Who we are

A longtime advocate of all-ages and DIY music, Jason Clackley is a youth mentor and recording and touring artist. Born and raised in Hawaii, he spent his teenage years in Bremerton, Washington before moving to Seattle. Once relocating to the city, he joined a rag-tag group of punks doing house shows in the U-District. Since then, he's helped run many all-ages programs and DIY spaces, including Fusion Cafe at the Downtown YMCA, Black Lodge, and Ground Zero's Music Program.

Outside of music and art, Clackley also has an extensive background in social services, working with neurodiverse youth through Seattle Public Schools, houseless folx at DESC, and in counseling with Ryther Child Center. He continues this youth mentorship and social work in our creative community today as the artistic director of The Vera Project. Clackley plans to continue building pathways into the industry and more equitable opportunities in music and arts for generations to come.

Born and raised in Seattle, Jessica has dedicated her career to developing and supporting creative communities through mission-driven arts and culture organizations. In the early 2000s, she co-owned and operated independent record label Made in Mexico Records with singer-songwriter Damien Jurado. Following, she spent several years as the director of marketing and communications for the Seattle International Film Festival, the largest film festival in the US. In 2010, she was recruited to lead the strategic brand marketing and community building initiatives at the Paul Allen-founded Experience Music Project (now Museum of Pop Culture), where she served as director of marketing and audience development. Leaving the museum after seven years, she took a senior executive role with a blockchain and cryptocurrency pioneer where she developed and managed a portfolio of creative investments and philanthropic initiatives; she continues to serve as a strategic advisor for high-profile projects in the space where art and technology meet. Jessica joined the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs in 2019 as its executive director for the Pacific Northwest Chapter, serving the music communities of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and Western Canada.

Seattle soul singer, emcee, "Westminster Daddy" and Auntie, Adra Boo, walks through walls. While some in the age look to construct boxes for others, Boo flouts these efforts, working to inspire through interconnectivity, sacrifice and, of course, a touch of sweetness.

Formerly known in the Emerald City as one half of the electro-funk duo, Fly Moon Royalty, which has shared stages with the likes of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Robert Glasper, and Macklemore, Boo also performs regularly as a featured singer for musicians like Erik Blood, Vox Mod, Massy Ferguson, and the Grammy Award-winning composer and Seattle native, Andrew Joslyn. Currently, she is a member of Seattle's new wave noir band, Hotels, and doing more and more solo exploration, further proving not even the sky's the limit.

Boo also holds a place in the 2019 Honorary Westminster Daddy Hall of Fame, and is a member of both SimonePin Productions, a technical dance and burlesque company owned by Women of Color, as well as Dark Diamonds Burlesque, and all POC burlesque troupe based in Seattle.

When not singing, however, Boo works in her community in multiple facets, including previously holding a board seat with the Pacific Northwest Grammy Chapter, and currently directing Rain City Rock Camp's Adult Rock Camp, energizing womxn, trans, and gender expansive/non-binary individuals towards living their best lives, musically and beyond. Boo is also a regular emcee for summer music festivals, burlesque and cabaret, and a former festival correspondent for the award-winning alternative weekly, The Stranger.

A veteran performer on a myriad stages, Boo has been compared to timeless musicians like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, unafraid to ruffle feathers or rouse would-be audiences. And while all of these efforts cause her to stand out in the city, it's her work as an artistic liaison that has made her a local legend.

Denise Burnside was born in Seattle and grew up across the water in Bremerton. By 13, she was taking the ferry over to Seattle to go to Skoochies and Gorilla Gardens. She attended Concordia University in Montreal, studying contemporary dance, performing in a touring dance troupe, and playing bass in an all-girl punk band called Bite.

In the mid-90s, Denise returned to Seattle. Working at the Pike Place Market and playing music led her to meet the crew that were re-opening The Showbox as a music venue. She stuck around doing whatever odd job she could until they hired her full time. Denise worked her way up (box office, security, production, booking) to General Manager.

After building The Showbox into a flourishing venue over almost nine years, she did freelance bookkeeping for misc. entities, including the Vera Project, which brought her to KEXP. Over her 11.5 years at KEXP, Denise built their business and finance departments, events department - notably co-creating Concerts at the Mural with Seattle Center, and directed the vision, design, and construction of KEXP's new home at Seattle Center.

