Sadly, I am not the heir to a syrup empire — but I was the 7th grade sit and reach champion. I peaked early and have been working my way back ever since.
I'm a performer, songwriter, and producer, and I'd love to tell you a little bit more about me. Generally these "About Me" sections include writing in the third person and subtly bragging about yourself, which I'm not really comfortable with — so instead I'll be writing in the third person and subtly bragging about myself:
Jesse recorded at Abbey Road Studios (Paul McCartney was there two days before him. They don't talk about it. Mostly because McCartney doesn't know it happened.)
He has shared the stage with Vince Gill, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Amy Grant (all of whom have more Grammys than Jesse has fingers)
His music has over a million streams across platforms
He is an award-winning songwriter with 3 #1 hits and a SESAC National Songwriter Award
He was featured by The Today Show, USA Today, and People Magazine
His songs have been recorded by Grammy and Emmy Award winners, including multi-Grammy winner Joy Williams, Grammy winner Andrew Joslyn, and Lincoln Brewster (formerly of Journey)
He has played The Troubadour, The Bluebird Cafe, Rockwood Music Hall, Stubb's, and Hotel Cafe
He is a multi Dove Award nominee
He is a published author (Random House)
Katy Perry once opened for him (She was going by Katy Hudson at the time. Jesse believes it was that moment that inspired the rest of her career.)
Jesse once played with Oscar Isaac's band, The Blinking Underdogs (Yes, that Oscar Isaac.)
His song "Flying Blind" was the theme song for the reality series Truth Quest (which, if he's being honest, he only partially remembers agreeing to)
He was named Father of the Year by People Magazine (his kids remain unconvinced, but People Magazine has the platform)
Ok, humble brag over — and back to speaking about myself in first person.
Even through the highs of a Nashville record deal, three chart-topping singles, and sessions with some of the best musicians on earth — to the lows of shattering my leg doing a David Lee Roth–esque toe-touch off the drum risers in the middle of a show (the band did not survive; the leg, eventually, did) — I've managed to live a pretty remarkable story so far, which, given some of the questionable decisions I've made, is not guaranteed.
As for the music itself — it lives in two places.
Jesse Butterworth & The West Coast Feed is the full-band project — horns, energy, the kind of show that makes a Tuesday afternoon feel like a Saturday night. No Depression kindly called my vocals "pristine and soulful" and said the band has "new flavors and deserves attention." Atwood Magazine called us "vibrant, impassioned, and a little bit magical." The records are mixed by multi-Grammy winner Mark Needham, which makes our sessions feel, relatively speaking, low-stakes.
The solo catalog is where the more personal stories live. It includes Poptimism and All The Gold I've Struck — both recorded at Abbey Road with members of the London Philharmonic, and the latter of which the BBC called "Brilliant." Which, for the record, sounds even better with an English accent. Then there's Symphonic, recorded in Prague with the Czech Symphony Orchestra — the project that happened when the songs outgrew every instrument I owned. The records are engineered by Lewis Jones, whose other credits include Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Jurassic World, so yeah — no pressure. American Songwriter called my songwriting "a force of nature," which I believe is an OSHA violation. Whether it's cinematic, sparse, or a full band production — the genre serves the song, not the other way around. I go where the music goes.
Whatever room I'm in — a festival stage, a ninety-seat listening room, a concert hall with a full symphony behind me — I'm always trying to do the same thing: make whoever's in that room feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. The Tennessean described it this way: "The music is solid and Jesse is freakin' hilarious — and he's a great hugger. (Don't ask.)"
Somewhere in all of that, I also managed to build a legitimately charmed life in Kirkland, WA with my amazing wife Marisa, our three kids — Liam, Finn, and Harper — and our dog, Maple Syrup.
Twenty-something years of songs and shows have taught me one thing: my job isn't to be the whole meal. It's to bring out the best flavor in whoever's in the room — the crowd, the song, the moment. Turns out, that's butter. And everything's better with butter.
