PRINTThe Ragbirds connect their music to the community through technology
Grassroots networking and social media helped to boost this band's fame
Courtesy of Grand Circus Media
The Ragbirds’ music fuses pop, rock and folk. The band is female-fronted, and lead singer Erin Zindle also plays the violin, mandolin, banjo, accordion and percussion.
December 2, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Take Natasha Bedingfield’s voice, mix it with a dash of Lily Allen’s sound, and out come the musical stylings of Erin Zindle, lead singer of The Ragbirds, an independent pop folk-rock band from Ann Arbor, Mich.
Aside from her vocal skills, the singer plays a variety of instruments, including the violin, mandolin, banjo, accordion and percussion. All play an important role in developing the rich, diverse range of her songs. By fusing gypsy-like Middle Eastern beats with Americana and Latin rhythms, the band’s music comes out of nowhere with an alternative sound Zindle describes as a global infectious groove.
WHERE: Mojo's
WHEN: Dec. 2, 8:30 p.m.
COST: $7
CALL: 875-0588
ONLINE: www.theragbirds.com
Zindle and her bandmates, guitarist T.J. Zindle (also her brother), bassist Brian Crist, drummer Loren Kranz and percussionist Randall Moore began their quest for stardom in 2005. Since then the band has gained national and international recognition (In Japan its single “Book of Matches” snagged the No. 1 spot on the Osaka music charts in August 2009) and has sold more than 10,000 records of its latest album, Finally Almost Ready –– without the promotion of a label. That feat took years of persistence and unwavering dedication.
Like many emerging bands, The Ragbirds use an arsenal of social media platforms to launch the group’s name and music onto the public radar. The outlets The Ragbirds have taken advantage of include social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, in addition to its own website. “Those sites are great for our fans to get to know us more personally and help develop a deeper fanbase,” Zindle says. “It helps them get more connected to our music.”
The simple online tools might help some struggling artists rise to stardom, but Zindle describes them as a “double-edged sword.”
“(They) definitely made it easier to get music out, but there’s a million bands out there now, so it’s harder to stand out,” Zindle says. “It’s an over-flooded market.”
In order to make a mark in the industry, The Ragbirds knew they’d need more than just a bunch of pretty profile pages. The band turned to grassroots marketing companies such as the Homegrown Music Network to give itself the edge it was missing.
Grassroots networking works by encouraging common people in the community to spread information by word of mouth. Dave Muscato, founder of Hitt Street, a consulting, brand-awareness group and grassroots networking organization, says budgeting is a key component in this type of industry.
“Grassroots marketing basically is marketing on a budget that would make a shoe-string blush,” Muscato says. “It uses creativity and interesting ways to get things done without spending money.” Muscato says this type of marketing works well for bands because many do not make a profit from their music until their second or third albums.
The Ragbirds noticed immediate results from their work with this type of advertising. “When we started working with Homegrown Music Network, people started placing orders faster than we could keep up with,” Zindle says. “It’s how we got to tour in Japan.”
The band continues to work to make the most of its newly formed fanbase. It spends months at a time on the road and plays between 150 and 200 shows per year, but for Zindle the time is worth it. “Being with this band has made some of the best memories of my life,” Zindle says.
