WSLR Presents: Rachel Baiman + Barrett Davis

5500 Saint Elmo Avenue,Chattanooga TN 37409

09 June, 2023

Description

The Woodshop Listening Room Presents: Rachel Baiman with Barrett Davis Friday, June 9th $15 GA | $20 PREMIUM | $20 DOS Doors at 5pm | Music at 8pm *no cover until 7pm* RACHEL BAIMAN (Folk/Old-Time/Bluegrass) VIDEO | LISTEN “When I was a kid, my dad was in this tiny fringe political group called the Democratic Socialists of America” explains songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Baiman. “That was considered extreme, something I didn’t tell my friends about. Now my generation has had to wake up to the intensity of our own economic oppression. We sit around talking about how anyone affords to buy a house, and how we can get rich people to pay for our albums”, she laughs Baiman finds hope in this shared experience as a mechanism for activism. On Common Nation of Sorrow, Baiman’s third LP, she tells stories of American capitalism, and the individual and communal devastation it manifests. “The reality is that the vast majority of us are being taken advantage of by the same brutal economic and political systems. Maybe that shared oppression is a place in which we can meet and fightback”, she explains. Common Nation of Sorrow opens with “Some Strange Notion”, an anthemic song from which the album title is drawn. Featuring the distinct outlaw country drumming and vocals of Miles Miller (Sturgill Simpson/Tyler Childers), contrasted with a phased-out string section and seemingly socialist rallying cry, the track pulls together the many elements of the record in a way that eerily reflects its lyrical content; “But now, some strange notion has taken ahold of us/ It’s the common nation of sorrow, hear the boots march through the dust/ when so much pain is intertwined, there are none who can tear it down/ you cannot bury those already resting beneath the ground,” sings Baiman. “This song was deeply inspired by the idea of generational activism”, she says. “The realization that sometimes it takes several generations of work to see any change or progress, and the tenacity and determination which that idea requires.” In contrast with her previous work, Baiman is the sole producer of Common Nation of Sorrow, which she recorded in her hometown of Nashville. She leans heavily into her bluegrass and old-time sensibilities on this new record. “In some ways, this is a homecoming project for me”, she says. “I wanted to explore these songs based on who and where I am right now, with the town and the people who have raised me musically using the music from the place I’m singing about." BARRETT DAVIS (Americana/Songwriter) VIDEO | LISTEN Born into the mecca of Appalachian folk music in Western North Carolina, Barrett Davis writes songs that traverse the musical lineage of the mountains in a kaleidoscope of old-time, early country, folk, and bluegrass. A full-time carpenter juggling music throughout his life, Barrett's 2022 debut record The Ballad of Aesop Finn has been turning heads after collaborating with Grammy-Winning Steep Canyon Rangers co-founder Woody Platt. The record also features instrumentation from celebrated North Carolina string band Pretty Little Goat, and has been featured by Fretboard Journal, The Bluegrass Situation, WNCW Radio, Jambase, Americana Highways, and Country Note.