Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Off and On Broadway
Studio: Sarathan Records
It all started with a dusty slide projector and a sleeve of vacation slides purchased at an estate sale.
With his then 6 year-old daughter playing drums (she’s 12 now), vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Jason Trachtenburg — formerly well known in the Seattle lo-fi scene for his quirky tunes and PotUSA collabs — arranged the slides in a narrative order and crafted the song “Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959″ (video), which features yes, vacation photos from a 1959 mountain trip to Japan set to a quirky, yet well-crafted tune.
Band concept: Mom runs the slide projector, Dad plays keyboards and little daughter plays drums. Viola! A family art-rock band.
And since 2000, the Vaudeville meets Patridge Family act known as the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players became so popular, they were the first unsigned act to play a set on Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
With only one CD out since 2003, Vintage Slide Collections From Seattle, Vol. 1, we were thrilled to review their stellar new DVD, On and Off Broadway, which chronicles the first chapter of they group as they perform in and around New York. Bonus materials include numerous videos and Jason’s solo performances on Checkerboard Kid, a NYC cable program (here’s one on YouTube). Our personal favorite from the DVD is “Look at Me” – the story of two women who it turns out are married (to men).
This group not only has a clever, unique shtick, they also have the musical chops and artistic fortitude to back it up. The group are currently on a nationwide tour and hit Minneapolis’ 7th St. Entry on September 17.
Perfect Porridge had the chance to speak with Jason Trachtenburg (the dad), in an exclusive interview yesterday (courtesy of our friends at Filter Magazine) covering the group’s new tour, the evolution of technology when it comes to visual and auditory formats, and even the purpose and responsibility rock and roll and those who carry the torch. Read on…
Jason, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
Jason Trachtenburg: So Minneapolis and PerfectPorridge. You know I like soup and porridge in general — it’s the best way to feed people the most practically and most nutrionally. In fact, I encourage everyone to make porridge in the morning and soup at night.
And you could even switch if you get bored, soup in the morning, porridge at night?
It’s by choice. I like every legume, or mayberice; whatever they want. You can sweeten or salt to taste – really use any seasoning you’d like.
Haha..awesome. So where are you right now?
We’re in the East Village in New York City.
That’s right. I know you’ve moved around a lot, including some time in Seattle.
Yes, just like a lot of bands, we always to go the music center. Where’s the art? We tried New York and Nashville, then Austin, Texas for a small period of time, the San Franciso – the Bay area, then Seattle…all hot beds of musical activity.
It wasn’t an accident we ended up at any of these places. At one point, everyone’s talking about Eddie Vedder and this other trio from Seattle and suddenly everyone’s saying “Seattle, the next Liverpool,” which was the cover of Newsweek in 1992.
And maybe at that point it’s time to move?
Exactly. People who like art and music just find each other wherever. It’s sort of weird when you think about it.
So I’m sure everyone always wants to talk to you about your existing songs – the ones like “Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959″ and “Eggs,” which put you on the map and are the focal point of your new DVD — but are you working on any new songs that allow you to take a fresh stab at performing them?
Definitely. Our whole new set we premiered last night is completely different than the DVD. Basically, the DVD documents the first chapter of our career, and now — as of last night — we’ve moved onto the second chapter and left those behind.
We really enjoyed the way the DVD captured the essence of the family’s show style. Did you anticipate it would have that effect?
In a way, the DVD is our first attempt at this medium, of which I’ve learned a lot about in making this product. DVDs are an extremely popular format, you know. You never know when a new format comes out if it will be widely adopted. You know, iPods and other technology are now out, and we don’t know which are going to stick. Consider Beta, the 8 track…and while one format may be superior over another, you never know which will stick.
The factors to consider include: playback, reliability, not skipping, not breaking. But yet the cassette tape format has lasted, even though junky digital devices have taken over. Cassette tape is superior medium for audio.
But the video medium isn’t difficult. The DVD is the chosen medium for playback and watching images in this day and age. It’s a good format for switching around between programs and stuff. It has a good quality picture.
So is it ironic that you’re using the newest, greatest technology to show slides from the 1970s set to music?
The whole thing with us is that we would just assume record on vinyl. And it’s so hard to record a physical art. It’s a watering down of the presentation on both the sonic and artistic level. The truth is, the compact disc format actually costs the consumer more. And the CD is quite fallible. You don’t own a compact disc more than a couple weeks and it skips.
Obviously, the slides you first started with are the most precious in your collection and an integral part of the show. Have you made copies?
We’ve made copies of the stuff on the DVD, but we probably should go make copies of the new ones just in case.
How many slides do you carry with you when you’re traveling?
I normally carry 6-8 reels of slides. Each reel has 60 slides each, so we’re talking 240-365 slides. But 360 is definitely heavier in the bag. I always carry the bag when we tour.
So do you keep the bag padlocked to your wrist?
Pretty much. Actually I make sure they’re always in a good spot.
Do you run them through the airport X-Ray machines when you fly?
I do, but it doesn’t affect them — another knock at the new superior technology. It’s not like unexposed film or new technology that’s affected by lasers. There’s no way to affect the slides.
In talking about technology, most of your slides are from twenty years ago in the “era of slide projection” – 70s and early 80s. What do you see creative artists like yourself doing with today’s mediums like videos on YouTube and Flickr?
Wow, that’s a monumentous reality to consider. Definitely with the advent of digital photography, it’s become easier to take photos and share them online.
But as I know when dealing with people’s photography, often these people are crap photographers. These photos lack a personal edge – like landmarks from shots from a vacation, shots out of an airplane, flowers, mountains, nondescript, or faraway people standing in front of water – I can’t do anything with those.
But let me clarify, people are into creating their own slideshow presentation on their computers, and any sort of creativity is good and most people have the greater good in their heart.
