By Adam Renn Olenn

May 21, 2014

Deni Hlavinka and Chris West had never met at Berklee, even though they’d been collaborating for years. These songwriters found each other online and mailed half-finished mp3s back and forth to finish each other's songs.

Together, they make up the Western Den. At Berklee they added musicians to the lineup, and perform regularly with Tim Reynolds on violin and Ro Rowan on cello.

Their EP Battle Hymns was released in 2013 and was followed by Midwinter, an EP which raised more than $1,000 for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

They opened for Melissa Ferrick on the Northeast leg of her national tour. This summer they’ll be gigging regionally, including a featured performance at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops, and working on their first full-length album.