Rachel Trachtenburg (born December 10, 1993 in Seattle, Washington) is a musician and singer from New York City. Rachel is a drummer and vocalist in the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, a band she is a member of along with her parents, Jason and Tina. Jason and Tina began taking their slideshow act in various places all over Seattle. Later, they added Rachel to the band, with her playing the drums at the age of six. Rachel is multi-talented; She plays not only drums, but the harmonica and the Bass guitar and she sings back-up along with her father. When Rachel is not performing with her family, she has also played guitar with other bands such as King Missile and Schwervon. She also appeared in the short indie film, Happy Birthday, playing the role of Lisa.
Rachel has often been compared to Meg White of the White Stripes because the two of them wear pigtails. In March of 2004, Rachel made her appearance on the cover of TimeOut New York Kids, posing with a guitar.
To date, Rachel and her family still tour around the world, in numerous places. A lot of people were concerned about Rachel being exploited and performing in underage clubs and bars, but throughtout her career, Rachel has proven to herself through various interviews that she is very smart, mature and according to her grandfather, Milton Trachtenburg, a "astute businesswoman". Rachel is also a vegetarian, as well as her parents.
A lot of Trachtenburg fans have wondered if Rachel understands the lyrics in which she is singing. In an interview for PopMatters.com, her father said this: "I think about that in particular she doesn't know what we're talking about. It's just a lyric, but with Iraq becoming the new Vietnam, or so they say, maybe it will become all that much clearer." Her mother also added: "She's definitely not learning about Agent Orange in school, but it's kind of a history lesson for her. I don't think she knows about that."
Rachel and her parents are currently 'characters' for USA Network's 'Characters Welcome' campaign.
