Rachel's
From: All Music
"Although the avant-chamber trio Rachel's did not fully emerge until after the breakup of the seminal Louisville indie group Rodan, the trio's origins dated back to 1989, when guitarist and bassist Jason Noble first met violinist and Juilliard alumnus Christian Fredericksen on a Baltimore trolley. After the duo composed a 1991 Christmas tape dubbed "Rachel's Halo," they parted ways while Noble tenured in Rodan; upon reuniting in 1994, they formed Rachel's, named after Noble's Toyota Corolla and not after the group's third member, pianist Rachel Grimes. In 1995, the group debuted with Handwriting, a dark fusion of classical and experimental sounds influenced by film music; a year later, Rachel's returned with two separate releases, Music for Egon Schiele (composed by Grimes for a theatrical dance production based on the life of the famed Austrian painter) and The Sea and the Bells (which featured an orchestra employing over a dozen musicians). Selenography followed in 1999, and in the spring of 2000 the group resurfaced with Full on Night, a collaboration with Matmos. Three years later, they hooked up with the New York theater collective, SITI Company for the Systems/Layers release." - by Jason Ankeny
From: Southern Records
"Simply put, Rachel's is a collective of friends playing in an instrumental band that share the desire to explore ideas together without manifestos or genre biases. The band is based in Louisville, Kentucky (state motto: united we stand, divided we fall.)
Rachel's has toured North America and Europe, appearing in libraries, churches, rock dungeons, ballrooms, bowling alleys and movie theaters. Their diverse audiences have included punk kids and grandparents, classical and jazz devotees, and the occasional infant.
Rachel's has often worked with filmmakers, dance companies, stage productions, printmakers and photographers. In keeping with their love of film, they have contributed tracks to several independent and feature films, including Oliver Stone's recent "Any Given Sunday," Miguel Arteta's "Star Maps," Oasis Pictures "My Dog Vincent," and Artemis Productions "Une Liason Pornographique." Their music constituted the score for Channel 4's documentary film, "A Day to Remember," and the band's 1999 Knitting Factory performance is currently featured on BET's 'On Jazz' channel. Rachel's have performed on National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Sunday Morning", on "New Sounds" at WNYC Radio, and on WFMU's "The Stork Club." In 1997, they recorded a Peel Session for BBC's Radio One."
Members
- Christian Frederickson: Viola, Laptop
- Edward Grimes: Drums, Vibes, Sampler
- Rachel Grimes: Piano, Organ
- Greg King: Films, Keyboards
- Eve Miller: Cello
- Jason Noble: Guitar, Bass, Sampler
Releases
- Handwriting (1995 Quarterstick Records)
- Music For Egon Schiele (1996 Quarterstick Records)
- The Sea And The Bells (1996 Quarterstick Records)
- Selenography (1999 Quarterstick Records)
- Full On Night split with with Matmos (2000 Quarterstick Records)
- Systems/Layers (2003 Quarterstick Records)
- Technology Is Killing Music (2005 Three Lobed Recordings)
- Rotating Mirror DVD (self-released)
- Significant Others 2002 (self-released)
- A Warm Body digital 2013 (self-released)
Compilations
- The Lounge Ax Defense and Relocation - Track 14: "Those Pearls..." v/a CD (April 1996, Touch & Go)