#WeRideWhy https://weridewhy.com There is no finish line Tue, 15 Aug 2023 20:38:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://3e6d97.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/cropped-WRW_ico-32x32.png #WeRideWhy https://weridewhy.com 32 32 Greg Roth https://weridewhy.com/greg-roth/ Wed, 01 Jan 2020 10:00:31 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1339 Greg Roth (Director / Writer & Executive Producer) Greg is best known as the founder and Creative Director of the local music website Seattle Music Insider. His curiosity about the complexity of the human condition as it relates to art and music, along with a passion for storytelling, is what drove Greg to photograph and interview award winning local and national music artists. Greg built SMI into what it is today, curating and inspiring a team of like-minded journalists and photographers who share his passion. Documentary filmmaking is the next logical chapter in Greg’s cumulative creative process.

Greg was raised in a musical family, and, like his brothers John and Robert, played in various bands, as well as writing and producing his own projects. Greg’s love of music was sparked to life by his mother Judy. Some of his most vivid memories are of accompanying his mom to the record store, where she would pick up the latest Dylan or Simon and Garfunkel record. Greg lost his mother to cancer at the age of 11. His mother, Judy, was only 31.

Greg retired from performing several years ago. He is currently the Creative Recruiter at Seattle’s zulily and has turned his passion to focus on one of his favorite sports, cycling. Greg has been riding for the past few years and credits cycling for jump starting a personal transformation and helping him rediscover his inner athlete. Greg rides with his club, Métier, and participates in several cycling events each year, training an average of 200 miles + per week.

In 2016 Greg participated in Fred Hutch Obliteride, a cycling event that raises money for cutting edge cancer research. He rode to honor his mother Judy. The following year he built a team and rode for his mom and two other special mothers who have battled or were currently battling cancer who remind him of his own mother and touched his heart.

#WeRideWhy is Greg’s first foray into documentary filmmaking. The project encompasses Greg’s passions for cycling and music and utilizes them in order to share a much more important message: the importance of life, love, compassion and healing.

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Jason Tang https://weridewhy.com/jason-tang/ Sun, 01 Dec 2019 09:00:44 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1333 Jason Tang (Producer & Director of Photography) While attending Purdue University, Jason divided his time between engineering classes, working as a photographer for the daily student newspaper, and attending concerts. Those skills came full circle when he moved from Chicago to Seattle in 2006. He began working full-time at Boeing and shooting concerts nights and weekends, something he still does to this day.

Jason is currently Site Partner and Art Director at Seattle Music Insider and is one of the house photographers for Seattle Secret Shows, The Triple Door, and Columbia City Theater. He also works closely with local non-profit organizations Seattle Theatre Group and Melodic Caring Project.

His work has been published in local, national, and international press including Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, KEXP, Seattle Met, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, and City Arts Magazine.

Over the past decade, Jason has documented the meteoric rise of artists such as The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, and Allen Stone. From small living rooms and bars to huge festivals and arena shows, you can usually catch Jason covering shows around town. When he’s not working or behind the camera, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife Rita and their two dogs Munch and Chewie, playing sports, and traveling. He also has a strange fascination with penguins.

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Bubba Jones https://weridewhy.com/bubba-jones/ Sun, 10 Nov 2019 14:30:49 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1337 Bubba Jones ( Executive Producer / Production Supervisor & Sound Designer and Audio Engineer) is a producer, engineer, composer and multi-instrumentalist from Seattle Washington. Born in the year of the Aquarius (1969), Bubba was a latecomer to playing music but an early bird when it comes to listening and studying the production of the music of the greats. From the age of 10 he began collecting records that pushed the sonic limits of the artist and technology. Beginning with the Beatles, he expanded his collection to include Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Bootsy Collins, Led Zeppelin, Parliament/Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye, Black Sabbath and many others who offered sea change recordings. He began recording his church choir at the age of 14 with a crude Peavey mixer that summed to an old Teac cassette recorder.

But a year later another dimension of his creativity was unleashed when he bagan plucking on the church piano, Hammond B3 organ and an old sears guitar. Within a three year period he had expanded from 1 to 7 instruments and by year 5, he could proficiently play 11 and was composing in genres from Classical to Gospel, Rock to Hip Hop as well as EDM, Country, Blues and folk.

