Rachel Zylstra
Most simply categorized as ‘Ben-Folds-meets-smoky-chanteuse-meets-orphan-train-alt-country-gal – with a dash of Sesame Street-’, Midwestern NYC transplant Rachel Zylstra puts her expressive alto at the helm of musically diverse original tunes. Scattered over innovative piano parts, RZ showcases natural jazz instincts and nine years of classical piano training, all the while telling stories through lyrics that meander thoughtfully before they ring the doorbell and run.
In 2001 Rachel received an honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for the song "Contentment" from an early self-released album. Since that early honor, she has been a nominee for best folk album for West Michigan's 88.1 WYCE Jammie Awards (2003), and a semi-finalist for Discmakers' Independent Musician World Series (2004).
Since moving from Grand Rapids to Manhattan, RZ has taken her music on the road to Seattle, Chicago, Columbus, Des Moines, opened for national acts Jay Brannan, David Bazan and Over The Rhine, and played NYC venues ranging from The Living Room to the legendary Bitter End, also finding a regular niche at “the home of anti-folk,” The Sidewalk Cafe. Her debut on the New York scene was marked by Chuck Eddy of The Village Voice declaring her "Michigan's answer to Nellie McKay.”
December 2008, RZ went digital with a sold-out Ars Nova perfomance celebrating the release of her latest EP, Before You Could Decide. Seven pitch-perfectly crafted tracks recorded by David Brenneman in an Upper West Side church sanctuary, this collection represents a new standard of what's to come from Rachel. It was mixed and mastered by studio veteran Alan Douches (Sufjan Stevens' Greetings From Michigan and Illinois), while, with partner Kristin Spix, Joe Spix (Robert Plant's Dreamland, Nelly's Sweat/Suit) created the project's nostalgic visual incarnation. Before You Could Decide made a sizable dent in triple A radio market, gaining spins and adds across the United States even before RZ went on the road in July (to the Midwest) and October (to the Southeast US) to support it.
2010 has brought with it a new enticing project: Advice Music. In this weekly advice column, people write RZ with dilemmas about relationships, family, etiquette, fashion and more - and she responds to each question with a tailor-made song-answer - "like Dear Abby but more musical and less newspapery" (-Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Blog). She also continues perform live and is working on writing a semi-epic musical.
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last updated June 2010
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