Bard:Live! Programs
Press Pak
Rachel Nelson
QUICK BIO
Rachel Nelson is a songwriter and folk musician whose feet have been planted firmly in the tradition of live performance for over twenty years. She is passionate about live performance, weaving folk songs, stories, and poems into warm, spontaneous musical fun. Using fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and maybe a washtub bass, she mixes traditional Appalachian and Celtic music with her own original songs, which range from traditional simplicity to swing, blues, and jazz.
Nelson' original songs are showcased in the CD Change is a Thousand Hearts, exploring topics from peace and community to global economics and deep ecology. Her children's CD "I'm Awesome!" said the Possum blends stories with original and traditional songs.
“Rachel sings from the heart . . . She is irresistible.” - Betsy Barnum, Great River Earth Institute
Visit her website at www.bardlive.com
Alternative Short description
Rachel Nelson’s passionate live performances connect with listeners. Mature, deft lyrics are seamlessly wedded to melodies ranging from Celtic simplicity to blues and jazzy grooves. Her sets mix traditional Appalachian and Celtic music with her own original songs, which range from traditional simplicity to swing, blues, and jazz.
Her originals songs are showcased in the CD Change is a Thousand Hearts. Her children's CD I'm Awesome! said the Possum adds original and true stories to songs and music. Visit her website at www.bardlive.com.
PRESS
And They Said…
“Rachel Nelson[s] singing and idealism recall Joan Baez. [The disc] titled Change is a Thousand Hearts features many songs about peace and compassion that speak to the times.”
- Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis StarTribune, 2003
“With a voice recalling 19th century Appalachia, a wonderful fiddle technique, and lone guitar-based songs, Rachel Nelson has emerged as a musical voice for peace.”
- Lydia Howell, Pulse of the Twin Cities, 2003
"Although she is best known as a musician, Ms. Nelson found storytelling to be a natural extension of her studies in English literature and her love of oral performance...Her new children's CD...features three stories, two accompanied by fiddle music."
- Caren Neile, Healing Story Alliance Newsletter, Winter, 2004
“Rachel sings from the heart . . . She is irresistible.”
- Betsy Barnum, Great River Earth Institute
"Rachel Nelson's work on fiddle and banjo is a sparkling addition to the [Granary Girls'] enduring message: at the end of the day, it is still and always love that gives life meaning."
- Andrew Calhoun, Waterbug Records, reviewing the Wild Roses CD
“Rachel brings an energy and a joy to her music that outshines all of the other 12 artists with whom I have worked.”
- Amy O’Neal, Wilson Technical College, NC
“Come hear the sassy, social issue-oriented-songs of Rachel Nelson with her new CD, Change is a Thousand Hearts.”
- Jodi Ritter of The Granary Girls
Rachel Nelson - CDs
Change is a Thousand Hearts
Rachel Nelson’s first CD of original songs, Change is a Thousand Hearts, features a variety of acoustic genres, from Celtic to swing to “urban folk.” This seasoned live performer adapts her voice to each genre, assembling the CD as she would a live set. Each cut explores a different facet of change--personal, political, or global.
These songs will draw listeners back again and again. Here is a melody-driven songwriter who crafts her lyrics to fit the tune so they are delivered to the ear on the first hearing. The melodies are generous and hummable; the lyrics challenging.
“ [Her] singing and idealism recall Joan Baez back in the day.”
- Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Nelson’s exploration of change ranges from the personal to the political. “Into My Picture” and “The Possum Song” explore the relationship with oneself, while “The Mirror” looks at interactions with others. She aims her political songs under the denial radar and straight for the heart, using humor in “Electronic Herd” and melody in “Peaceworker’s Farewell.” “In Spring” and “Woman of My Time” achieve poignancy by living where the personal and the political intersect.
Nelson’s vocals, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin are supported by superb side musicians on this CD: Kari Larson on guitar and mandolin, Alexis Vaubel on cello, Bruce Heine on electric and acoustic bass, and Patty Kakac on harmonica.
I’m Awesome!
I’m Awesome! is a blend of songs and stories with repetition and catchy tunes to grab and delight kids of any age. Rachel Nelson and friends mix acoustic stringband instruments like fiddle, banjo, washtub bass, and guitar with mandolin, stand-up bass and hand drums to keep the musical combos changing.
Blending traditional folk songs like “I’m My Own Grandma” and “The Cat Came Back” with her own originals, Nelson includes stories with the music as she would in a live performance. Stories, although new in Nelson’s recorded work, have long been a staple of her live performances.
