 He was then introduced to Frank Zappa in his first grade class, whose children attended the same school.At the age of 13, West performed in his band The Caterpillars at Johnny Otis' church alongside the iconic Los Angeles musician.His career then took off during his teenage years in the psych-pop underground of the 1980s while performing with Sky Saxon, Bryan Maclean and his band Threw the Lookinglass, who played opening sets for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone.