Rachelle's Biography
Rachelle Van Zanten
Rachelle Van Zanten's musical history is as varied as music itself. Growing up in northern British Columbia (Canada), she sang in church choir, took piano lessons, played drums and trumpet in the school band, headbanged with friends to heavy metal at high school parties, and jammed with her family on gospel, bluegrass and old time country. As well as all that jazz, Rachelle spent hours alone in her room learning her favorite songs and most importantly, discovering how to create her own.
Having outgrown her small hometown, Van Zanten relocated to Edmonton in 1994, and used her strong musical foundations to begin building a career. After founding Painting Daisies with Daisy Blue Groff in 1995, Rachelle started playing shows at the various clubs around Edmonton while attending the University of Alberta. She soon found herself being invited to the stage by Edmonton's finest musicians. Luann Kowalek and Bill Bourne sought after her for her ability to add wonderful texture and layering to their music, as did local bluegrass heroes, Twang. Van Zanten and her National Resophonic soon became regulars on the Twang stage, and as the only player in the band without a beard, her excellent slide playing was not the only thing that stood out!
In the past few years, Van Zanten has become a powerful force in the studio as well. Besides recording "Flambescence" and "fortissimo" with Painting Daisies, she also made appearances on Luann Kowalek's second release, "Late Night Heroes" and Bill Bourne's "Sally's Dream" (on which Van Zanten is the sole guest performer). A recent release of the Split-Fork documentry, "Slave to the River", features Rachelle's acoustic guitar and acoustic slide guitar as the background music. These appearances are no small feat, especially with Van Zanten's busy schedule!
With Painting Daisies, she is undertaking three Canadian tours, two American tours, and one European tour this year alone. For Van Zanten, however, the Daisies' hectic schedule is not enough! She hopes to embark on the Great Canadian Slide tour with such greats as Colin Linden, Doug Cox, and Lester Quitzau.
Rachelle's Top Five Music Pics:
- Eleni Mandell- Thrill
- Led Zeppelin II
- ACDC - Powerage
- Metallica- Master of Puppets
- Jimmy Page & Friends - No Introduction Necessary
Where Can You Find Her When She Isn't Playing Music?
Rachelle loves riding bikes on trails that have a certain danger to them. Speed is good as well as downhill plummits. She also loves trekking and most other outdoor adventure. Basketball is also up there on the list of recreational favorites. She credits sports for teaching her good work ethic. When at home, Rachelle is most happy hanging with the fam and riding her horse.