Product Details

• Format: Color, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sarathan Records
• DVD Release Date: August 1, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GFRI8Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,943 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

About the Actor

When you're in a band as unique as the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, it's okay to be a little confident.

"We're an indie-vaudeville-conceptual-art-rock-slideshow band," says singer/songwriter Jason Trachtenberg. "We've got the market cornered. There's no band that can hold a candle to us. In that department."

He's got a point there -- the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are a domestic trio (dad Jason, mom Tina Piña, 12-year-old daughter Rachel), who play quirky indie pop songs in the key of unironic good, clean fun (think They Might Be Giants meets the Partridge Family) with one major catch: All the songs' carefully rhyming lyrics come from the vintage slide collections they've found at estate or garage sales that accompany their performances. What's more, from their retro fashion sense to their disavowal of modern conveniences, the Trachtenburg Family, themselves, are a charming relic -- a vintage throwback to simpler, more self-sufficient, family-oriented times -- just like their music.

Thanks to a grueling tour schedule that has the act playing approximately 150 shows a year, "We became a really tight touring outfit," Jason says. "We wear tight touring outfits, as well, which is why it's important not to eat too much before shows." They've played Bonnaroo (where they battled the slide projector's mortal enemy: daylight), the Edinburgh festival, the alt-comedy circuit, "every city in the continuous 48 states" -- all the while winning over famous fans like Meg White, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, comedians David Cross and Eugene Mirman, and John Waters, who says the family's show is "like The Lawrence Welk Show gone insane."

The group's latest effort is The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off & On Broadway, to be released by Seattle indie, Sarathan Records on August 1, 2006. It is a DVD of performances and day-in-the-life footage that demonstrates exactly how this one-of-a-kind band works. It's also another step towards fulfilling their goal of fixing what's wrong with the entertainment industry: "We are totally tuned in to what audiences need to experience," says Jason, "in terms of bands not communicating with audiences, not breaking down the fourth wall -- we need to make up for that in the hour and 15 minutes we get onstage."

Oh, and one more thing: the entire family is listed in Wikipedia as being amongst the world's most famous vegetarians. They're listed next to Tolstoy, alphabetically, which is just the kind of vintage company they're accustomed to.

Product Description

Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music) Release Date: 10/03/2006

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor and talent has never sounded this good..., August 3, 2006

By 

Eddie Badger "Eddie Badger" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off and on Broadway (DVD)

The Trachtenburg Family is a unique one. Two parents, and their 12-year old daughter, in a band, and play slide on their projector from pics they have found at garage sales, and then make songs based on the slides. Unreal. I've been reading about them and then got this DVD which in good insight into the band and the music. Highly recommended, and i can't wait to see them live!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Family Players!, August 9, 2007

By 

J. Felice (Hollister, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off and on Broadway (DVD)

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are a great family band that is really different but really fun. If you are even looking at this review, then you probably know what I'm talking about. Rachel is becoming the star of the group as she is a teenager and cute. Really that seems to be the criteria now-a-days. But she still can play drums and has great timing. This DVD sort of spells out what the Family Players are all about and it defines their art in music. It is a very special collection and if you are looking for something from them that will fill your appetite for their zany brand of good clean fun humor in music, while still having a social message, then this is for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nominated for Plug Awards "Best music DVD of the Year", January 18, 2007

By 

Audio File - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: Off and on Broadway (DVD)

Though I was familiar with TFSP, I didn't buy the disc until I saw it was nominated for best music DVD of the year by the Plug Awards, which is an indie award ceremony based in NY. This is the most unusual music DVD I think I have ever bought! DVD is definitely the medium for this band, since their narrative slideshow is integral to thier concept. Most music DVDs I own, I tend to watch once or twice, but often listen to without picture, since the video just don't hold my attention after that. This disc is sort of like a pop train wreck about to happen, and I can't look away.

My highest recomendation. (whatever that means)