Denise co-founded the Clock-Out Lounge, addressing a gap in entertainment venues on Beacon Hill. The venue has quickly turned into a cultural cornerstone for community and musicians alike. Denise attended Seattle University while bringing the Clock-Out to life, and earned a Leadership Executive MBA.

Miss Casey Carter (MCC) has spent the last 10+ years working within the independent music scene. From interviews to creative direction, marketing, MCC has devoted countless hours to supporting up and coming talent in the NW and beyond. Startup projects include TheBlowUp.co, an independent music blog that successfully ran for 3 years and "The Glow Up", a weekly podcast highlighting art and entrepreneurship. Events have been a huge part of the MCC brand as well. Casey has produced live concerts, pop-up shops featuring local businesses, networking events and dance parties. Casey also had a short-lived career in radio as she served as the host and producer of KUBE 93.3's "The Come Up" where she played new and local music. She has now switched gears and is focusing on supporting artists and small businesses with their branding and communications. With her extensive resume, she is determined to provide guidance to those who most need it.

Kelli Faryar has been a part of Seattle's music scene since moving there with her band in 2001. Throughout the 2000s, she played in local bands, toured the West Coast, and released two solo albums. She spent 12 years at Northwest Folklife, including four as the executive artistic director, curating events and supporting the community. Now, as senior programs manager at Friends of Waterfront Park, she creates events like the Pier Sounds concerts and Hip Hop 50.

Christina Frappia is an event production manager with over 10 years of experience in Seattle's music scene. She manages events and festivals like Bumbershoot, Seattle Pride in the Park, and Seattle Tattoo Expo.

Originally from California, Christina moved to Seattle to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Business Management while immersing herself in the local music scene. She got her start as a student DJ at Seattle University's KXSU 102.1 FM and as the GRAMMY U representative for the Recording Academy’s PNW chapter. She later interned at The Crocodile, the legendary venue known for launching many Seattle artists.

Since then, Christina has worked at venues and events across the Seattle area. She looks forward to using her experience and knowledge to enhance the local event scene and creating inclusive opportunities for youth from all backgrounds.

Andrea Friedman is a community organizer, events producer and program manager based in Seattle. Born in Vermont and raised in San Diego, they have always flourished in community. Andrea received their B.S. in Community and Regional Development from UC Davis before moving to Seattle in 2012. They quickly became involved in the local music scene in both professional and volunteer capacities. Andrea was the Talent Buyer at nonprofit all-ages venue The Vera Project from 2014 to 2017 and a founding member of the TUF arts collective where they planned the annual TUFFEST music and arts festival from 2016 to 2020. They have also worked on other community driven arts endeavors like Refill, a benefit show for artists impacted by COVID-19, and Corridor, an experimental music, installation and dance festival. Andrea currently works as a community engagement manager at KEXP where they manage youth and education programs and produce events. In 2022, Andrea was the project manager of KEXP50, KEXP’s 50th anniversary celebration, where over 10,000 guests celebrated the local radio station’s impact in Seattle and beyond. No matter where they are, Andrea strives to foster safer spaces for marginalized groups to connect and collaborate around music and art.

Olivia Hamilton is a Seattle-based bassist, vocalist, composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and multi-modal storyteller. They perform in theaters, work as a studio musician, and play with orchestras, jazz ensembles, and house bands around the city. Since 2018, Olivia has been an assistant organizer with Local 76-493 AFM, where they are passionate about intersectional solidarity and creating a thriving socioeconomic ecosystem for all. When not making music or working with the union, you’ll find Olivia enjoying nature, dancing, or sometimes both – keeping their inner hippie happy!

Andrew Joslyn, composer, orchestrator, and violinist is an award-winning musical polymath whose passion for collaboration has led him to work with a remarkably diverse group of world-class artists, touring the world, performing, co-writing and arranging music on over 400 songs throughout his career. Along the way he has amassed an extensive list of writing, orchestrating, recording and touring credits that include: Macklemore, Kesha, Judy Collins, Leslie Odom Jr., Kygo, ODESZA, K Flay, Chase Rice, Tom Chaplin (Keane), Michael Bolton, Duff McKagan (Guns N Roses), The Seattle Symphony, and many many others. He currently runs his own production studio in Seattle, leads the Passenger String Quartet, and has scored several feature length films, and writes music for artists, labels, podcasts, music licensing houses, and commercials. He is also a national trustee for the PNW chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys), and a local advocate for music and the arts on the West Coast.

