Music lovers and walking enthusiasts stepped to a local beat Friday evening in support of Seattle musicians and walkable communities. Sponsored by Abrams’s Chiropractic, Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union, Zipcar, and the Seattle Drum School, M-bibe and Feet First teamed up to showcase local talent and raise funds for Feet First at the Seattle Drum School’s L.A.B.
A Toe-tapping Success
Feet First and M-bibe Make Beautiful Music
Music lovers and walking enthusiasts stepped to a local beat Friday evening in support of Seattle musicians and walkable communities. Sponsored by Abrams’s Chiropractic, Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union, Zipcar, and the Seattle Drum School, M-bibe and Feet First teamed up to showcase local talent and raise funds for Feet First at the Seattle Drum School’s L.A.B. (Little Auditorium in the Back).
Bike Works Board Member and Capitol Hill house concert host Bill Lippe recommended M-bibe to Feet First Executive Director Lisa Quinn after the cycling non-profit partnered with M-bibe this past September. Fostering connections such as these lies at the heart, and indeed the roots, of M-bibe’s directive. During a serendipitous meeting in Turkey in 2010, founders John Weiss and Darren Guyaz, self-described musicians with a mission, discovered they shared a passion for music, a place to call home Seattle, and a desire to give back. Since its inception, the company has successfully connected musicians, non-profits and Seattle do-gooders.
It is truly a collaborative effort that depends as much on the non-profits and the ticket-holders as it does on the musicians. Before playing a three-song set with drummer Mike Young, Weiss asked the audience to give themselves a round of applause. You guys have become philanthropists by showing up and helping us bring this together, he commended.
The philanthropic revelers sipped wine and kicked back at the intimate venue (cement floors carpeted in warm area rugs, walls dressed in bold red), to enjoy an equally intimate show. Weiss and Young opened with Stay a Little Longer and invited the audience to do just that for the duo’s brief but lively set that included fan favorite Port Townsend Town. Singer/songwriter Stephen Smartt followed with a sweet line-up that highlighted his soulful acoustic beats and unique, signature vocals.
The show struck an introspective note when M-bibe co-founder Darren Guyaz took to the stage; he crooned quiet, impassioned songs on love and loss before turning the microphone over to musician Leif Tutosek. The worldly performer brought the show to a rousing, hip-shaking close with his Gypsy-Romani inspired set; a decidedly upbeat end to a low-key evening.
In total, the event raised over $1000 for Feet First, a huge success Quinn reported. More importantly, she noted, we raised awareness of great local music and the work of Feet First.