Rachel Blumberg
Encyclopedia
Rachel Blumberg is an American drummer and singer, best known for her tenure as the drummer for the indie rock
band The Decemberists
. Blumburg was a member of many Portland, Oregon
-based indie bands, including Sissyface, Boycrazy, Norfolk & Western
, The Minders
(briefly) and M. Ward
's backing band.
She spent most of 2007 lending her drumming and singing talents to the touring Omaha indie band Bright Eyes on the Four Winds
and Cassadaga
tour. In 2007 and early 2008 she recorded new records with Norfolk & Western
, M. Ward
, and Jolie Holland
.
In addition to drums and singing she plays ukelele, banjo, accordion, piano, and other various stringed, electronic and/or percussion instruments.
She is also a visual artist and has shown her work in Portland, Oregon and Omaha, Nebraska. Notable musicians who own her work include Jonathan Richman
, Matthew Caws
of Nada Surf
,
Jenny Conlee
of The Decemberists
, and Laura Veirs
.
She is the daughter of Naomi Blumberg, a Portland cellist and President Emerita of the Oregon Cello Society.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
. Blumburg was a member of many Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
-based indie bands, including Sissyface, Boycrazy, Norfolk & Western
Norfolk & Western (band)
Norfolk & Western is an indie rock and folk/rock band from Portland, Oregon. An essential part of their stage set-up and sound is a turn-of-the-century Victrola Grammaphone. Norfolk and Western began as the recording project of Adam Selzer with friends, including M. Ward, playing various...
, The Minders
The Minders
The Minders is a band closely associated with The Elephant Six Collective. Started by Martyn Leaper in Denver, Colorado in 1996, the band's original members included Leaper on guitars and vocals, Rebecca Cole on drums, Jeff Almond on guitar, and Marc Willhite on bass.Leaper formed the Minders in...
(briefly) and M. Ward
M. Ward
Matthew Stephen Ward, known by his stage name M. Ward, is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to prominence in the Portland, Oregon music scene. In addition to his solo work he is known as a member of She & Him and Monsters of Folk.-Career:...
's backing band.
She spent most of 2007 lending her drumming and singing talents to the touring Omaha indie band Bright Eyes on the Four Winds
Four Winds
Four Winds is an EP by the indie rock band Bright Eyes, that was released on March 6, 2007. The title track is the first single from their album Cassadaga. The other 5 tracks are exclusive b-sides from the 2006 recording sessions. It is marketed as being "quietly enchanting" and including "a...
and Cassadaga
Cassadaga (album)
Cassadaga is the seventh studio album by Bright Eyes, released on April 10, 2007. Around 25 to 30 songs were recorded in 2006, with 13 of these appearing on the final track list...
tour. In 2007 and early 2008 she recorded new records with Norfolk & Western
Norfolk & Western (band)
Norfolk & Western is an indie rock and folk/rock band from Portland, Oregon. An essential part of their stage set-up and sound is a turn-of-the-century Victrola Grammaphone. Norfolk and Western began as the recording project of Adam Selzer with friends, including M. Ward, playing various...
, M. Ward
M. Ward
Matthew Stephen Ward, known by his stage name M. Ward, is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to prominence in the Portland, Oregon music scene. In addition to his solo work he is known as a member of She & Him and Monsters of Folk.-Career:...
, and Jolie Holland
Jolie Holland
Jolie Holland is an American singer and performer who combines elements of folk, traditional, country, rock, jazz, and blues...
.
In addition to drums and singing she plays ukelele, banjo, accordion, piano, and other various stringed, electronic and/or percussion instruments.
She is also a visual artist and has shown her work in Portland, Oregon and Omaha, Nebraska. Notable musicians who own her work include Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing...
, Matthew Caws
Matthew Caws
Matthew Caws is the lead singer of the band Nada Surf. His parents are Peter Caws and Mary Ann Caws.- Biography :...
of Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
,
Jenny Conlee
Jenny Conlee
Jenny Conlee is the accordionist, pianist, organist, keyboardist, melodica player, and occasional backup singer and harmonicist for the indie rock quintet The Decemberists, roles she has filled on each of the band's releases.-Portland music:...
of The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
, and Laura Veirs
Laura Veirs
Laura Pauline Veirs is an American singer-songwriter.Veirs was raised in Colorado, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China, and now lives in Portland, Oregon.While growing up, she heard folk-country, classical, and pop...
.
She is the daughter of Naomi Blumberg, a Portland cellist and President Emerita of the Oregon Cello Society.
Norfolk & Western
- Centralia (LP, FILMguerreroFILMguerreroFILMguerrero is an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1998 by John Askew as a way to release Ames, the debut album by Askew's studio project Tracker. Since then, the label has gone on to release CDs, LPs and EPs by a number of different artists...
, 2000) - Winter Farewell (LP, FILMguerrero, 2002)
- Dusk in Cold Parlours (LP, Hush RecordsHush Records-Background:Crouch, frontman of the band Blanket Music, organized Hush Records in 1997, when he self-released a solo record called Portland, Or. The following year, Crouch bought a CD burner and began recording and distributing music by Mike Johnson , Jeff London, and Ben Barnett to record stores...