Keola Kama is a native Hawaiian from the island of Maui, whose education and music career has taken him from Seattle to Los Angeles and back. Music has always been at the heart of his being – the family home was constantly filled with his mother's opera singing (she performs locally around Seattle) and his first memories revolved around experimenting with the piano and the guitar in the living room, which then progressed to school band geek status quickly thereafter. This then led to a passion for deejaying and a lifelong obsession with crate digging.

Starting out in L.A., he was a radio host and volunteer coordinator with community radio station KPFK FM, where he created programs to empower the station's community of activists and volunteers via job skills training, community-building, and programming opportunities for underserved groups. Next up was riding the first wave of digital marketing at Capitol Records, followed by moves to EMI Music, and then Universal Music Group. Being at the cutting-edge of digital marketing in its infancy provided him with insight into how the music landscape was rapidly evolving and changing the nature of how we consume music. After 10 years at record labels, Keola joined Napster in Seattle, to help the team innovate in the streaming space via both marketing partnerships with indie artists, as well as negotiating licensing agreements with labels. The accumulation of this experience and knowledge has him energized to help expand the opportunities for artists and fans alike, going forward.

Jordan Leonard is a guitarist and Senior Producer of Artist Development Programs at the Museum of Pop Culture. He works with 60 bands and solo artists, supporting over 150 musicians across the Northwest. When he’s not helping these talented artists grow, Jordan plays as a session guitarist, contributing to R&B and hip-hop recordings.

Eric Lilavois is a Seattle-based record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter. Lilavois produces a wide variety of musical acts and styles and has earned substantial production, engineering, and mixing credits.

Lilavois is an owner of Seattle's famed London Bridge Studio, where countless multiplatinum records were recorded, including Pearl Jam's Ten, Mother Love's Bone Shine, Soundgarden's Louder Than Love, Alice In Chains' Dirt, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' Downtown, Temple of The Dog, Blind Melon, The Singles Motion Picture Soundtrack, Fleet Foxes, Cat Power, One Republic, Death Cab for Cutie, and more.

Lilavois owned and operated Crown City Studios, a 4000 sq. ft recording studio in Pasadena, CA from 2005-2015, was the Executive Producer of the "Crown City Sessions" live video series, and engineered / mixed each episode which featured both established and up and coming buzz worthy artists.

Lilavois was the lead singer and guitarist of the Los Angeles-based Rock Band "The Days In Between" which toured the North and Southwest United States extensively between 2004-2006, and sold thousands of independently released records.

Bunnie Marie Moore (BunnieOnTheBoard), is an audio engineer and teaching artist uniquely filling a gap in the current monoculture that is recording engineers. By focusing on work with women and artists of color, she aims to show that the recording studio doesn't have to be a scary place for artists like them; and that they can trust their artistic process in the hands of someone who understands the cultural nuances that play such an important part in the depth of their music.

With a passion for building bridges between creators and their goals, Bunnie has partnered with organizations such as the City of Burien and Arts Globo to teach songwriting courses and to help build out educational programs. In her work as GRAMMY U Representative with The Recording Academy, she was able to revamp the mentorship program, making it one of the most sought-after for college students in the Pacific Northwest.

In her current role as creative director of newly formed record label, PNW Beats, Bunnie is using that same passion to grow the careers of a talented roster of homegrown artists and producers. With music at the center of her universe, she enjoys spending her time outside of the studio consulting and volunteering for area arts organizations such as MusiCares, Rain City Rock Camp, The Vera Project, and ArtistTrust.

Anne has been executing festivals and events in Seattle and beyond for 20 years, in a variety of capacities. Seattle-area producers of complex cultural events know that they can rely on Anne to deliver excellence in planning and execution for production, logistics, programming support, budgeting, and other aspects of creating unforgettable community experiences. For over a decade, Anne supported these efforts for the Northwest Folklife Festival, one of the largest and most diverse community-powered festivals in the US, while also serving as a critical contributor to the success of other regional highlights including Bumbershoot, PrideFest, and Capitol Hill Block Party.

