joachim cooder w/rayna gellert

joachim cooder w/rayna gellert

Joachim Cooder grew up surrounded by music alongside his father, legendary guitarist Ry Cooder who took him on the road at an early age on the drums, playing both live and in the studio. These touring and recording projects allowed him to share stages and recordings with Johnny Cash, Ali Farka Touré, V. M. Bhatt, Steve Earle, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Nick Lowe, and most notably the award winning project The Buena Vista Social Club.

Joachim discovered the joys of playing an electric mbira through a small amp, and the sound that emanated was inspired by the world music that always captivated him, “I’m always hearing some sort of defunct cosmic ice cream truck in my head – that’s the sound I’m after with my mbiras and tank drums and other tuned percussion.”

After honing her fiddle skills playing at jam sessions and square dances, Rayna fell into a life of traveling and performing. Her fiddle albums are widely celebrated in the old-time music community, and she has recorded with a host of musicians in a variety of styles – including Robyn Hitchcock, Tyler Ramsey, Sara Watkins, Loudon Wainwright III, John Paul Jones, and Joachim Cooder.

Rayna was a member of the acclaimed stringband Uncle Earl, with whom she released two albums on Rounder Records and toured like mad. She has also toured extensively with songwriter Scott Miller, as well as her Uncle Earl bandmate Abigail Washburn.

In recent years, Rayna’s focus has turned toward songwriting and singing. Since 2016, she has been writing, recording, and performing as a duo with Kieran Kane.