Meet Staci Griesbach | Musician, Producer and Creative Marketing Extraordinaire

We had the good fortune of connecting with Staci Griesbach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Staci, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” For me, this is such an optimistic, encouraging quote. Doing big things can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if it’s “new” or a “first” or if it means starting over again.

When I moved out to LA, my heart wanted to pursue music, performance and the arts, but that was too vulnerable for a 23-year old farmkid from Wisconsin. I was fortunate to have another path unfold for me in marketing communications, taking me from agency to agency to VP of Global Publicity at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Talk about landing among the stars, literally! Working at the studio for nearly 14 years was such a growth experience for me and an opportunity for me to really get my sea legs in a real way so that I could eventually pursue a more creative life. To this day, I’m always thinking “big,” and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Even if it does mean landing among the stars.

This quote helped me make the decision to go for my dreams and pursue music when I left the studio in 2018. I released my first album in 2019, and three more since then, with gigs at Carnegie Hall, Birdland Jazz Club, and the Country Music Hall of Fame all going down as favorites to date. With each single or album release, this quote reminds me to aim high and try to nail a personal best each time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We had a beautiful 1920’s Wellington upright piano in our old farmhouse, and I spent a lot of time at that piano bench. From there, I picked up the alto saxophone and played that throughout my formative years, learning Jazz, while also building my musical experiences from musical theatre and performing as a Singer/Dancer in the Wisconsin Singers while at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After moving to Los Angeles and joining the ranks at Sony Pictures, I realized quickly I was missing music as part of my life. I dabbled in songwriting through workshops at the Nashville Songwriters Association, I joined a vocal Jazz ensemble in Santa Monica, I hit the piano hard again, learning Jazz chords and fingerings (which were all new).

In 2015, I landed what would become a two-year residency at a hotel in the heart of Hollywood playing standards, everything from Ella Fitzgerald’s classic songbook series to Blossom Dearie and Peggy Lee tunes. For Ella Fitzgerald’s Centennial, I created a project called “Staci Sings Ella” where I performed 100 of her standards, one a day on YouTube, leading up to a final sold-out concert at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s in Studio City. It was during this time, that I recognized Patsy Cline was the Ella of the Country Music world, and growing up on Country Music, I decided to go down a path of releasing tributes to classic country icons that were influences from my childhood – Patsy Cline, George Jones, Dolly Parton and Shania Twain. Releasing the “first-ever” Jazz tribute to Patsy Cline and these country icons was a little daunting, but I also felt very supported, as the music made famous by these artists deserved to be showcased in a new light. This entire creative process was extremely rewarding, but it was not easy, and definitely required a level of vulnerability not usually found in the corporate office.

As I continue on my creative journey, I’m inspired to write more of my own music. My first original single – “You and Me at Christmastime,” off my fourth album, Christmastime, was featured in the Hallmark Channel’s “A Very Vermont Christmas” this year, and so, I feel like I’m just at the beginning of another career moment of “starting over” in mining my own lyrics, compositions and musical ideas to take into the studio. It’s an incredible feeling to start with a blank page and create. Create through the fear, the tears and the unknowns. Music – the arts – are a gift, and if your insides are telling you to share your unique gift, do it. Pick up a copy of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and read it. Then read it again when you’re feeling stuck or “not good enough.” Choose someone you find inspiring and follow them on social media for extra encouragement. And, at the end of the day, just go for it! You can always sit back and contemplate… what’s the alternative? For me, that always lights a fire to follow through on my dreams, however impossible, or out of reach they may seem. What’s the alternative? These are some tips that I keep going back to, and I hope they might inspire someone else.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First up on the list is the Hollywood Bowl. There is NOTHING that beats a great concert at the Bowl underneath the stars, nestled among fellow music-lovers. We’d have to take a walk along the Santa Monica beach up to Will Rogers and brunch at the Back on the Beach Cafe with our feet in the sand. Classic. Maybe catch another concert at the Greek or check out who’s playing at one of the Jazz clubs in town like Vibrato, Catalina’s or Sam First. I’d try to make it downtown to eat a couple tacos or anything, really, at Grand Central Market. We’d burn it all off hiking in the Santa Monica mountains, which always help ground me, and then check out happy hour at El Cholo, which never disappoints.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Moving to LA can be overwhelming if you don’t have the right people around you. I was fortunate enough to have an extremely supportive supervisor in my hiring manager at Sony Pictures. Fritz Friedman brought me on board from the agency side of the business and really helped shape my early years in LA. Through my nearly 14 years at the studio, whether it was producing a launch activation for one of the Spider-Man films or managing an exciting publicity schedule with filmmakers and actors at a global film festival, running the publicity department for a major studio helped build a foundation I’ve come to lean on as a creative. Storytelling is really my passion, and why I’m drawn to the creative arts and songwriting. Film, television, music, literature are all intertwined, and through working at the studio handling each different type of project, I saw first-hand the results of a book being made into a screenplay, then into a film or TV series accompanied by an incredible score and soundtrack. Los Angeles possesses a sort of creative heartbeat unlike nowhere else in the world, and I’m opportunistic about where I am on my path and knowing i’m in the middle of something really special.

In relation to my music, I’d be remiss to not share a shout-out to two specific master musicians who have helped bring my vision to life through each of my Jazz tribute albums. Tamir Hendelman is a Jazz pianist and educator known around the world and is incredibly talented at collaborating with vocalists and arranging. Tamir’s fingerprints are literally on each one of my albums, along with Jeremy Siskind, who also arranged many of my Jazz covers. I cherish the relationships with each one of the musicians and engineers who shared their gifts on my musical journey thus far, from the studio to each pick-up band in a regional market. There is no shortage of talent here in Los Angeles and around the world, and I’m inspired every day to keep working on my craft.

Website: https://www.stacigriesbach.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacigriesbach/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staci-griesbach-3480487/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaciGriesbachMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StaciGriesbach

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Kim Thiel, Claire Morgan, Graham Washatka, Zach Knudsen