“I wanted to carry the energy of fun, hope, and possibility in my first children’s CD,” says Nelson. “That intention really influenced my choice of songs and stories.”
I’m Awesome! features a capella singing, old-time fiddle/banjo sounds, bluesey swing numbers, and some wonderful hand percussion by Kari Kjome. The "I'm Awesome!" Children’s Chorus joins Rachel on several cuts, inviting listeners to join in.
Short Vita
Rachel Nelson
Concert Performances: music plus story (partial listing)
Acoustic Sounds Café - Little Rock, AR, 2005.
WomanSong Festival - Grand Rapids, North Dakota, 2005.
Flint Hills International Children’s Festival, 2002 –2005.
Oak Center - Lake City, MN, 2004
Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, MN, 2003.
Duluth Folk Festival - Duluth, MN, 2002.
Fairfield Public Library children’s show, “Harry, Frodo, & Magic” - Fairfield, IA, ‘02
Greater Grand Forks First Night Celebration – Grand Forks, ND, 2000-2001.
Buckham Library Summer Concert Series - Faribault, MN
Hjemkomst Center Folk Arts Festival – Moorhead, MN
Sunday Evening Onslow Co. Concerts in the Park - Jacksonville, NC
Series of Smiles Children’s Concerts - Craven Arts Council, New Bern, NC
Music in the Mountains Concert, Television, & Radio shows - Boone, NC
Theater/Storytelling Performance Credits (partial listing)
“I’m Awesome!”said the Possum CD release, Cedar Cultural Center, 2004.
Encountering Etty Hillesum, Actor/Musician, Carondolet Ctr., St. Paul, MN, 2003.
Sleepwalkers, Musician/Actor, Margolis-Brown Theater Co., 2002.
Roy McBride’s Dream Band, musical improvization with poetry and dance, 2002.
What’s for Lunch?, Musician/Puppeteer, In the Heart of the Beast, 2002.
Rachel’s Rent Party (BardLive show on global economics), 2001.
Experiments in Story, Minneapolis: Julia Butterfly story, 2001.
Finding Our Place - (The New Universe story, a touring BardLive show) Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Minneapolis, MN; 2000-1.
No Time Like the Present (first self-produced BardLive show), 2000.
Julia Butterfly, Musician for puppet show, In the Heart of the Beast Theater, 1999.
Appalachian Adventure, Actor/Musician, Wood & Strings Theater, TN, 97-00.
The Cottonpatch Gospel, Actor /Musician, Radisson Playhouse, Mpls, 1985-6.
An American Clock, Actor/ Musician, Park Square Theater, St. Paul, 1982.
JUNKIE! Musician/Composer, At the Foot of the Mountain Theater, 1980-1.
Composition & Songwriting
Composer/songwriter, An Ire-ish Tale, Wood and Strings Puppet Theater, Centerville, TN, 1997
Composer/improviser, Encountering Etty Hillesum, Wisdom Ways, St. Paul, MN, 2003.
Musician/composer, The Hunt, In the Heart of the Beast Theater, Minneapolis, MN, 1997.
CD, Change is a Thousand Hearts, 12 original songs, 2002.
CD, I’m Awesome!, original songs and stories, 2004.
Teaching (partial listing)
COMPAS/WAITS school roster artist, 1999-present.
NW Minnesota Young Authors Conference, Thief River Falls, MN, 2004
Composition Lecturer, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, 1990-92.
Recognition
Minnesota Folk Artists Directory, 1999-present.
Caren Neile interview, “’Peaceworker’s Hello’: Rachel Nelson’s Musical Storytelling” in Healing Story Newsletter, Winter 2003-4.
Minnesota State Arts Board Video Documentation Grant, 2000: filming BardLive show.
North Carolina Visiting Artist, 1994-5. 8-month, 3-county live-in residency.
Recordings (partial listing)
“I’m Awesome!”said the Possum: Songs & Stories, children’s CD, 2004.
Change is a Thousand Hearts, CD of original songs, 2002.
No Time Like the Present: Finding Our Place, Video of BardLive show, 2000.
Study (partial listing)
Physical acting classes with Kari Margolis, Margolis-Brown Co., 1999-2004.
Frame Drum Summer Intensives with Layne Redmond and Tommy Brunjes, 2002-3.
Joanna Macy deep ecology group leadership training, San Jose, CA, 1999.
M.A. in English, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 1990.
B.A. in English, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1988.