
Erin Zindle from The Ragbirds
Interview by Scott Preston
The Ragbirds began in 2005 with songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Erin Zindle and world percussionist Randall Moore in their search to create fresh, original songs sprouting out of their common love for world music and their desire to weave these distant sounds into more familiar genres. With the addition of guitarist/vocalist Matthew Melody, bassist Dan Hildebrandt, and percussionist Tim Dziekan, who share the vision of creating honest, creative, and original music combining these global and local elements, The Ragbirds fully realized their unique sound.
In late 2005 The Ragbirds released their debut CD, Yes Nearby, an independent, full-length album consisting of 12 well-crafted songs. After receiving scores of critical acclaim for Yes Nearby, the band hit the road that summer and has been touring all over the country ever since. In June, 2007 the band released its second studio release, Wanderlove, which has a world travel theme with a pop appeal and was called “Highly Impressive” by USA TODAY.
In live performances the band incorporates variations on traditional African drum pieces, each member trading their instrument for a nearby hand drums. The band has a strong belief in the lyricism of poetry and positive music, and the power of dance-able rhythm.
Cincy Groove: How and when did the Ragbirds first get together?
Erin Zindle: The Ragbirds started with these songs I (Erin) just knew I had to record. Randall was my boyfriend at the time (we’re married now) and he had just started playing drumset, after studying world percussion for many years, so I had him learn the songs quickly and lay tracks down on the record. We gathered band mates as the recording progressed and started rehearsing to perform the songs live. None of us knew where it would all end up, and the cast has changed completely since then, but that was the beginning. Each time we advanced one of our band mates dropped out and we went through an audition process to find a replacement. That is how we ended up with our current lineup. Read more