Yesler | B2B Marketing

I’m excited to share that yesterday I started a new professional chapter in my life when I started working for Yesler, a 330 person strong B2B Marketing agency created by the folks at Projectline, based here in Seattle.  In short Yesler helps technology companies deliver predictable revenues, sustainable growth, and measurable results.

My role as VP, Integrated Marketing is an exciting opportunity to combine the digital marketing elements that I’m most passionate about into one role.  I will be leading the agency’s teams focused on Integrated Marketing Strategy, Paid Media, Anayltics, Social Media, Social Selling, Project Management and the Evidence and Reference Programs. All are ingredients of Yesler’s product offerings which include Research & Strategy, Content Marketing, Marketing Automation, Sales Enablement, Customer Engagement and Marketing Analytics.

After holding some senior roles at a few agencies now I took some time making this next step in my career.  One of my friends and mentors Mr Eric Weaver, (now the Chief Social Officer at IPG Mediabrands and a former colleague of mine at the social media agency Spring Creek Group) once said to me that one should consider following abundance when selecting which agency to work with.  His words definitely played a part in my decision because abundance means that the agency is onto something, that they are winning clients and keeping them, and when you look at Yesler’s clients – Amazon, Google, Mindtree, Salesforce, Citrix , SAP etc it really speaks well to the fact that this agency has some serious talent who are focused on delivering what others can’t.

Beyond abundance I was also taken by their culture.  Located in the Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower, Yesler has some fantastic people doing great things in the world.  As a nonprofit founder I was drawn to their extensive volunteer program, their philanthropic contributions and overall desire to improve the community they live in.

Lastly, as many of you know another passion of mine is music.  Yesler produces a monthly in-agency, house-concert-like series of live music performances called the Mill Street Sessions.  They’re stripped down songs by Northwest artists which are video recorded to help promote the bands.  Right up my alley…

So here I am, excited part of a new team and looking forward to accepting new learning and new people into my life.  If you’re interested in anything Yesler does please don’t hesitate to contact me through this site.  Here we go…

View of Seattle from the top of the Smith Tower

If you haven’t heard of Seattle band Ivan & Alyosha, my guess is you’re about to hear a lot about them.  Their folk-pop, harmony rich, full length debut album titled “All The Times We Had” drops next Tuesday 2/26, and it’s receiving a lot of praise.  I’ve had the album for a couple of months and I love it.  My tip is that they, along with Pickwick, will be the next bands to successfully rise out of Seattle’s very healthy music community and take their places along side recent Seattle success stories like The Head and The Heart, Allen Stone, and Macklemore.

Ivan & Alyosha are about to get big and it couldn’t happen to a nicer crew of guys.  Over the past two years I’ve had the opportunity to get to know them personally, largely due to the fact they’ve headlined two “Gigs4Good” benefits for the nonprofit I founded, Team Up for Nonprofits, and I’ve also helped them out with their social media strategies.  My take away from my time with them is that the term “nice guys” really applies here.  For further proof, they have also streamed multiple live performances to sick kids through the Melodic Caring Project.  I’ve had a great opportunity to witness first hand their growth musically, and as a marketer and former band manager, these guys really get me excited because they have all the ingredients for success!  They’re very talented – their harmonies are sweet (proven by their numerous acoustic performances), they work hard, they’re professional and committed, their shows are fun, and they’re not ugly… like I said, I’m wearing my marketing hat here.

Here’s a few indications that others agree with me…

• ESQUIRE included them in their list of “Top 15 Artists To Watch In 2013
• Starbucks have them as “Pick Of The Week” this week (2/19)
• PASTE Magazine named them in their list “Best of What’s Next”
• NPR featured their upcoming album in their “First Listen” series week of 2/11
• iTunes have them listed in their “Editor’s Choice” section
• Amazon web spot features their track “Easy To Love”
• KEXP hosted them live in studio today (2/20)

And if that’s not enough, publications such as RELIX, PASTE and MTV Buzzworthy have collectively likened their harmony infused music to legends like Fleetwood Mac, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and The Head and The Heart.  Big praise for a band putting out it’s first full length next week.  For those in Seattle, you should catch the bands Album Release Show this Saturday night at the Showbox Market, a show made even better by it’s supporting acts, Kris Orlowski (one of my previous Band’s of the Week) and the up and coming Smokey Brights.  Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.  If you’re not in Seattle the boys will be performing across the US and Canada all of March, April and into May.  Click here for show dates near you.