And there was more. Upon meeting his friend Oliver Archute, Bubba was introduced to the world of audio engineering where he helped Oliver to build the world renown Jester Enterprises and TAB-Funkenwerk, where they made amps for Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons and Eric Ambel. The also designed, built and repaired mic preamplifiers, compressors and microphones for Paul McCartney, Paul Allen, Butch Vig and countless other world class artist and engineers.

From this platform, Bubba turned his sights on helping other artist in all the above genres record, perform and promote their projects. His list his list of contributions ranges from indie to major artist: Erik Blood Mountain Con The Turn Ons The Peels The Lights Shabazz Palaces Wayne Shorter Erykah Badu Digable Planets Kim Waters Brand New Heavies The Caligeraphs (Co Produced with Stone Gossard) Alan White (Drummer John Lennon, Yes) Questlove Dr Fink (Prince & The Revolution).

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Madison Joslyn https://weridewhy.com/madison-joslyn/ Sat, 12 Oct 2019 21:12:38 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=6307 Associate Producer, Story Editor 

Madison is a Seattle-based producer, author, tech leader, and stylist. Her work focuses on purpose-driven messages that highlight female communities. She has a passion for creating space for female voices and writes about health and wellness–which even includes fashion as a wellness tool. Madison lost three key women in her life due to cancer, and that love and loss served as her motivation for this film. 



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Andrew Joslyn https://weridewhy.com/andrew-joslyn/ Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:30:46 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1355 Music Supervisor, Composer

Andrew Joslyn, composer, orchestrator, and violinist is an award-winning musical polymath whose passion for collaboration has led him to work with a remarkably diverse group of world-class artists, touring the world, performing, co-writing and arranging music on over 400 songs throughout his career.

Along the way he has amassed an extensive list of writing, orchestrating, recording and touring credits that include: Macklemore, Kesha, Judy Collins, Leslie Odom Jr., Kygo, ODESZA, K Flay, Chase Rice, Tom Chaplin (Keane), Nancy Wilson (Heart), Duff McKagan (Guns N Roses), The Seattle Symphony, and many many others.

​He currently runs his own production studio in Seattle, leads the Passenger String Quartet, and has scored several feature length films, and writes music for artists, labels, podcasts, music licensing houses, and commercials. He is also a national trustee for the PNW chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys), and a local advocate for music and the arts on the West Coast.

Check out Andrew’s music here.

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Wanz https://weridewhy.com/wanz/ Mon, 15 Jul 2019 06:00:16 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1335 Wanz (Narrator), whose real name is Michael Wansley, is a Seattle treasure. This singer, songwriter and rapper has had quite a musical journey since playing in his first band Boys Will Be Boys He performs in various genres, including rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, and pop. Wanz was featured on fellow Seattle-based duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ international hit single “Thrift Shop”, which received two Grammy Awards for “Best Rap Performance” and “Best Rap Song”. Wanz can be seen performing the national anthem at Seattle sporting events, like the Seattle Mariners When not writing music or doing community work, that he is passionate about such as working with at risk youth and other causes. Wanz is a cancer survivor himself and is passionate about helping others fight and help find a cure.

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Timber! Ashley & Music https://weridewhy.com/timber-mcp-stp-ashley-music-festival-and-ashley-video/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 19:00:03 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1773

Ashley and Piper at the Music Festival

This weekend, Ashley’s family is at Timber Outdoor Music Festival celebrating Ashley’s life, while Greg will ride to Seattle to Portland (205 Miles in 1 Day) to honor Ashley and to raise awareness and money for cancer research. Below is a story of how Ashley and Greg met and their musical connection.

Like my mom, Ashley loved music. Even when her health was at its worse, Ashley always had a ticket for the next show she was going see, always another show. I actually met Ashley on November 22, 2013 at a Melodic Caring Project show featuring Brett Dennen at The Triple DoorMelodic Caring Project streams live music to children who can’t go to see live music because they are battling serious illness. They are called “Rockstars” because of their strength, courage an indomitable spirit. I was working with the project co-founder and artist, Levi Ware and #WeRideWhy Director of Photography and lead editor, Jason Tang that night, hosting the stream along with Levi.

