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. 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.
Contributors
Publications
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
Rilo Kiley ( ) was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Dave Rock.
The group released their debut album '' Take-Offs and Land ...
of
Rilo Kiley and testimonials from
Matt Berninger (of
The National) and Russell Lissack (of
Bloc Party). To promote 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
Chronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children.
The company was established in 1967 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the ''San Francisco Chronicle''. ...
) are intended to raise awareness for their initiative, its contributing musicians, and 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
Keaton Henson (born 24 March 1988) is an English musician, composer, visual artist, and poet.
Henson has released six studio albums. a wordless graphic novel called ''Gloaming'', published by Pocko, and a book of poetry called ''Idiot Verse''. H ...
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).
Music releases
In December 2013, YBP released a 7" Christmas album, "Wishing for a Christmas Miracle with the
Family". The record includes covers of "
Silent Night" and "Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)", a song originally recorded by
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...
for his 1973 album
Farewell Andromeda
''Farewell Andromeda'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver, released in June 1973. The LP made Billboard's Top 20, reaching No. 16, with three singles subsequently released: "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy" 62 POP, ...
.
On April 14, 2015, YBP released a covers compilation, titled:
Good People Rock
''GOOD PEOPLE ROCK: A Yellow Bird Project Covers Compilation'' is an exclusive album of Yellow Bird Project bands covering other Yellow Bird Project bands. It was released in vinyl and digital formats via Madic Records, which is a label imprint of ...
. The album features 10 exclusive recordings of YBP bands covering other YBP bands, including
Andrew Bird,
Elvis Perkins,
Hayden Hayden may refer to:
Places Inhabited places in the United States
*Hayden, Alabama
*Hayden, Arizona
*Hayden's Ferry, former name of Tempe, Arizona
*Hayden, California, former name of Hayden Hill, California
*Hayden, Colorado
*Hayden, Idaho
*Hayden ...
and
Alec Ounsworth (of
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). The album 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.
Documentary film
In 2016, YBP produced a feature-length documentary, ''
A Matter of Time'', about
Kathryn Calder (of
The New Pornographers) and her mother's battle with
ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
.
The film was distributed by Kinosmith in Canada and by
First Run Features in the USA.
References
External links
Yellow Bird Project websiteA Matter of Time: Film Website
{{Authority control
Clothing companies of Canada
Non-profit organizations based in Montreal
Canadian companies established in 2006
2006 establishments in Quebec
Clothing companies established in 2006