Yellow Bird Project (often abbreviated YBP ) is a company that collaborates with indie bands to raise money for charity, primarily through the sale of T-shirts. They approach indie bands, asking them to choose a charity and submit an original design. Each design is then printed onto T-shirts and sold exclusively through the YBP website to raise money for the charity of the artist's choosing. Some of the bands which they have collaborated with include Andrew Bird , Bloc Party , Bon Iver , Broken Social Scene , Devendra Banhart , and The National . Over the years, the company has diversified to include book publishing, album releases and film projects.
25-525: In 2016, UK based charity Trekstock took over the management of the project, enabling all funds to be raised for one cause—young adults living with cancer. As part of the move, the project was rebranded to Merch for Good by Trekstock. In 2009, Yellow Bird Project published The Indie Rock Coloring Book , an illustrated tribute to indie rock bands, with a foreword written by Pierre de Reeder of Rilo Kiley and testimonials from Matt Berninger (of The National ) and Russell Lissack (of Bloc Party ). To promote
50-607: A 7" Christmas album, "Wishing for a Christmas Miracle with the Micah P. Hinson Family". The record includes covers of " Silent Night " and "Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)", a song originally recorded by John Denver for his 1973 album Farewell Andromeda . On April 14, 2015, YBP released a covers compilation, titled: Good People Rock . The album features 10 exclusive recordings of YBP bands covering other YBP bands, including Andrew Bird , Elvis Perkins , Hayden and Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ). The album
75-584: A feature-length documentary, A Matter of Time , about Kathryn Calder (of The New Pornographers ) and her mother's battle with ALS . The film was distributed by Kinosmith in Canada and by First Run Features in the USA. Pierre de Reeder Rilo Kiley ( / ˈ r aɪ l oʊ ˈ k aɪ l i / RY -loh KY -lee ) was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles , California. Formed in 1998,
100-580: A go; I'd be open to it. I think it was fun—for all of the pitfalls, it was great. I had a great time in Rilo Kiley. I always did." A month later, Sennett told AOL Spinner: "I said, 'Fuck that, I can't do this anymore.' That being said, it was probably immature and came from a place of ego. I think that stuff will rear its head in anything you do, depending on the personnel you surround yourself with; things change over time [ sic ], and people change, and relationships change." In February 2013,
125-501: A human being ... hmmm ... he's probably laying on his back in a morgue with a tag on his toe. Now, I see movies where the dead get up and walk. And when they do that, rarely do good things happen." In June 2011, when asked about his "corpse" comment and whether Rilo Kiley was indeed dead, Sennett said, "I never say never. I loved Rilo Kiley—I loved writing with Jenny. I think she's a great artist and great to write with. I think we're not there yet. Maybe one day we'll dust it off and give it
150-455: A name, and we thought we'd use that for one show then change it, 'cause who'd want that name? Who can remember that anyway?" In 2005, Sennett told the teletext magazine Planet Sound that the name came from a Scottish athlete. On a 2005 episode of the MSNBC entertainment show MSNBC Entertainment Hot List , the female host stated that the name came from "old Scottish sports almanacs." In
175-457: A solo career, Jenny Lewis has enlisted the help of drummer Jason Boesel for percussion on studio recordings. He was also part of Lewis' live band for her 2019 tour. On the syndicated radio show Loveline in August 2005, Sennett explained that he had a dream in which a sports almanac was chasing him: "When it got me, I leafed through it...and I came upon an Australian rules football player from
200-579: A t-shirt, which was designed by de Reeder for the Yellow Bird Project to benefit the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund. In a 2010 interview with Paste , Jason Boesel said the band was taking a break but working on a compilation of unreleased songs. He also said there were no plans to release a new album in the near future. In an April 2011 interview, Blake Sennett said, "I would say that if Rilo Kiley were ... hmmm ...
