The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
April 1, 2003
Small's
Hamtramck, MI
On April Fools day I ventured into the chilly spring night to the land of Hamtramck to bear witness to a phenomenon I had been hearing rumblings about for awhile. This bizarre band/art project/family is known as the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players.
As their name implies they are in fact a family made up of Daddy Trachtenburg (Jason on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards), 10 year old daughter (Rachel on drums and backup vocals) and Mommy Trachtenburg (Tina, running the slide machine). Their dog Emma also made several appearances throughout the night.
The gimmick with this band is that they go to garage sales and such places to procure peoples old slides and then compose music to accompany them. This is a schtick that might quickly grow old if the music they come up with wasn’t so clever, melodic and fun. First of all little Rachel on drums adds an undeniable cute factor to the whole proceedings. When I walked into Small’s she was challenging the door lady to a heated came of "Golden Tee" while also playing with her Yo Yo. On top of that she is a more than capable drummer, in fact she rocks out.
Many of the slides that the Trachtenburg’s use come from estate sales. Looking at pictures of cocktail parties from the fifties is sort of funny, but there is also an element of eeriness knowing that most of the people in the pictures getting drunk and wearing lampshades on their heads are probably dead now. One of the songs was about two army nurses who also seemed to like to drink a bit. The slides alternated between them in nurse’s uniforms looking official and wild parties with lots of debauchery and various states of undress. The songs could be dark, while still remaining tuneful and poppy. Think Brian Wilson.
Another of the night’s highlights came when the family performed a 6 song rock opera based on a McDonald’s corporate planning presentation from 1978. Songs about corporate executives in polyester shirts spewing about marketing and advertising with names like, "What is the Corporation To Do" and "Wendy’s, Sambo’s and Long John Silver" were hilarious. These songs often called to mind an even more strange version of King Missile or They Might Be Giants.
Peter Trachtenburg acted as the emcee as well as main musical force. He is the world’s perfect music nerd dad. With an appearance that bears an uncanny resemblance to Austin Powers he would introduce the songs with little jokes that featured perfectly timed rimshots from Rachel on drums.
The Family’s stated goal is to change the nature of entertainment. That may be a long way off, but their act is sincere and they are talented. They also have an irresistible sense of…well, family. The whole thing is made with love that is completely homegrown and that is the way it should be.