Biography
Wes Dorethy is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter from Mountain Home, Arkansas. Known for his solo music as well as fronting the band Patient Eyes and being half of songwriting duo Dorethy & McGrath, Wes has an eclectic style drawn from a wide range of influences but centered with a focus on honest storytelling and heart-on-your-sleeve vulnerability. Sitting somewhere between the blue-collar honesty of country/americana and the raw emotion of rock/punk, he has carved his own way with his musical endeavors throughout the years.
For Wes it begins at an early age. His parents bought him a piano for Christmas when he was six and four years later his Grandpa handed down to him a violin and guitar. Quickly falling in love with this newfound ability of expression, Wes started writing, playing and listening to anything he could get his hands on. At 13 he was discovered by bluegrass group Blue Dogwood (Gwen Buege, Boots Walker) and began playing the local bluegrass festivals, coffee shops, and fundraisers. Four years later he began playing with local Folk-Rock band Coyote Union. As the band’s multi-instrumentalist and sharing half the songwriting duties (alongside bassist Jordan Finley), the group went on to tour nationally and internationally playing notable places such as Wakarusa, SXSW, Fayetteville AR’s Springfrest, House of Blues, Stubbs, Riverfest, Chuck Berry’s venue Blueberry Hill, and Europe. In addition they also recorded sessions with One On One and Daytrotter and opened for renowned duo Brewer & Shipley.
After Coyote Union’s disbanding in 2016, Wes took a break from playing live but soon started supporting singer/songwriter Troy Farnam on lead guitar. Together they have played places such as the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, AR and on Broadway in Nashville, TN as well as many private parties. In 2019 Wes contributed guitar, violin, and vocals on Troy’s record Things I Know and the two still play live together on occasion.
In the summer of 2018 Wes founded the band Patient Eyes with longtime friends Michael Lee, Jake Sunnerville, and Wyatt Conner. The group has cultivated their own unique sound over 2 EPs (Self-Titled and Lost Causes) consisting of elements from country, americana, rock, and punk music and bring palpable energy and sincerity to their live shows. Currently consisting of Dorethy, Lee, and Grant Hill, the Eye’s have performed at venues throughout the country and at events such as Red, White, & Blue festival and the Food Bank’s Bridge Bash. They are currently working on their first full-length record.
Stumbling upon each other by happenstance at a Make-A-Wish benefit concert in 2018, Wes and fellow songwriter/guitarist Larry McGrath started playing together every week at local resort and restaurant Whispering Woods. Soon realizing how well they played together the duo has gone on to play dozens of resorts, restaurants, and breweries. Most notably they have played the Tomahawk Charitable Solutions fundraising event at the City Winery in Nashville, TN and have also taught a songwriting workshop at the River Pretty Writer’s Retreat at Dawt Mill in Tecumseh, MO. The two have released a 6-track EP together titled Lost & Found.
In addition to Wes’s multiple projects, he also records and plays as a solo artist. In 2018 he released his debut EP We Only Burn So Long (mastered by T.W. Walsh) and in 2021 released a self-produced full-length record titled Shortcuts To The By & By. With plans to record a Christmas EP with Amber Sutton and another solo album in the works, Wes will be releasing more music soon and plans to tour extensively. Sign up for his mailing list to stay up to date on his different projects and where he will be playing next.