As usual I’ve selected three of my favorite clips to show you… enjoy!

Many of you have seen tweets of Facebook posts from me about Kris Orlowski over the past two years.  You may have also read my “Band of the Week” post about him here on my blog.  If you have, hopefully you have checked out his music, but if you haven’t please let me introduce his latest work to you.

Today, Kris and the incredibly talented violinist and composer Andrew Joslyn (who also plays with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and is featured on their latest chart topping album “The Heist”) released a new EP titled “Pieces We Are” and it’s already making a move on iTunes, where at the time of writing it sits in the 13th spot on the Singer-Songwriter charts.  The tracks on this EP are nothing short of luscious, the combination of Kris’s lyrics and Andrew’s compositions are a feast for the ears.  I know this first hand, as on Saturday night I watched them perform songs from the EP at both of their sold out shows at The Triple Door here in Seattle.

To say I’m fans of these two guys and this EP is an understatement, so I’m going to ask you to help to move this independent release into the top 10 and hopefully the top 5 on the singer/songwriter charts by clicking here and buying their EP.  But I’m not asking you to do this for the reasons you think.  Yes I’m a fan of their music, and yes I’m pretty good friends with both of these guys, but the reason I’m asking you to buy this EP is to pay them back for what they have done for our community.

As most of you will know I founded a nonprofit called Team Up for Nonprofits which produces music events called Gigs4Good to raise funds and awareness for other great nonprofits in our community while allowing them to continue to stay on mission, in other words, keep helping those in need.  Both of these great guys have played multiple times for Team Up and supported our community while doing it, raising thousands of dollars and great awareness through their talents.  Knowing them both as I do, I think they probably won’t be super comfortable with me promoting their great work through Team Up or the numerous other benefits or causes they have supported, but given that bashfulness, I think it’s even more of a reason for me to speak up.  These guys have helped our community, so how about we as a community help these guys get the attention they deserve, lets tweet and post on Facebook our support for them, their music and show them how much we appreciate what they have done for us.

Like, share, tweet and all the rest of it if you are with me… #PiecesWeAre

I’ve been looking forward to bringing back my Band of the Week column because I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you the music of Noah Gundersen.  In fact I’d say his EP titled Family, released in August 2011, has been my favorite album of the winter.

Noah and I have met and briefly chatted a couple of times but I’m yet to have the opportunity to really get a sense of what makes him tick.  But I am looking forward to that opportunity as it’s evident that there is a lot to this quietly spoken and prodigiously talented musician.  Hailing from a musical family (his sister Abby Gundersen, plays violin and sings vocal harmonies on the EP) it seems music is in their blood.  On his website Noah says about his EP, “Family comes in many forms.  It lives with us, for better and for worse. It shapes us. Thats what this album is about.”

I don’t know about you but the theme of family and it’s ensuing ups and downs is entirely relatable so I connect with this EP, it’s a haunting reminder of what’s real.  It succeeds by blending light with dark while delivering depth and gravity that keeps on drawing me back.

The folks at FX’s hit series Sons of Anarchy agree, as they selected two songs off “Family”, the title track and “David”, to appear on Season 4 of the series.  With this exposure and some national tours with larger artists Noah is building a national following that seems to outweigh that of his hometown Seattle.  I think this should, and will change as Seattle realizes this talent amongst them.

I’ve posted a few of Noah’s clips below as tasters.  Noah’s EP, Family is available here and his tour dates are available here.  Enjoy!

So I may have stepped down as President (see my previous post), but I’m not going to slow down in terms of promoting and supporting the nonprofit I founded. Next Thursday night (4/12) we have a line-up playing at Team Up‘s Gigs4Good benefit for Seattle Works that I’m really excited about.  In light of that I thought I’d share some videos with you to inspire you to come and see these great bands and support two of my favorite Seattle nonprofits.