Then I have to ask – knowing the answer already – do you see yourself ever moving into a PowerPoint presentation instead of hauling these reels of slides around – embracing this new technology?
Similar to CD versus vinyl formats, slide projection photography is superior technology to a PowerPoint presentation.
Number one, it’s a clear image. It’s not pixilated. The colors are cleaner There’s no set-up delay ([sings:] boom boom boom) oh there’s the Microsoft logo and people start cracking jokes at it. I would rather have control over our technology.
What if it skips, what if it crashes or will not play. Slides are more reliable. Slides always go, even if they’re messed up. Even if slide is physically hurt, you can still touch it up – which I’ve had happen a couple times.
As Rachel has grown older, has she taken a more active role in songwriting/slide selection/touring opportunities?
We should dedicate more time to the process of songwriting. We end up spending much more time doing the domestic side of things, home schooling, etc. We’re trying to spend more time writing but something’s always going on.
From the DVD, it’s obvious you very much live the Slideshow player lifestyle we see on stage. When thinking about relocating to artistic cities and your family approach to performance, it’s obvious you’re passionate about your work. And between the family tour, your sound and clothes, the Trachtenburg’s touring has been described as a throw-back to Vaudeville and gypsy carnivals. With your art form as it is today, do you see yourself as living in the past, pioneering new art forms or are you just able to live in that gray area between naiveté and artistic freedom?
Oh, that’s a very good question. That’s one of the best questions ever in the history of journalism – very well presented – it started off good, and it built. Very well presented.
Thanks – we’re flattered.
The answer is yes. Hopefully there’s a greater good of entertainment and art, and the potential it has. On the surface, art gives people a break from their everyday life – some people bet on horses or some people take their interest on whatever category, which I guess would include music.
More than a distraction, it brings pleasure and harmony to their life. We also have the opportunity through this art and medium which we use, which I guess is rock and roll (not a throwback to Vaudeville).
I think people associate the word “family” to Von Trapp, as far as that goes. And Although Tina does make our costumes from recycled materials — we call it “vintage chic” — it’s actually more practical, washable, and you get pennies on the dollar to what you’d pay for inferior brands. They end up to be super classy, interesting and practical pieces of clothing, which is good because at least 5 percent of our reality is getting dressed and putting on clothes in the morning.
In fact, our clothes are one less new and disposable item added to our life process and resources that it takes to make, whether it’s any kind of shirt (my grandmother would say blouse…or trousers are pants), but anyway, it creates less waste and you end up with a superior product, which brings us again back to technology, slides, PowerPoint, Vinyl, CDs…
And when it comes to watching movies at home, actually a projector reel would be ideal, but DVD is the superior medium. And thinking about information, recipes…
Actually, speaking of recipes, the new DVD shows you guys giving cooking demonstrations during your live shows. Is that something you would be interested in continuing on this tour?
Cooking onstage is great, and we would welcome doing a cooking/lifestyle program on any TV show. Yet, it’s hard to do both perform and cook, and doing both on same stage is difficult. Unless you have a whole multiplex of culinary projection.
You’ve mentioned your recorded audio albums, and one thing we love about your songs is how effortless they come alive when played off a CD (sans slideshow). To what extent have you worked to make CD sales not only possible, but an effective medium given the basis for the band?
We’ve perfected the concept on translating our slideshow onto the CD via a pullout picture book. You know how sometimes these bands put 12-16 pages in their liner notes with gloomy photos. We’ve turned those pages into slides with lyrics printed on the bottom, and you can turn pages as you go. That’s what we did for Vol. 1.
Also at the time we utilized a new technology to put the slideshow on an enhanced CD that will flash slides on your computer with the music. And even if you don’t have the technology, you can still look at the picture booklet. And even if you don’t have a CD player, you can still look at the picture booklet and sing the songs yourself.
We’re hoping someone will put on Vol. 2 very soon. And we also have other CDs ready to go.
So let’s talk about the upcoming tour.
Our current tour features different songs featuring different slides and music.
What’s different than previous tours that we can look forward to?
Our show is a lot smoother – less downtime than there was before. We’re a tighter band now, and the results show.
Like many musicians before me, I’ve also gone electric. I play a Fender Stratocaster and will continue to play electric in a band situation, although performing more acoustic things with an acoustic guitar is always nice, too. But we’re a rock band for this because that’s our genre and profession. Rock and roll and indie rock is the thing, and we’re falling into that reality. I think we’re indie rock.
So are you becoming the antithesis of Jack and Meg White?
We’re very similar and have a similar approach. We’ve met Meg White a few times…
And I have read comparisons between Rachel and Meg White, but I wasn’t going there. Instead, I’m just thinking about you now away from the keyboard (solely on electric guitar) and Rachel on drums – but set to slides.
Yeah, I think we have a similar approach to them and their writing. And just like them, I look forward to making better and better records.
So are you playing keys at all during the shows?
Mostly guitar, but there are a couple of keyboard songs we still play. I like to jazz things up. Start out with rock and then lounge it up towards the end with more piano ballads – how else are you going to end a night?
So we start out with rock. People say that rock and roll is king. But then again, rock and roll is king. So we say let’s work with our modern end, and use all our resources at our disposal, with an acknowledgement of pop music. This includes the period of most profound work from the mid to late 60s and some 70s that had a lot to offer, too. Our cause with rock and roll is to take it to another level — as far as an art form and medium –using its potential to communicate ways of musical survival. It’s an acknowledgement of life’s reality.
Wow. That’s all we can say. Thanks for your time, and we’re looking forward to your stop in Minneapolis. We’ll see you in September.
Hmm– that sounds like a great idea for a song!
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players hit Minneapolis’ 7th St. Entry on September 17, 2006.
Read our September Minneapolis show review here
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