59 min listen
Ep 23. Chris Ballew, Lead Singer of The Presidents of the United States of America
FromThe Nordy Pod
ratings:
Length:
48 minutes
Released:
Dec 5, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
At this point you’ve undoubtedly caught wind of my side hustle as a bass player, and more generally my love for the unique community of musicians in and around Seattle. So in the spirit of that fondness, I’m super excited to share my conversation with local alt-rock legend and former lead singer for the band The Presidents of the United States of America, Chris Ballew.
Chris started playing music from a very young age and, in the fertile soil of the Seattle music scene, had no trouble assembling bands of like-minded punk rock compatriots. One such band being the aforementioned—and super successful—The Presidents of the United States of America. You likely remember their catchy riffs and somewhat silly lyrics from hit songs like “Lump” and “Peaches” in the mid '90s, defining a style that even Madonna recognized as taking great care to appear as though they didn’t care at all. But the rise of The Presidents wasn’t Chris’s first brush with fame. Having found his way onto the tour bus of an up-and-coming singer/songwriter by the name of Beck, Chris learned valuable lessons about the music business and his own relationship to it. Chris isn’t interested in sacrificing time away from home and family to chase the spotlight. He’d rather enjoy the act of being creative in the moment. What happens after that is out of his hands.
Thanks for tuning in to episode 23. We hope you enjoy it!
Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to nordypodcast@nordstrom.com to be a part of the conversation!
Chris started playing music from a very young age and, in the fertile soil of the Seattle music scene, had no trouble assembling bands of like-minded punk rock compatriots. One such band being the aforementioned—and super successful—The Presidents of the United States of America. You likely remember their catchy riffs and somewhat silly lyrics from hit songs like “Lump” and “Peaches” in the mid '90s, defining a style that even Madonna recognized as taking great care to appear as though they didn’t care at all. But the rise of The Presidents wasn’t Chris’s first brush with fame. Having found his way onto the tour bus of an up-and-coming singer/songwriter by the name of Beck, Chris learned valuable lessons about the music business and his own relationship to it. Chris isn’t interested in sacrificing time away from home and family to chase the spotlight. He’d rather enjoy the act of being creative in the moment. What happens after that is out of his hands.
Thanks for tuning in to episode 23. We hope you enjoy it!
Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to nordypodcast@nordstrom.com to be a part of the conversation!
Released:
Dec 5, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (61)
Ep 2. Meet the Family: Welcome back for Episode 2 of The Nordy Pod! In this episode, we’re going to take a look inward as I introduce you to all of the acting members of the Nordstrom family still working at the company. I invite my brother Erik, CEO, and cousin Jamie, president of stores, to come sit down in my office and have a little chat about what it feels like having a name that everybody knows. We also discuss some of the social and political challenges of running a business in today’s culture, lessons passed down through the generations and reminisce about our teenage years throwing shoes at each other in the stockroom. I also take a walk across the street to our Rack store with my niece Alex Nordstrom, the lone fifth-generation Nordstrom still working here, where we lend a hand “unstacking the Rack,” which is a fancy way of saying we process incoming merchandise. And to top it all off, you’ll hear from a long-time employee who recounts one of our favorite customer stories. T by The Nordy Pod