Enjoy the music below and then make sure you buy tickets to the show and join me at The Hard Rock Seattle to have a great night seeing live music for a cause.  But don’t dilly dally, this is one of our fastest selling Gigs4Good benefits ever and we sold our last show out so buy your tickets here to not miss out!

First up will be my friend Kevin Long who’s one of those people who you could listen to all day long.

Second is Yuni In Taxco, a band who will be great fun to see live, they give it all and aren’t afraid to experiment.

Headlining are the very talented lads from Ivan & Alyosha, these guys have been doing really well lately, something Brandi Carlile agrees with as sh’es played a bunch of times with them.  Team Up have been after these guys for a while and I’m really excited about having them play for you guys, I think you’ll really like them.

Please note that since writing this piece Lemolo sold out their 6/29 CD Release Party (in 11 hours) and have added a new show on 6/30.  The ticket link below is still valid but tickets to this second show will not go on sale until 10am Monday April 9th.

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Finally some details about one of Seattle’s most anticipated debut albums emerged today.  On their blog, local band Lemolo announced that the record release party for “The Kaleidoscope” will be at The Columbia City Theater on Friday June 29th.  Tickets for this sure-to-sell-out release party go on sale this Thursday April 5th at 10am and can be purchased by clicking here.  My tip is to get in very early or risk missing out on what will be a memorable night.

Back in September last year I featured Lemolo as my very first Band of the Week after seeing them perform their much talked about set at the thoroughly enjoyable Doe Bay Festival.  In the past six months the two ladies have also played The Dave Matthews Caravan at The Gorge, Bumbershoot, City Arts Festival & most recently at The Treefort Music Festival in Boise Idaho, and all of this after supporting The Head and The Heart on tour.   Make no mistake, this band is on the up and up.

If you’ve never heard or seen Lemolo before, here’s a taste… (and don’t forget to buy tickets to their show, I guarantee you won’t regret it!)

For those who follow me on Twitter or Facebook or read this blog you may already know that I’m a big fan of a guy called Kris Orlowski.  I am definitely not alone as he has a growing legion of fans that stretch across the country.  Tomorrow night, Wednesday, November 23rd, Kris will play the Tractor Tavern to launch his third (and best) release, a four track EP titled Warsaw released today.

I’ve known Kris for about a year and a half, he was first brought to my attention as a possible candidate to open for one of Team Up‘s Gigs4Good benefits.  After seeing him play and meeting him it was pretty evident that Kris was embarking on a journey and not just playing gig to gig.  Months later Kris headlined the most successful Team Up benefit to date, selling out The Triple Door in support of Climate Solutions.  In my mind, his performance that night was a turning point in his career, he simply nailed it.  His cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” performed in the middle of the crowd captured hearts.  Fortunately it was also captured on video for us to all enjoy again and again, it is posted below.

Since then, Kris has gone from strength to strength, from playing Bumbershoot to finding the right guys to play in his band, everything he does sees his journey progressing in the right direction.  Being a friend of his I see how hard he works, and it has inspired me to help out where I can, but the truth is I’m a fan, pure and simple.  Warsaw is beautiful, it is definitely Kris’s best songwriting and a big step forward for guy who is truly going places.  Get on board folks, buy Warsaw here for just $5 and grab $8 tickets to Wednesday nights show here.  You won’t be disappointed.

FYI Kris will be joined at his CD Release show by the Smokey Brights and the very talented Hot Bodies In Motion.  I hope to see you there!

So you have probably read my babble about how much I enjoyed my first Doe Bay Festival this year and if you were one of the lucky ones who also attended you will be right there with me remembering the majesty of the weekend.  If you weren’t at Doe Bay you are probably by now sick and tired of hearing about it.  What everyone who attended agrees on, is that it was very special, and with that in mind there are a group of folks who are trying to make a documentary that will attempt to capture what sets this festival apart.

The trouble is they need more money.  That’s where you come in.  This documentary has the chance to showcase an impressive list of Pacific Northwest talent to a big audience… like the rest of the world!  The type of exposure a good documentary could bring to the bands featured could make a big difference, bands like The Maldives, The Head and the Heart, Champagne Champagne, Ravenna Woods, Lemolo, Cobirds Unite, Damian Jurado, Tony Kevin Jr., Fort Union, John Vanderslice (SF), Campfire OK, Brian John Appleby, Keli Schaefer, Pickwick, Sarah Cahoone, Mash Hall, Don’t Talk to the Cops, Fly Moon Royalty and Ben Fisher.