“I’m gonna celebrate being alive…” – Ashley Berg (Photo: Ashley Berg – Brett Dennen @ Triple Door 11/23/13)

I remember handing Ashley one of the Melodic Caring Project postcards. She looked at it and her eyes lit up. She loved the whole idea of streaming music to kids. That night, Brett Dennon put on an amazing show. He gave a shoutout to every one of those “Rockstars”. After that evening, Ashley and I connected again, talked about the show and the project. She was a music fan and I was a music journalist. We became Facebook friends and would exchange messages. Ashley would watch some of the public MCP streams and really supported Melodic Caring Project.

Little did I know that when I met Ashley that night, she had already been in her battle with cancer. At the time I met Ashley, I had no idea. I started following her posts on Facebook and I saw that Ashley had cancer. I was deeply touched for some reason. I wasn’t sure at the time why, maybe because she was a mother fighting to stay alive for her child and how much she seemed to just love life. I started to think of my own mom. You could say meeting Ashley and hearing her story opened up a space to look at my own mother and the disease that ultimately took her life. I became re-present to who my mother was, her spirit, her love of music, the arts and her passion for life. I came to the revelation that my mom and Ashley not only had a lot in common, they were very much alike. Ashley reminded me so much of my mom when I saw her. It is like somehow they were connected. They would have loved hanging out together and digging on some good music.

“I’m gonna celebrate being alive…”

-Ashley Berg posting on Facebook at the Brett Dennen / MCP show. 

I reached out to Ashley to offer support and shared the story about my mother and how much her struggle touched and impacted me. You could say that Ashley was the person inspired me to know my mom again from a different perspective.

When announced that I would be riding Fred Hutch Obliteride for the first time in 2016. Ashley was one of the first to encourage and support my effort and congratulated me. Given that she was battling cancer and had a daughter the same age I was when my mom passed away, I felt a strong connection to Ashley. Sometimes I would see her at shows but I was working so I didn’t get a lot of opportunity to interact with Ashley in person. We would communicate over Facebook. Our friendship took a different turn, when I decided to make her part of a story I was working on for our film, #WeRideWhy. As she shared her stories with me when we spoke and mine with hers, I grew to admire and respect who she was and who she was to her friends and family. I loved my friendship with Ashley and the short time we got to share. More on this later…

Ashley’s passion for music was beautiful. Along with cycling, music is my greatest passion as well. I was a music artist and music journalist for a few years. Music was and is my oxygen. Ashley and I spoke about going to see some shows but we never nailed things down and her health was up and down so when the time was right on my end, it was not on hers. I did get to come hang with Ash at a local establishment, Bastille and her bestie, Tasha Shives before a show in Ballard. I was feeling down and Ashley asked if I wanted to come out and meet her and Tasha. I did. I wish we would have had more of those moments.

When someone is sick and looking at the potential of death right in the eye, it is family, friends, art and music lifts them up. Music was my mom’s happy place and it was Ashley’s. When Ashley was at a concert or listening to music, or at a show, in those moments, she was cancer free because she was free and she is free now.

When Ashley was battling cancer, one of the biggest highlights of the year was the Timber Outdoor Music Festival. She shared it with her daughter Piper every year since the summer of 2013. The last couple of years, her family joined her and Piper at Timber. As you will see in the video below in which the festival’s founder organizer and artist, Kevin Sur, paid a moving tribute to Ashley and her family from the stage. Ashley’s family will be there again this year to honor Ashley and celebrate her life. They and thousands come to bask in the majesty of music, art, activities, community, and God’s glory underneath a beautiful sky in a lovely little place called Carnation, Washington (Man, I love to ride around there)!

Timber Outdoor Music Festival... is not just a music event, it is a life event. It is a celebration of community, music, art, love, and life itself. It is something you share with your family. It is an experience that stays in your heart for the rest of your life… Like Ashley.

#Timberfest you make me so happy every year. I love you

-Ashley Berg

I have a few regrets in my life, one of them is that I didn’t get to share Timber with Ashley. I was there the first couple of years but I was working and there were so many people, I couldn’t seem to find Ashley in the crowd.

When we were in the process of filming, Ashley and I were speaking on the phone and spoke about Timber! She asked if I was going to be going and if we could meet up. I was registered to ride Seattle to Portland that weekend, and would not be able to attend. I promised that I would be thinking of her and we exchanged messages that weekend. While at Timber, Ashley texted me a message to let her know that she was enjoying Timber and thinking of me. This was encouraging and her words were with me as I continued to ride. I was so excited to have completed 205 miles in 1 day, I texted Ashley right away a photo of me holding up my bike after the finish (See Below).

