West Coast Soul

We completely understand that music is a huge part of your event (in fact, our clients often describe music as the single most important element). If you're reading this right now, the question you need answered is, basically, why us? Bottom line, this band's goal is to bring an unparalleled level of professionalism and a truly unforgettable performance to your event. Of course, that's easy to say. Well, the great news is that our efforts have been reflected in the faces of our clients, their friends, and their families. Most relevant to you, however: at the end of the day, your reception is not 'just another gig' for West Coast Soul - the band rallies around each of its performances, creating a truly special atmosphere that we hope will not soon be forgotten. This is part of the reason we often stay in touch with our clients after their big day: we develop close relationships with them from planning to performance; once the big day arrives, we revel in providing the celebration that you've had in mind all along, and so much more. It's what we love to do, and what we do best!

West Coast Soul is a passionate collective of musicians from the Los Angeles area who assembled for one purpose: to create unparalleled musical performances featuring the best modern music ever made. West Coast Soul is comprised of not just the best of Southern California, but some of the region's and country's most amazing young musical talent.

Our vocalists:

~~~ Kenton Chen: You may be wondering if you recognize his face. Well, you may be right! Kenton gained national attention as music director and founding member of The Backbeats, 2nd runner-up on Season 2 of NBC's The Sing-Off. Throughout his career, Kenton has shared the stage with artists as Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Stevie Wonder, and Natalie Cole, opened for Ben Folds on his Lonely Avenue tour, and privately coached a range of clients from internationally touring bands to students at Musicians Institute.

~~~ Whitney Wood: Whitney is another up and coming star on the L.A. scene. She has appeared on the GRAMMYS, singing for Nikki Minaj, American Idol, X Factor and the BET Celebration of Gospel. Whitney sang lead and back up for Internationally known rapper, Childish Gambino's album “Camp” and sang for him at Club Nokia. She also has recorded with Jarell Perry, Marques Nelson, Aaron Encinas and has also sang backup for well known artist/producer Jacob Luttrell.

We want to make sure you are aware that WCS loves all genres of music: from modern rock to classic swing and everything in between. If you’d like us to stick with a specific genre or decade, let us know. Also, we know that you may have some special requests for first dances, last songs, or “just because” – if this is the case (even if the tune seems obscure or outside our wheelhouse) let us know! If we don’t know it, we’ll learn it! We’ve learned everything from Irish folk tunes to 80′s hair metal for our newlyweds, and it’s always been a blast.
We want to provide our clients with as much value as possible. That being said, we’re more than happy to provide a cocktail/dinner hour consisting of vocal or instrumental jazz, DJ’d music on our breaks, and MC services (making introductions, directing the flow of the evening in a manner you prefer, interacting with guests, etc). Finally, a number of West Coast Soul’s members are classically trained in case you are looking for a more traditional combo or ensemble for your actual wedding ceremony prior to the reception.
We pride ourselves on being a flexible band that will adapt to changing circumstances and special requests. We want you to know that we’ll work with you in these circumstances. Typically this is what makes events like this fun for us. Every performance we give is special, and we want you to feel that way as much as we do!
Finally, it’s important to mention – we understand that hiring us is a significant financial commitment for you and your family. We want to work with you to arrive at a comfortable situation, so please feel free to talk openly with us about your budget. Bottom line – we are musicians who love to play music and want to work with you from a financial standpoint! Let us know what we can do to ease the process for you.