The producers of “Welcome To Doe Bay” have started a Kickstarter project and they need to raise $8,500 by Dec 10. They currently have $3,493 after my $75 contribution.  Every little bit will count so if you have an interest in helping document Doe Bay because you were there, or you’d like to help a film that is showcasing great local talent, click here and donate what you can…

And because I know you guys like a teaser…

For the fourteenth year Grammy Award winning composer and Seattle native Mateo Messina has composed a world premiere symphony to benefit uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.  ‘The Last Wonder of the World” will feature John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, South Africa’s Civil Twilight and local gal Vicci Martinez who was a finalist on NBC’s “The Voice“.

You have to respect a man who has given up his time and talent for fourteen years to help children who’s families don’t have the money to afford the care they need.  Even more impressively, with this years proceeds, Mateo’s Symphony Guild will have raised over $1 million for uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.  This man is someone we should truly get behind!  One little fact about Mateo that you might be interested in… Mateo scored the film Juno for Jason Reitman, an effort that earned him a Grammy.

As I’d love this event to be a sell out I have a pair of free tickets to give away to the person who helps me promote this event the most!  Simply promote this blog post in your tweet or Facebook post, then cc or tag me in your post… or write your own blog post about the event and let me know through Twitter and Facebook.

“The Last Wonder of the World” takes place this Friday, November 4th at Benaroya Hall.  The night starts at 6:30pm with cocktails, a silent auction and raffle ticket sales with the curtain rising at 8pm.  Tickets range from $40 to $60 and are available at the Guild’s website www.thesymphonyguild.org or by phone at 206 215 4747.  Get a group of 15 or more together and you can grab a discount by calling Benaroya Hall ticket sales at 206 285 4818.

So far my “Band of the Week” posts have featured Seattle artists, but this week I’m breaking that trend and bringing you a little taste of the music scene from the place where I grew up; Perth, Australia.  The first Aussie act I’d like to share with you is Felicity Groom.

Before I talk specifically about Felicity I have to let you in on a little secret.  I’m a real sucker for a gal that can sing with style and attitude.  I love strong female vocalists who aren’t afraid to leave it all on the stage and commit to their music without hesitation.  Given that, one night in 2006 I fell in love with one Felicity Groom.  Here’s how it went down…

A friend introduced us at a festival event, explaining that Felicity was a great singer recently back from London.  Felicity looked me straight in the eye with a kind of uncomplicated confidence and a big grin and then whisked off to enjoy her night.  I remember thinking this girl has charisma, and made a mental note to check out her next show.  So off to the legendary Hyde Park Hotel I went a couple of weeks later wondering whether this gal could deliver on stage.  Folks I’ve seen a lot of music and I can’t remember ever being more blown away when seeing someone for the first time.

When Felicity takes the stage you have to be ready to take a ride with her and to celebrate the beauty of a woman who isn’t afraid to sing the line; “I would like to take you home tonight!”  Ridiculously talented and sexy in equal parts I think I walked out that night giggling like an eight year old school boy who had just held hands with the cute girl at lunch break.  When I got over that all I wanted to do was call her to ask if I could manage her!  Instead, I ended up moving across Australia, leaving my little music management/booking business for stunning beaches, hippies and dancing in drum circles… but that’s another story.

Since that night in 2006, Felicity has been on bills with great Aussie artists such as Tim Rogers, Paul Dempsey, Sally Seltmann (who co-wrote the song “1234” with Feist), Sarah Blasko and Tame Impala, but the recorded releases have taken their time coming out.  She released an EP titled “Treasures” in 2009 which featured the single “Criminal” (video below), and is due to release her debut full length album “Gossamer” on 11/11/11.  She has already released two singles from that album being “Finders & Keepers” & her current track, “Siren Song” both posted below.  You can download both songs by clicking here.  Let me know if you enjoy… I’d love to bring Felicity to Seattle so your comments might provide inspiration!

Siren Song

Finders & Keepers

Criminal