little parachute men down. Simple stuff A hike up the observatory and back down to Ye Rustic or drawing room.

These days, as a father with less
time for socializing then I used to have I’m a bit out of the loop. If someone comes to visit , I might just give them a list and tell them “check this stuff out, see you when you get back”.

Here in Highland Park we always want to hit Belle’s , Bub & Grandmas, Dunsmoor and Queen’s. When my dad comes to visit he can usually be found at the Hermosillo outside. These days I try to keep it local , less inclined to drive up to try to catch a glimpse of Bob. I’d send someone who had never been to LA to Koreatown too. I’d have to show them the vibrant country / Americana scene and take them to a Grand Ole Echo on a Sunday for sure !

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife Georgia has given me unending support and encouragement for over 15 years. Back when I was too afraid to sing in public, she gave me a big push to try it, when left to myself I never would have, I was more comfortable playing as a supporting player back then. That ended up with me meeting Robert Black (co-founder of The Far West). Robert was well established in the LA country scene here, the fact that he was willing to throw in with me/ his belief in me , had this kind of convincing effect on my own psyche . That also applies for Aaron and Brian from the band. Sometimes, if I get a flash of self doubt cold sweats on stage, I think to myself, ‘these guys are incredible musicians, if they are excited to play with you , maybe you’re not as awful as you think.’ Imposter syndrome can wash over me even in the middle of a song, and looking over my shoulder to see these guys, there’s a support there that’s grown richer over the years. I know they have my back.

My parents of course, who have always encouraged my itch to perform; from rec center children’s theater productions as a kid to listening to me stumble through Pearl Jam and Phish songs on a cheap guitar and amp we got off my brothers friend in my pre-teen and teen years. And my Aunt Elaine, who bought me my first decent acoustic guitar in high school! My son Aldo also encourages me when I get a bout of stage fright, though he does not like “boring cowboy music”

Website: https://Thefarwestofficial.com

Instagram: @the_far_west

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-briante-63765635

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/user/TheFarWestband

Other: Spotify :
https://open.spotify.com/artist/16akqvzsDp3Pno4XeSZFiF?si=Urp_3inhTceEhhqkp2edFA

Image Credits
Molly Perez
Mary-Alex Andrusco (Citrus Fruit Snaps)