Born and raised in Seattle, Anne jump-started her career as one of the first interns at The Vera Project, the all-ages volunteer-fueled music and arts venue, of which she remains a champion. From there, she mastered the realms of stage management, site management, operations management, programming, and staffing for events, all with vision and dedication to detail. Her work has propelled the success of such diverse happenings as the Northwest Tea Festival, the Seattle Interactive Conference, and New Year's at the Needle.

Anne relishes her success in collaborations with government and community groups, artists, non-profits, grass-roots organizers, and commercial organizations, and is currently putting these skills to work in her role as the events and festivals manager at Friends of Waterfront Park, stewards of Seattle's new Waterfront Park. Partners and clients appreciate her methodical and thoughtful approach to bringing visions to life on the ground.

Shaina Foley started her career in the early 2000s, volunteering with indie record labels and jumping into the DIY music scene. Over the past 20 years, she’s worked in live music, event planning, and festival production. She’s played key roles at iconic Seattle venues like The Crocodile and helped bring events like Bumbershoot, Capitol Hill Block Party, and Oodalalee to life. Now, as general manager of The Crocodile, she’s driving bold expansions, championing arts education, and catching as many shows as she can because her love for live, local music has always been at the heart of everything she does.

3-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto is a master pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, conductor and educator from Rio de Janeiro. After 15 years as a member of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal Group, he moved to Seattle in 1993. Since then, Jovino has established himself as a fascinating performer, whether playing solo piano, leading his award-winning Quinteto, or in guest appearances with ensembles and orchestras worldwide. He has shared the stage and the studio with some of the most creative musicians of our times. Jovino lectures on the connections between biology and music, usually coupled with his live performances. He taught at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle for 26 years.

Nick Turner handles sales and A&R at Sub Pop Records. He co-founded and hosted KEXP’s punk show, Sonic Reducer, and worked at The Vera Project, a nonprofit arts and music venue in Seattle. He’s also sold vinyl at Fallout Records and Singles Going Steady. Before moving to Seattle, Nick grew up immersed in the New York punk and hardcore scene and spent his college years in Southern California working at KSPC Claremont, a college radio station. These days, he stays as involved as possible in the all-ages, grassroots music scene.

Nick Vaerewyck is Vice President of Programming at Climate Pledge Arena and is responsible for the strategic content programming of all concerts, family shows, and special events, as well as facilitating the NHL hockey and WNBA basketball schedules at the new facility.

Prior to Climate Pledge Arena, Nick spent four years with Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, NY as its SVP of Programming and Business Operations overseeing the reopening of the facility following a $180M renovation. Before Long Island, Nick was at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ as its Director of Event Booking after beginning as the Assistant Controller for both the Arena and Comerica Theatre. Recently, he was honored as a 2020 VenuesNow Generation Next recipient.

Originally from Dallas, TX, Nick moved to Arizona and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy from Northern Arizona University. He now resides in the Ballard neighborhood with his wife, Nikki, and two sons.

Shannon Welles is a lifelong music lover and brings deep passion to her more than 20 years of work in the live music industry. Her background is wide-ranging in visual art, music, and ecology and is deeply rooted in community work. She earned an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University, focusing on the intersections of art, artistic citizenship, and ecology. She is the founder of Friends of The Showbox, a community coalition to landmark and save Seattle's iconic music venue, and she holds a management position with The Showbox. She has deep knowledge of venue operations and worker relations and is an AEG 1Earth Ambassador, dedicated to reducing venues' environmental impact.

Shannon is a longtime student of ecosystems and systems thinking, and she founded hypha, a free plant nursery project to grow community networks of plant sharing. She is on the Board of Directors of Friends of the Market and the Advisory Board for Seattle University's Arts Ecosystem Research Project. Shannon leads advocacy for the Washington Nightlife and Music Association, and she is also a member of the Seattle REVS cohort, a national project to Reopen Every Venue Safely. She worked with music lovers to build Keep Music Live, a philanthropic campaign to save independent WA venues from permanent closure due to the pandemic. She is committed to building and maintaining community relationships and wants to serve Seattle's music sector by engaging venues in equity practices, advocating for cultural workers, reducing venue waste, and dreaming ways to make the sector accessible and inclusive.