Rachel and the Beatnik Playboys, fronted by pianist/vocalist Rachel Brown, a Lorain-based music teacher in her every-day life, makes some of the best American roots music in this area, incorporating country, folk, blues and more. The band is fueled by Brown’s powerful, but poignant voice, which can be torchy, tough and weepy all at once, and three of the most skilled and seasoned musicians in the region: bassist Bill Watson, drummer Roy King and guitarist Dave Huddleston.
It’s been a while since the band released its third album, 2017’s Look Who’s Back, so news of a new release, titled Full Moon Rendezvous, was very welcome. The band’s CD release show March 2 at Peninsula’s G.A.R. Hall is sold out, but they’ve got a flock of gigs coming up this summer and already have a schedule posted that goes all the way to January 2025!
Recorded at SUMA Recording in Lake County and mastered by Dave Polster & Clint Holley at Well Made Music in Bristol, Virginia, the album features contributions from a who’s who of local musicians, bridging musical genres, including Bob and Jack Kidney from the Numbers Band, Cleveland Orchestra violinist Emma Shook, bluegrass banjo player Paul Kovac, David Mayfield of the David Mayfield Parade on mandolin and vocals, accordion player Caroline King, sax player Christopher Burge, trombonist Bob Michael and trumpeter Michael Rubin from Blue Lunch, Austin Walkin’ Cane Charanghat on slide guitar, David J. Young from Michael Stanley’s Resonators on organ, Roger Hoover on vocals and guitar, and Al Moss on pedal steel.
The fifteen-song album is available now on all streaming services.