Ashley texted me back, congratulating me. I knew Ashley was sick but I took comfort in knowing that even though Timber Fest 2017, was her last, that she was in her happy place and at peace, surrounded by family, friends, music, and God’s creation. I also take comfort in knowing that Ashley’s family is at Timber! again this year in 2019. Ashley is there too in spirit. She always will be.

As I ride Seattle to Portland again this Timber weekend, Ashley and her family will be in my heart as I ride. For me, Timber and Seattle to Portland will always be connected and a shared experience with Ashley and her family at the center. I will ride hard, with love in my heart. #ForAshley #Sunshinegirl 

The completion of Seattle to Portland ride – 205 miles in 1 Day #ForAshley (July 2017)

Below is a bonus content piece we produced to share the story of Ashley’s love for music and her relationship with Timber! The piece includes, shots from Jason Tang and Seattle Music Insider editor, Abby Williamson. Once again, the theme music for the film was produced and performed by our music supervisor, Andrew Joslyn, who will also be performing at Timber! who along with the Passenger String Quartet will be performing with headliner, Mark Lanegan (Kevin Sur and Andrew collaborated on a project and performed at the Fremont Abbey in November of 2018.) The narration of the video is provided by the voice of #WeRideWhy, Grammy Award winner, Michael “Wanz” Wansley (Macklemore). 

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Chris Wilson https://weridewhy.com/chris-wilson/ Mon, 10 Jun 2019 04:59:43 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1361 Chris Wilson (Field Camera Operator) Chris is a well respected photographer and videographer. Chris work has been featured on online retailer, zulily’s website and has had his work featured online. Chris is also a competitive, high-performance cyclist. He currently rides for the Metier Cycling Team and is ranked number 1 in the state of Washington in his category. His experience as a cyclist gives him unique insight and perspective when filming or photographing cyclists.

Chris has a keen eye and a great feel for the cycling aesthetic.

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Judy Roth https://weridewhy.com/judy-roth/ Thu, 09 May 2019 22:00:27 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1329 Judy Roth was the mother of Greg Roth and Greg’s two brothers John and Robert. Judy was born in Frances Holm Wisconsin. Judy married Greg’s father Jan Arthur Roth and soon after, she gave birth toGreg at the young age of 20. Her love of art and music was passed down to her sons, as all three became musicians and artists. At the age of 25 Judy was diagnosed with Cancer. She had a double mastectomy and received radiation treatment to try to combat the disease.

During this time she continued to raise Greg, John and Robert and be involved in their lives. She shielded her cancer from her boys as long as she could. The last year of her life she could no longer conceal the ravages of her disease. The cancer spread to her bones and eventually she succumbed to the cancer on a hot August night in Los Angeles at the age of 31. Greg would turn 11 years old the next month.

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Through The Seasons https://weridewhy.com/weridewhy-going-through-the-seasons-video/ Tue, 07 May 2019 03:36:40 +0000 https://weridewhy.com/?p=1725  

Spring and summer are filled with life, energy and color. Hope springs eternal, a chance for renewal, even redemption. After spring and summer, The petals fall off the flowers, our lush green leaves turn a beautiful golden brown in September, letting us know that their time to sparkle will soon come end. One by one the leaves lose their color, they wither on the branches and fall to the ground, to become part of the earth or atmosphere…a different shape, a different form.

Winter is darker, the days are shorter, the sunny days fewer. Color turns to monochrome. Grey, lonely days prevail, but comfort, warmth and color are found among friends and loved ones. We are gather around tables to share stories, a drink a meal and love. In November and December we are surrounded by trees with lights or candles other beautiful adornments signifying a certain holy time of year. Winter is a time of reflection. It is a time to look within, to look without and think about those who are in our lives and those who we loved and lost.

After winter, the first blooms start to appear in March and by April and May the leaves and flowers are back, just like we remember, like an old long lost friend who went away on a journey for the winter, only to come back and visit us in the new year. The flowers, the trees, the clouds all look like they did the year before and the year before that but the thing is they are not the same. They are new flowers, new leaves. They look and smell like they always did, but different and the trees and flowers bring us the same joy, a reset and rebirth. The trees, the flowers, the mountains are constantly changing. They will remain, long after we have departed. To me the turning of the seasons represent perpetual change, the circle of life and transformation, “There is no finish line.”