, 2003) - If You Were Born Overseas (LP, self-released, 2005)
- The Unsung Colony (LP, Hush Records, 2006)
Sissyface
- A Night at the x-Ray (Cassette, Cravedog Records, 1994)
- Damn Everything but the Circus (7", Cravedog Records, 1994)
- 4X4 Monster Truck Series (Compilation 7", Cravedog Records, 1995)
- Can't Stand the Smell (Compilation Cassette, Cravedog Records, 1995)
- Muscle CarMuscle carMuscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
(Split 7" with Scribble, Cravedog Records, 1995) - With a Shower of Sparks (Compilation 7", Cavity Search RecordsCavity Search RecordsCavity Search Records is a record label based in Portland, Oregon formed in 1992 by Christopher Cooper and Denny Swofford. Its roster includes such artists as The Helio Sequence and Pete Krebs, but is most notable for releasing Elliott Smith's debut album, Roman Candle.-Artists:*Atomic 61*Danny...
, 1995) - Tiger Stripes Forever (Compilation 10", Undercover Records, 1996)
- King Lighter Stealer (CD, Cravedog Records, 1996)
- Can't Stand the Smell, Vol. 2 (Compilation CD, Cravedog Records, 1996)
Boycrazy
- Last Thursday +2 (7", Magic Marker Records, 2000)
- Foreign WordsForeign WordsForeign Words is a novel by Greek author Vassilis Alexakis that tells the story of middle-aged writer Nicolaides and his decision to learn the African language Sango following the death of his father. The novel was originally published in 2002 in France as Les mots étrangers, where it was...
(LP, Magic Marker Records, 2001)
The Decemberists
- Castaways and Cutouts (LP, Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, 2002) - Her Majesty The Decemberists (LP, Kill Rock Stars, 2003)
- The TainThe TainThe Tain is an EP by The Decemberists released in 2004 by Acuarela Discos and in 2005 by Kill Rock Stars. The single 18-plus minute track is the band's take on the Irish mythological epic Táin Bó Cúailnge which is often simply called The Táin...
(EP, Acuarela Discos, 2004) - Billy LiarBilly Liar (The Decemberists song)"Billy Liar" is the first single released by The Decemberists. Deriving its title from the English novel Billy Liar, the song also references "Nogood Boyo" of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, and appears to generally talk about a young man's boredom during long summer days...
(Single, Rough TradeRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, 2004) - PicaresquePicaresque (album)Picaresque is an album by The Decemberists released in 2005 on the Kill Rock Stars record label. It was produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie....
(LP, Kill Rock Stars, 2005) - 16 Military Wives16 Military Wives"Sixteen Military Wives", sometimes referred to as "16 by 32", is a single released by The Decemberists from their third album, Picaresque.-Subject:...
(Single, Rough Trade, 2005) - Picaresqueties (EP, Kill Rock Stars, 2005)
M Ward
- Transistor RadioTransistor Radio (album)Transistor Radio is the fourth studio album by M. Ward.The first track is an instrumental cover of a track from The Beach Boys album Pet Sounds....
(LP, Merge RecordsMerge RecordsMerge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as a way to release music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded to include artists from around the world and records...
, 2005) - Post-WarPost-WarPost-War is the fifth studio album by M. Ward. It was released on August 22, 2006 by Merge Records. It features the single "To Go Home," a cover of a song written by Daniel Johnston. Guest appearances were made by Jim James of My Morning Jacket , Neko Case and Mike Mogis...
(LP, Merge Records, 2006)
Robert Deeble
- This Bar Has No One LeftRobert DeebleRobert Deeble is an American singer-songwriter originally from Long Beach, California, now based in Seattle. His recordings have been noted for their orchestrated arrangements, a subtle and minimalist style of production, and lyrical content....
(EP, Fractured Discs, 2005)
Corrina Repp
- The Absent and the DistantCorrina ReppCorrina Repp is a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and maker of quiet music based in Portland, Oregon. Her albums I Take On Your Days and It's Only the Future were released on Hush Records, while The Absent and the Distant was released on Mark Kozelek's personal label Caldo Verde...
(LP, Caldo Verde RecordsCaldo Verde RecordsCaldo Verde Records is a San Francisco-based indie rock and folk record label founded by Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek in 2005. The label primarily features releases by Kozelek and Sun Kil Moon, but has also released albums by Jesu, Corrina Repp, Retribution Gospel...
, 2006)
Jolie Holland
- The Living and the DeadThe Living and the Dead (album)The Living and the Dead is Jolie Holland's fourth album and third studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008 through Anti Records. The album was mixed and engineered by Joel Hamilton.-Track listing:# "Mexico City"# "Corrido Por Buddy"# "Palmyra"...
(LP, AntiAntiAnti may refer to:* Anti , the ferryman who carried Isis to Set's island in Egyptian mythology* Anti, or Campa, a tribe of South American Indians* ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival, a yearly international live-art festival held in Kuopio, Finland...
, 2008)