VenuePilot

Career trajectories are rarely linear or make logical sense. Life is always unpredictable so all you can do is put in good work and keep at it. Joh Chase is a testament to this. Over the past two decades, the Seattle-raised, Los Angeles-based artist has persistently honed their songwriting and toured, opening for acts like Noah Gunderson, David Bazan and most recently opening up for Kate Nash on North American Tour. Chase's dedication comes out entirely in their songs, which are so timeless, confident, and inviting they can only come from someone who’s devoted their whole life to their craft. Chase’s newest album SOLO feels like a turning point for them: it’s the culmination of a lifetime of writing, losing, loving, and doing it all yourself. Released in April '24 via Kill Rock Stars, the LP adventurously toes the line between genres and sensibilities but it’s all filtered through Chase’s charming and fully-formed vision.

Born in Japan and raised in Seattle, Tomo Nakayama is an artist whose melodic, complex and emotionally compelling music has been praised by the likes of NPR, New York Times, and The Stranger. Beginning as frontman of indie bands Asahi and Grand Hallway, and a successful solo career spanning two decades as a singer, songwriter, composer, producer, actor, and curator, Nakayama is one of the most active and recognizable figures in Seattle music. His music has been placed in the Netflix hit “House of Ninjas”, HBO Max’s “Sex Lives of College Girls”, and the Sundance Grand Jury nominated indie dramedy “Touchy Feely”.

After the critically acclaimed indie-folk albums “Fog on the Lens” and “Pieces of Sky” (named "Best Folk Act" by Seattle Weekly), Nakayama surprised his fans by releasing “Melonday" (Porchlight Records), a collection of instantly memorable and undeniably danceable synthpop songs. Co-produced by Yuuki Matthews (The Shins, Sufjan Stevens) and mastered by Dave Cooley (M83, Paramore, Tame Impala), “Melonday” was named one of the Top Albums of the year by Seattle Times, KEXP, and Seattle Met Magazine, and debuted at #1 on KEXP’s NW Charts. The following year he composed the music for Megan Griffith’s feature film “I’ll Show You Mine” and the KUOW podcast “Ten Thousand Things” hosted by Shin Yu Pai, and collaborated on a song with Dave Matthews to benefit SMASH (Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare).

Nakayama has toured across the US and Japan, sharing the stage with Cornelius, Built to Spill, Thao, Daði Freyr, Fleet Foxes, Buffalo Daughter, Sons of Kemet, Twilight Sad, and Shugo Tokumaru. He has performed and collaborated with Jeremy Enigk (of Sunny Day Real Estate), Sera Cahoone, Jherek Bischoff, Jesse Sykes, Donnie Emerson, and experimental dance company Malacarne. A former Artist in Residence at Seattle’s Town Hall, his sound installations and compositions have also been featured at the Museum of Northwest Art and Wing Luke Museum.

Brittany Ann Tranbaugh (pronounced TRAN-baw) is a Philadelphia-based songwriter whose queer Americana heartbreaker “Kiss You” won Song of the Year in the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Tranbaugh has been writing songs and playing shows as a side gig since she was a teenager, but in February 2023, at 31 years old, she finally quit her office job to pursue a full-time career in music. Her newest release is a self-titled EP produced by Grammy-winner Tyler Chester which showcases Tranbaugh in her new era: energetic, self-assured, surrounded by her beloved musical community, and more commanding as a vocalist and writer than ever before.