Les Weiss

Les grew up in a musical family, starting piano lessons at age 5 and has been involved in music in some capacity ever since. Achieving piano and theory certificates from the Royal Conservatory of Music he then went on to play and study arrangement in the Cosmopolitan Orchestra under the direction of Tommy Banks in Edmonton, Alberta. This started him applying his knowledge to other instruments and is proficient in many as well as being an accomplished arranger. He learned to sing by singing along to Beatle albums and anything else that came on the radio at the time. In high school he was fortunate to be asked to join a very popular local dance band and played every style one could imagine. After high school he spent the next 7 years touring all across Canada and parts of the US and UK in various bands both cover and original of various styles learning how to utilize his versatile voice as both lead and harmony vocalist. Whenever he came to Victoria he would play at the then great club Harpos, and fell in love with the city one winter tour looking out the window at the harbour after enduring the trip over the mountains through winter weather and vowed he would live here one day. He returned to Edmonton and recorded an album with the county rock band One Horse Blue with Texas producer Howard Steele where he learned and absorbed recording techniques. He partnered with others contemporaries in Edmonton to form M&M Recorders, a small recording studio and worked there producing many local artists and FM radio programs. Since moving west in 1990, Les has performed in various high profile groups. The Bucca Kings were a local staple of clubs, festivals and private functions through to 2010. Shaky Ground continues to be a stellar party/dance band who have performed for multiple municipal summer festivals, corporate events and many fundraising events including being the party band for many David Foster Foundation galas. He has also played on and produced many recordings including the “Young Guns” CD, working with young local talent along with Dennis Ferby of Oakstone Sound, “Take the Time” with local songwriter Niels Petersen and produced and played multiple instruments on “The Cal Batchelor Project” with the legendary Victoria blues man. He has performed at the Victoria Blues Bash and the Victoria Jazz and Folk Festivals numerous times and continues to play music in various configurations in everything from a coffee house acoustic single act to major theater acts.