The Tractenburg Family Slideshow Players
Cartridge family: Rock bands come in all shapes and sizes, but a family from Seattle has settled on the oddest onstage line-up of all. Dad plays the piano and sings while a 10-year-old daughter plays the drums and Mom works the slideshow projector, flashing slides from other families' holidays, Christmasses, Thanksgivings and bar mitzvahs. If it all sounds a bit Meet the Friedmans, don't worry. The Tractenburgs may look weird, but they're a wholesome, all-American family. They've travelled the world, bringing their mad multimedia show to audiences of all kinds. Some are convinced that it's all an elaborate spoof; others are suspicious that the adults are exploiting their prepubescent drummer daughter. But most agree that the Tractenburgs' music is entertaining, if a little bit cloying. In fact, if you can get through a whole gig without thinking you've been transported into The Partridge Family, you're definitely in tune with the Tractenburgs.
Circus slideshow: Singer-songwriter Jason Tractenburg had been struggling for years on the local Seattle scene, trying to get people to listen to his quirky little tunes, with little interest from the local grunge- and nu-metal heads. Then his wife, Tina Pina, came home one night with a box she'd bought at an estate sale. Inside were old slides labelled "Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959", long-forgotten family snapshots. They didn't know who this family was, but Jason immediately began to compose a song to accompany the slideshow, titled, natch, Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959. Inspired, Tina Pina scoured garage sales for more slides, and the Tractenburg Family Slideshow Players were born. The couple recruited their six-year-old daughter, Rachel, to play harmonica; soon she graduated to the drumkit, quickly becoming the real star of the family, with the skin-bashing talent of Meg White and the mischievous attitude of Wednesday Addams. The family moved to New York and began playing local clubs. Jason calls the act an indie vaudeville art-rock concept, turning the lives of strangers into pop-rock musical exposés.
Family values: Rachel Tractenburg also plays bass in two other bands. She leads a peripatetic life, taking lessons from her parents for half the year, and attending school for the other half. She keeps her rock 'n' roll energy up by eating lots of candy. The music is a mix of quirky indie rock, political satire and homespun wisdom, with a strong streak of They Might Be Giants about it. In fact, TMBG asked the Tractenburgs to support them on tour. The family have also guested on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, one of the few unsigned acts to do so, and have played in prestigious indie venues such as the Fez in New York and Water Rats in London.
Screen gems: The Tractenburgs' début album, Vintage Slide Collections from Seattle Vol 1, is being re-released, and the family start a UK/European tour later this month.
