After receiving industry acclaim
in the form of Clear Channel’s “New”
program and earning top honors in the
2006 “Song of the Year” competition,
Garage Band sensation Rachel VanSlyke
is the latest artist to leverage
internet popularity into a worldwide
recording and publishing contract.
VanSlyke’s unique combination of
accessible, highly listenable tunes
with no holds barred lyrics and a
refusal to be bound by conventional
genres have garnered her a following
who are at once enamored and
empowered by her bold songwriting and
gutsy performances.
Succeeding on her own terms, her
songs emotionally resonate with fans
across the spectrum based upon their
edgy intensity and genuine intimacy.
Refusing to let her brains, heart or
voice be eclipsed by her natural
beauty, her head knows she’s got to
be cautious in this industry, but
“the heart wants what it wants,” and
Rachel’s seems content only when it’s
revealing itself.
“Or when I’m hiking or biking or
on a retreat…I guess you could say I’
m a real nature girl,” jokes the shy-
without-her-guitar Rachel. “When you’
re born in a small country town, when
you’re drawn to the spiritual and the
natural, when your grandmother was a
carpenter who also sang at Carnegie
Hall...I’m what you end up with.”
Raised in Upstate New York on
little more than a love of family and
music, she first took to the guitar
at age 14. The past decade she’s
spent honing her talents by beating
the odds and claiming a newfound
comfort in crowds. She also plays
piano and a little tenor sax, thanks
to her family’s penchant for all-
night jam sessions, but the energetic
artist feels compelled to pick up and
play pretty much anything that makes
a sound. Of course, the construction
worker turned waitress turned Venice
Boardwalk acoustic vagabond has a
habit of defying expectations. And
“so i begin,” her first release by
TSR Records, is no exception.
Combining elements of rock, pop
and classic country, everyone from
teens to the adult alternative crowd
are getting off on the unapologetic
sensuality of Rachel VanSlyke’s
storytelling and her raw, expressive
and explosive talents. From the in-
your-face, balls-out modern rock of
“Never Me” to the infectious honky-
tonk of “Carry” to the lullaby
rhythm of “Into Me,” VanSlyke strips
her songs to their cores. Belting
out the staccato lines of “Movin On,”
the unvarnished nature of her lyrics
make it so even the imperfections in
her untrained voice ring as authentic.
Still reluctant to set up house
in anybody else’s camp, the modest
twenty-four year-old does acknowledge
and appreciate comparisons made to
Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and
Nirvana. Rock? Sure, just so long
as your definition includes ample
room for the truthy twangs of Johnny
Cash. Pop? Yes, but when’s the last
time hooks like this have been
matched with R&B grit – better put a
little more rum in that Coke. Folk?
Of course, the influence is there,
but are you sure Folk is supposed to
stomp? This ain’t your Momma’s
Mamas. And there’s nothing the
playful soul likes better than
surprising fans by following up one
song – just when they think they’ve
got her pegged – with something
completely different.
Whether playing to packed clubs
or back at Venice Beach, even one- on-
one for a stranger, giving herself
over to the music and her audience,
and baring it all are what, according
to Rachel, she’s here to do.
Judiciously produced by Get Set Go’s
Mike TV, “so i begin” is how Rachel
VanSlyke offers herself to the world,
and, judging by audience reaction and
her meteoric Garage Band ascent, that’
s exactly what today’s jaded, overly-
marketed-to music fans respect.
BY: SCOTT SILVERMAN