Rachel Trachtenburg

Rachel Sage Piña-Trachtenburg, (born December 10, 1993) ^[1] professionally known as Rachel Trachtenburg, is an American musician, singer, actress, model, former radio host and activist. Trachtenburg is most notable for her key role as drummer and backup vocalist of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, a family band consisting of herself and her parents, Jason and Tina, from 2000 to 2011. Trachtenburg was also lead singer of the band Supercute! from 2009 to 2013. Trachtebburg is currently the guitarist and vocalist for New York based trio Wooing. In addition, Trachtenburg is also a model, signed to Elite Model Management,^[2] a radio talk show host for Gary Null's Progressive Radio Network, an actress who appeared in indie movies Happy Birthday in 2004, Ruchiki in 2011 and Exteriors in 2014 as well as a television pilot for an unaired children's TV show titled Rachel Trachtenburg's Homemade World in 2009.

Early life

Trachtenburg, an only child, was born in Seattle, Washington Trachtenburg's father Jason was a musician, playing in the local Seattle band The Terriers and her mother Tina helped with the family's dog-walking business.^[3] Trachtenburg's father Jason enrolled her at the Seattle Drum School at the age of six, where she got instruction from teacher and musician Steve Smith.

Music career

Rachel Trachtenburg has been a member of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, The Prettiots,^[4] Supercute! and Larry and the Babes. She is currently the guitarist and vocalist for New York based three-piece band 'Wooing'. The band plan on releasing their debut EP later this year.

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players

Trachtenburg played harmonica (and later drums) for her parents' act, the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. The band had its early start playing gigs in Seattle in 2000 and 2001 until they moved to New York City in 2002 to reach a larger audience. Trachtenburg and her parents played gigs across America and Europe nonstop from 2003 to 2008. While on the road, Trachtenburg was homeschooled. The band disbanded in 2011 when the band had run its course.

Supercute!

After the Slideshow Players disbanded, Trachtenburg began to put more focus into her band, Supercute!, an indie pop/psychedelic pop girl band she founded with friend and co-songwriter Julia Cumming. Through the years, the band toured twice in America and Europe with English singer-songwriter Kate Nash and had gone through many changes, including several band member changes and the sound of their music changing. The band finally disbanded in 2013 when each member left to pursue other projects and interests.

Supercute! recorded a song, "Superrookie!", for the September 2011 debut of Tavi Gevinson's online magazine, Rookie,^[5] which was later released as a flexi disc accompanying the 2012 Drawn and Quarterly book release of Rookie Yearbook One. In 2012 Trachtenburg and Cumming recorded a full album in London but only two songs have been released from these sessions. Supercute! split up for good in 2013, as the band pursued other interests and projects. Julia Cumming went on to become the bassist and lead singer for the band Sunflower Bean.

Discography

EPs

• Supercute! (2010)

1. "Candy City"
2. "Not To Write About Boys"
3. "Haunted Hostel"
4. "Misty Mountain Hop" (Led Zeppelin cover)
5. "Hula Hoop Song"
6. "Supercute!"

Flexidisc

Supercute!'s "Superrookie!" and the Dum Dum Girls' "I Don't Care" were included on a "Rookie Tunes" flexidisc in Rookie Yearbook One, a book edited by Tavi Gevinson and published by Drawn & Quarterly in 2012 (ISBN 9781770461123).

Single

"LoveLoveLeaveLove" b/w "DumbDumbs" (2015 - released via Bandcamp) ^[6]

Other songs

• "Coming Up" (with R. Stevie Moore) ^[7]

Solo career

Trachtenburg first appeared on anti-folk musician Lach's album Today as a backup vocalist in 2004 for the track titled "Secrets". In 2009, for work on her television pilot, she recorded Pink Floyd's "Gnome" and her own song "Pigeon Song". The songs were both added to the pilot's soundtrack. After leaving Supercute! in 2014, Trachtenburg began spending more time on her solo career. She released her first music video and single, "I Like to Be Alone" in 2014.

Other projects

Trachtenburg is currently signed to Elite Model Management and has appeared in spreads for Lanvin Paris.^[8] She is inspired by 60's and 70's fashion and as a child, wore homemade clothing made by her mother and clothing bought in thrift stores and vintage clothing shops.^[9] Trachtenburg made her acting debut at the age of ten in 2004 in a short indie movie titled Happy Birthday, playing the role of a girl named Lisa.^[10] She then starred in an unaired children's television pilot titled Rachel Trachtenburg's Homemade World in 2009^[11] based off an onstage variety show she and her parents did in New York titled Rachel Trachtenburg's Morning Show.^[12][13] Her more recent role was in 2011's Ruchiki.^[14] In 2014, she starred in the short film Exteriors, which premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2014.^[15]

Personal life

Trachtenburg and her parents are vegetarians and Trachtenburg has practiced it for most of her life.^[16] Trachtenburg was host of her own internet radio show on the Progressive Radio Network with performance artist Sasha Frolova (Trachtenburg formerly cohosted with former Supercute! member Julia Cumming) titled Pure Imagination, a one-hour internet radio show geared towards teens and young adults.

Discography

EPs

• DayDream Time Machine (2014)

Soundtracks

• Rachel Trachtenburg’s Homemade World (2009)

Singles

• "I Like to Be Alone" (2014)

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Rachel Trachtenburg

• Rachel Trachtenburg on IMDb
• Official The Prettiots website
• Pure Imagination Radio Show