225-489: Is an American musician and actor who served as the lead guitarist for indie rock band Rilo Kiley , as well as the lead singer/lead guitarist for his alt-rock side project the Elected . Until 2017 he led Night Terrors of 1927 with Jarrod Gorbel . In addition to being a musician, Sennett was a teen actor, appearing on the television shows Salute Your Shorts and Boy Meets World . As an actor, Sennett originally went by
250-483: The 19th century named Rilo Kiley. It's kind of embarrassing." When asked by co-host Drew Pinsky if he had ever seen this name in reality, Sennett said, "I don't think so, I don't think that character exists...If you Google 'Rilo Kiley, ' you will just come back with a lot of pictures of us." On how this imaginary name became the name for the band: "I wrote it down on a blotter, an office desk when I woke up, and, I don't know, I came back to it when we were trying to think of
275-615: The Blacklight was released August 20, 2007 in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. Its first single is "The Moneymaker". For the video, the band cast "real-life porn stars," which Lewis says were told they were auditioning for "softcore porn." The second single is "Silver Lining." On September 6, 2007, the band began a North American tour in support of Under the Blacklight . On this tour, it
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#1732780055508300-813: The Blacklight . Rilo Kiley performed their first concert at Spaceland in Los Angeles in January 1998. Their debut EP, Rilo Kiley (later reissued as The Initial Friend EP ), was released in 1999. In 2000, Sennett and Lewis played fictionalized versions of themselves on ABC's drama Once & Again , with the band also performing "The Frug" on the episode. The band signed with independent label Barsuk Records for its first full-length album, Take-Offs and Landings , in 2001. The band later signed with Omaha's Saddle Creek Records and released The Execution of All Things in 2002. In 2004, they released More Adventurous on its imprint, Brute/Beaute Records, which
325-459: The United States or Canada. However, it was released in 2001 in Europe as a Region 2 DVD. This version contains Sennett's original score, as well as the song "Go Ahead," written by Sennett and Jenny Lewis in 1996. The song was included on Rilo Kiley 's first LP , Take-Offs and Landings (2001). Sennett has remained good friends with Maguire, Ethan Suplee , and Scott Bloom since the making of
350-649: The band announced a collection of previously released rarities and unreleased material, titled Rkives , to be released in April 2013 on DeReeder's label, the Little Record Company. In a 2014 interview with the National Post, Jenny Lewis confirmed the band had officially broken up. In April 2015, Blake Sennett joined Jenny Lewis and her band on stage at Coachella for a performance of the Rilo Kiley song " Portions for Foxes ." Since embarking on
375-415: The band consisted of Jenny Lewis , Blake Sennett , Pierre de Reeder , and Dave Rock . The group released their debut album Take-Offs and Landings under Seattle -based independent label Barsuk Records in 2001. After that, they released three additional studio albums and several EPs . In 2007, they were signed with Warner Bros. and subsequently made their major-label debut with the album Under
400-451: The book online they created a collaborative group drawing game called 'Color Me Indie'. They also organised 'The Indie Rock Coloring Book Tour' with live shows and coloring events in book stores across San Francisco, New York and Montreal. As a follow-up publication, YBP released 'The Indie Rock Poster Book' in 2011. Both books (published by Chronicle Books ) are intended to raise awareness for their initiative, its contributing musicians, and
425-713: The charities which they support. In 2013 YBP self-published a poetry zine, entitled 'Selected Poems by Indie Rock Stars', featuring original and exclusive artwork, poetry and prose from musicians such as Aidan Moffat , Elvis Perkins , Emmy the Great , James Yorkston , Johnny Flynn , Joseph Arthur , Keaton Henson and Robyn Hitchcock . To promote the zine, they created a microsite where you can sign up by email to receive 6 poems in 6 weeks. The microsite also has an area where you can listen to poems as you read them, with dictations from Aidan Moffat (of Arab Strap ) and Natalia Yanchak (of The Dears ). In December 2013, YBP released
450-523: The early 1990s, when Sennett was in high school, he played drums in a band called the Caustic Truth. Future Rilo Kiley bassist Pierre De Reeder was his bandmate. Sennett was kicked out of the band, and the remaining members kept his drums. In 1996, he composed the score for the film Don's Plum . Lewis was the female lead in the film. Because of a lawsuit brought by stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire , this film cannot be distributed in
475-455: The early to mid-1990s, Sennett appeared in television shows primarily marketed toward teens. During this period he ended up playing two big supporting roles of Ronnie Pinsky on Salute Your Shorts and Joseph "Joey the Rat" Epstein on Boy Meets World . After Salute Your Shorts was canceled and his role on Boy Meets World was written off, Sennett switched gears and began to focus on music. In
500-480: The following interview segment, Sennett stated, "We just looked in there, and the name of one of the star players from the turn of the century was Rilo Kiley." In an interview published in Q magazine in September 2007, Sennett stated that Rilo Kiley is named after a character he'd met in a dream who had predicted the date of Jenny Lewis' death. Blake Sennett Blake Sennett (born September 22, 1973 )
525-487: The names Blake Soper and Blake Swendson . Sennett was born Blake Sennett Swendson in San Diego. He attended La Jolla High School with his future Rilo Kiley bandmate Pierre De Reeder . He met Rilo Kiley bandmate Jenny Lewis through Tara Subkoff in 1993. The two formed the band in 1998 and dated for several years, until ending their relationship after the release of The Execution of All Things in 2002. In
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#1732780055508550-768: The summer and fall of 2004. The album spent late 2004 high on Billboard ' s Heatseekers Chart and was promoted with appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live! . The band opened for Bright Eyes on the international leg of Conor Oberst 's tour for 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and was the opening act for the North American dates of Coldplay 's Twisted Logic Tour in Fall 2005. "I Never" and "Ripchord" (from More Adventurous ) have been featured in several feature films, including Must Love Dogs , Conversations with Other Women , and John Tucker Must Die . The band's fourth album Under
575-406: Was distributed by major label Warner Bros. Records . The band later signed directly with Warner Bros. 2004 saw a great increase in recognition for the band, as Sennett and Boesel released an album with their band The Elected and Lewis sang backup on The Postal Service 's Give Up . Lewis toured with The Postal Service before heading out on two tours supporting Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous in
600-538: Was joined by Orenda Fink (of Azure Ray ) and Kristin Gundred (of Grand Ole Party and Dum Dum Girls ). The group was also known for its charitable contributions, particularly to the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund, in honor of the late singer and friend of the band. Sennett and Lewis participated in a memorial concert for the singer shortly after he died in 2003. In 2007, the band contributed
625-588: Was released by Madic Records , a label founded by Dan Mangan as a subsidiary imprint of Arts & Crafts Productions . It's available in vinyl and digital formats. Kristian Matsson, who performs under the moniker of The Tallest Man On Earth , wrote and recorded an original theme song for the Yellow Bird Project. The song, "A Field Of Birds", is included as a digital bonus track on the Good People Rock compilation. In 2016, YBP produced
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