A Well-Oiled (Literally) Travelin’ Machine

Originally from Ypsilanti, the now Ann Arbor-based Ragbirds have been gaining national momentum (and touring their tailfeathers off!) during the past year, but the effortless fusion of world cultures and styles in their music has been pleasing fans since 2005.

Currently touring the U.S., the five-piece band employs a great variety of instruments to create a truly unique sound.  With a newly-released fourth album and a growing fanbase (or flock), this small town band is making it big, while still remembering to appreciate the little things.

When Erin Zindle (the band’s lead singer, writer and multiinnstrumentalist) answers my phone call, the band is stopped somewhere between Birmingam, Alabama and Oxford, Mississippi. Why are they stopped, you ask? Oh, just empyting out grease traps from a local restaurant. With a tour bus that runs on recycled waste vegetable oil, stops like this one are a regular occurrence on the road. While Randy (the tour manager) sees a guy about a greasetrap, Erin is kind enough to answer a few questions.

Your new album, “Traveling Machine,” definitely has an eclectic energy.  Is it important to you to feature many different styles in your albums?

“Traveling Machine” is definitely in keeping with our style of eclectic fusion, influenced by rhythms from all over the world.  The title of the album, as well as the music, was inspired by all of the traveling we do as a band. Having been able to experience so many different people’s worldviews has allows us to see the big picture… to see all of these really diverse people as kind of a mosaic of God.

The songs each seem to have their own unique personalities. Did any stand out as favorites, whether in production or as a finished product?

I really loved the way “The Race” turned out. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but another one I loved was “Tomorrow River.” Michael Ibrahim played the ood on that track, which helped make it so rich. It’s also the first song I’ve written for my mother, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.

Among the many accolades the Ragbirds have received lately, you were recently named by High Times Magazine as “Band of the Month” for January 2012.  How has the growing national attention affected things for you?

It’s been encouraging! I’ve been doing interviews almost every day. A lot more people are talking about us. It’s exciting, especially with the album still fresh off the presses. It’s great to see some momentum already.

So, with a bus run on vegetable oil, you must be quite an environmentally-conscious group. Are there other steps you take toward “living green”?

Really it’s all just about personal actions – making daily decisions to try to use our own water bottles and real cups and plates when we can. It’s the little things, and we try our best. It’s difficult on the go, because it’s easier to run with the disposable lifestyle, but we do what we can. We care about the impact our actions make on the earth.

Your solo album, “Scenes From the Fragile Agile Avian World,” was released late last year and has already been touted by critics. What can those who haven’t heard it yet expect from it?

Well, I’m always inspired to write by the things around me, and, for a while now, I’ve been accumulating songs that just didn’t really seem like Ragbirds songs – there’s a lot of piano. As a songwriter, there are a lot of different styles of music that I love to express myself through, and I had fun experimenting with what I could do without my band behind me with their drums and bass.

And last, but not least, when can we see you guys back home?

We’ll be at The Ark in Ann Arbor on March 23 for sort of an album release party for “Traveling Machine.” It’s more of a “CD celebration” actually, since the album was released while we’ve been away on tour. We’re excited to be home and want everyone to come party with us. We can’t wait to share our new songs with our hometown fans.