Social Media Strategies Summit Chicago

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Slide from Social Media Strategies Summit in Chicago

Last week I attended the Social Media Strategies Summit in Chicago. I enjoyed the conference, which was held at the Union League Club. Summit sessions focused on evolving and developing social media strategy, content creation and storytelling best practices, and video strategy and marketing best practices.

Presenters represented brands that included Microsoft, Walmart, Kickstarter, The Hershey Company, and American Family Insurance. Several sessions deserve mention for being better than the rest:

  • “Case Study: Best Practices for Storytelling when Working with Influencers and Partners” (Sarah Scroggins, Advocate Health Care)
  • “Lessons in Unconventional Innovation” (Ryan Riess, The Hershey Company)
  • “Predicting the Future of Social Media” (Ian Beacraft, Epsilon)

So, would I recommend attending the summit? You bet. The conference is a great way for social media and digital marketing professionals to get up to speed on what some of the big players in the field are doing to take their brands to the next level. I’m glad I went, and I got to meet some cool people besides–now on to all of those notes I took!

Listen to The Jerrys Live at WZRD

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WZRD Wizard logo

The Jerrys will play live at WZRD Chicago on April 26

My band The Jerrys will play live in the studio at WZRD Chicago 88.3 FM on April 26. I hope you’ll tune in at 10 PM Central as Robert Porche (drums, backing vocals), Jim Losby (bass guitar, backing vocals), and I play ten songs live, including songs from the newly released EP, The Wind Cries Jerrys.

You can listen to the show via radio (88.3 FM on your radio dial), via live stream, or via any radio app on your phone (TuneIn is available on Android and iTunes, and it’s free).

New EP, The Wind Cries Jerrys, Now Available

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The Wind Cries Jerrys cover art

New music from The Jerrys!

The Wind Cries Jerrys, a six-song EP containing all new music from The Jerrys, is now available on CD as well as downloads and streaming. From power pop (“Ms Wonderful,” “Chicago USA,” “Anna Marie”) to uke-pop (“Another Glorious Day”) to strummy goodness (“Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo”) to who-knows-what (“I Think About You”), it’s all here. Listeners compare The Jerrys to The Beatles, Boyce and Hart, The Who, Matthew Sweet, Tommy Keene, and The Shoes.

The first song on the EP was released as a free download last year: “Chicago USA” is the latest song about that city, as well as a tribute to “Downtown” and “I Know a Place,” both made popular by Petula Clark. Here’s the full track listing:

01. Chicago USA (2:33)
02. Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo (4:03)
03. I Think About You (2:59)
04. Ms. Wonderful (2:48)
05. Another Glorious Day (3:49)
06. Anna Marie (2:36)

Several friends helped out on various tracks, and I am grateful to Robert Porche (drums), Jim Losby (bass guitar), and John Oakley (lead guitar) for sharing their talents. They’re awesome.

As of this date, full digital distribution (iTunes, Spotify, etc) is still a few days away, but you can head over to CD Baby or the band website to buy the CD or download the EP or individual tracks. Get the latest from The Jerrys!

I’m Ready for the New Facebook

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Just as Facebook replaced Myspace a decade or so ago as the top social media platform, it too will be replaced at some point. My guess is that somewhere someone is working on the aging platform’s replacement at this moment, and that’s good. In this writer’s humble opinion, anyway, the new platform is already overdue.

I’ll spare you the litany of things I dislike about Facebook or things I’ve tweaked over the years to keep the network appealing on a personal level (professional use is a whole other matter), but I will say that the thing that keeps me coming back is the ability to stay in touch with people and that any “value” added is extraneous.

With any luck, the new Facebook will be a stripped-down platform that doesn’t want to do everything but tie your shoes for you. Just your friends, just life, just things that matter. The platform’s creators won’t be out to replace YouTube or become your news and weather source or your town hall. They won’t run your friends’ posts through their algorithms or care how you order food, and they’ll know you don’t want to download more than one app to use their platform’s features.

Facebook has become the new Myspace. Like most people, I’ll continue using it to keep up with my friends and family, but only until the next big thing arrives. I’m ready for the new Facebook.

Starting the New Year With a Bang!

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I started my new year off with a bang. Literally. I bought a new drum kit over the holidays: a Pearl Roadshow 5-piece fusion drum set in charcoal metallic. You’ll note the smaller tom is missing, with the larger tom in its place–I packed the smaller one away. I only wanted a four-piece kit, but the included hardware, cymbals, and throne made this set the one to get, and I’m glad I did. Nice!

Update on The Wind Cries Jerrys EP

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The release date for The Wind Cries Jerrys, a six-song effort by The Jerrys, has been moved to early 2018. Originally scheduled to release this month, the EP took more time to record than I’d planned—backing vocals in particular. The good news is that, after recording 43 tracks during the past week, all recording has been completed, and it’s on to mixing and mastering. Here’s the track listing:

  1. Chicago USA
  2. Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo
  3. I Think About You
  4. Ms. Wonderful
  5. Another Glorious Day
  6. Anna Marie

Earlier this year, “Chicago USA” was released ahead of the EP and is available to stream or download. Check it out, and stay tuned for more music from The Jerrys.

Books I Read in 2017

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Stack of open books

I doubt I’ll have time this year to finish the next book I intend to read, so I’ve decided to go ahead and post this list of books I read or reread in 2017:

  • A Briefer History of Time (Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow)
  • Lord Foul’s Bane (Stephen R. Donaldson)
  • Loving-Kindness in Plain English: The Practice of Metta (Bhante Henepola Gunaratana)
  • The Illearth War (Stephen R. Donaldson)
  • The Power That Preserves (Stephen R. Donaldson)
  • The Wounded Land (Stephen R. Donaldson)
  • The One Tree (Stephen R. Donaldson)
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (Mark Manson)

I didn’t expect to be reading any fantasy fiction in 2017, but when my brother told me that Stephen Donaldson had written seven more Thomas Covenant books after the three I’d read long ago, I went for it, starting from the first book. Expect a few more by Mr. Donaldson on next year’s list.

The Jerrys Working on New Set List

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Jim Losby
Robert Porche
Jerry Schwartz
On Thursday, The Jerrys began working on a new set list for 2018. While not yet complete, the list includes songs never before played by the band. In addition to songs from the upcoming EP, The Wind Cries Jerrys, I’m going deeper into the Jerrys catalog. I’m also replacing the token cover tune.

Mixing “Anna Marie” for New EP

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Studio laptop for mixing

Mixing New Song for Upcoming Release by The Jerrys

I’ve begun mixing “Anna Marie,” the last track appearing on The Wind Cries Jerrys, a six-song EP to be released later this year. This one may be my fave song ever by The Jerrys. Once mixed and mastered, it will be the third song ready for the new EP.

A single, “Chicago USA,” has been released ahead of the EP. Listen to “Chicago USA.”