Rachel Baiman will perform at Woodman's Listening Room on June 9 in support of her new album, Common Nation of Sorrow.
Review for Rachel Baiman:
The official music video for acclaimed singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Baiman’s “Old Songs Never Die” is now out. Of the video, Baiman shares, “A simple song about my love for old time and bluegrass music, and other songs that have survived the centuries. I grew up playing traditional music and I love the communal nature of it. There’s a whole cannon of music that belongs to nobody, it’s the property of the community and it can’t be bought and sold, its value is both infinite and non-existent. We were imagining for this video that I was welcoming somebody into my personal Museum of Old Songs and showing them around. The black and white footage are the various exhibits one might find in this memory museum.”
“Old Songs Never Die” is from Baiman’s acclaimed new album, Common Nation of Sorrow, which was released last month via Signature Sounds. Produced by Baiman, mixed by Tucker Martine (Neko Case, The Decemberists, First Aid Kit) and recorded at The Tractor Shed outside of Nashville, the album offers an assessment of the country’s current state, telling stories of American capitalism as well as the individual and communal devastation it manifests.
Full details of her tour can be found at www.rachelbaiman.com/tour.
In addition to Baiman, Common Nation of Sorrow also features Riley Calcagno (acoustic guitar, banjo), Miles Miller (drums - Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers), Josh Oliver (acoustic guitar, electric guitar- Watchhouse), Ashleigh Caudill (bass), Adam Chaffins (bass), Anthony De Costa (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Lauren Horbal (drums), and Tristan Scroggins (mandolin), and was recorded by GRAMMY Award-winning engineer Sean Sullivan, known for his work with Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers.
Raised in Chicago, Baiman moved to Nashville at age 18 with the dream of becoming a professional fiddle player, before falling in love with songwriting. In the years since, she’s released two acclaimed full-length records—2021’s Cycles and her 2017 debut, Shame, of which NPR Music praised, “wry truth-telling…a jaunty banjo figure bobs above a strolling folk-rock groove and sets a playful tone, while her lyrics, delivered with reedy, willful nonchalance, critique the merging of religious, moral and political influence.” Additionally, Vice’s Noisey declared, “Shame will have you flipping authority off one song at a time.” In addition to her own releases, Baiman continues to work as a musician in a variety of forms, with credits including session and live side-person work for Kacey Musgraves, Amy Ray, Kevin Morby, Kelsey Waldon and Molly Tuttle among many others.