It has been said that to truly heal from the loss of someone that we love, we have to go through all of the seasons without their physical presence –  the birthdays, the holidays, the anniversaries, family milestones. I have gone through many seasons after the loss of my mother. The pain and loss will always remain but it does not stop me. It fuels me.

I have gone through all of the seasons since Ashley Autumn Berg passed away the day after mothers day, last year on May 14. I will never forget that day and the moment I received a message from Ashley’s mother Heart: “Our beautiful sunshine girl has passed at 2:41 am. Her courageous fight is over, Peace God bless her and us.” Next to the losses of both of my mothers, this was one of the most deeply felt losses in my life. It is pretty amazing how someone can be in your life for a short period of time and make such an impact and alter your life forever. Ashley changed my life. I am not the same person that I was before I got to know her. Ashley taught me to love unconditionally and to bring that love to everyone. That is what I am doing through our film and sharing her story to do just that. This work is bigger than me, it is my calling.

Working on our film project, #WeRideWhy, I went through all the seasons with Ashley during the last year and a half of her life. She and I laughed, we cried, we shared, we comforted and inspired each other during the production of the film and during her fight. I knew when I started down this road with Ashley, that it could be an emotionally difficult journey. When Ashley passed away, I was lost for a while in terms of where to go with this project, she was a partner on this. We were supposed to celebrate the completion and release together. The end of the story that I had written for the film was not what I had written. When Ashley passed away, it made me look at everything about this project, the why, the what, the purpose.

What this film started out to be and what it will be is much different now and more powerful. #WeRideWhy It is a love story. It is about connection and how much we really need each other to get through this thing called life. It is a conversation. It is about the positive difference, that thousands of people can make when touched by tragedy and driven by love.

My mom and Ashley are the heart and soul of the film Ashley is was and continues to be a collaborator. I feel her love, I feel her presence and hear her and my mom’s voice encouraging me to ride, on, tell this story so thousands can be lifted up, touched moved and inspired.

Jason and I started the post production process earlier this year. It is going to take several months complete the film. The editing process is very meticulous, we need continue to craft and fine tune the story, there is still a lot of writing to be done, there is Voice Over work to come from our friend Michael “Wanz” Wansley, there is music to select and of course our Music Supervisor and Andrew Joslyn and his brilliant music must be put together with everything else.

Good enough is not good enough for any of us. My mother, Judy Roth, Jenny George and Ashley, Fred Hutch Obliteride and the thousands who ride to raise money to cure cancer deserve the best that we are able to deliver and that is what they shall have. That is what YOU shall have. It is now not just about my mom, Jenny and Ashley. This is about Piper and Ashley’s family. They are the inspiration of this movie. We are committed to making a document of something that Ashley’s family can be proud of and hold in their hearts, to celebrate Ashley’s life.

So, here is what is next. Jason and I will keep our promise and have the film complete by the end of 2019. We will have small private test screenings and then post test-screening editing sessions to get to the final cut.  We will have private screenings early in the year and be ready for festivals like Seattle International Film Festival, Sundance and many more. We will also host a premier and music even in Spring 2020. We will keep on hammering until we get to the top of the climb.

There is much to do between now and then. Jason and I will be heads down, hammering away. In the meantime, we will be releasing some bonus content and behind the scenes content every month so that you can see our progress and get a little taste of the film and look inside.

Our first piece we are releasing was shot up at Discovery Park / Fort Lawton in October 2018. It was chilly and overcast day. Ashley was not feeling well that day so her coming out to help drive the vehicle while her daughter Piper shot out the back and side windows, was a big deal. We got some amazing footage that day. Also, I shot some beautiful photos of the two of them. It was one of the most special days of my life. I wanted so many more of those days but it was not to be. That day would be the last time I would see Ashley and Piper together. I am so blessed to have shared that day with the both of them. Every time I see the sun on a beautiful day, I see Ashley, the sunshine girl.

To help cure cancer in our lifetime, you can make a donation on Ashley’s behalf or join our team to walk run or ride to help #CureCancerFaster. GO HERE. 

…There is no finish line

Check us out on…

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