About the Artist

Led by dynamic, multi-instrumentalist front-woman Erin Zindle, The Ragbirds create music that is equally danceable, intelligent and vulnerable. They incorporate indie-pop melodies, global-infused beats, rock guitar riffs and folk sensibilities in a high-energy live show which leaves every listener in a higher place than when it began.

Since 2005 they have gathered and maintained a passionate, grassroots fan base by continually reinventing themselves with an ever-evolving sound. They have shared stages as direct support for Brandi Carlile, Rusted Root, Matisyahu, Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, John Butler Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dawes, The Steel Wheels, Dumpstaphunk, Donna the Buffalo, The Werks, Elephant Revival, Toubab Krewe, Wookiefoot, Cornmeal, Hot Buttered Rum, Jeff Daniels, Lindsay Lou, Billy Strings, The Duhks, The Black Lillies, and many others.

The band has performed in 47 states winning over crowds at festivals such as: Electric Forest/Rothbury, Wheatland, Blissfest, Green Room Festival (Yokohama Japan), MerleFest, 10,000 Lakes, SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon, Summer Camp, Wookiefoot’s Harvest Fest & Project Earth, Hoxeyville, Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Great Blue Heron, Floyd Yoga Jam, MoeDown and many more.

The Ragbirds’ albums have received local and national praise, hailed “Highly impressive!” by USA Today and touted as “Astounding international eclecticism” by Reveal Arts. The 2009 international release of “Finally Almost Ready” saw the band invade Japan with the single “Book of Matches” reaching #1 on the charts in Osaka. 2016’s The Threshold & The Hearth debuted at #20 on Billboard Folk Chart and #29 on Top New Artists Chart

Leah Shoshanah is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, bandleader and cantorial soloist. She has released two albums, which draw from folk and jazz, and now she’s experimenting with more “electric” styles. As of Spring 2019, she’s spent the past six months exploring 70s funk, indie-pop and come round again to the unpolished sound of her acoustic guitar. She looks forward to excavating the sounds that authentically represent her experience being alive in these exhilarating and terrifying times. In the meantime, her newest single, Brave Woman, released on May 24, 2019.

Leah performs both solo and with bands. Sometimes she tours the US, but enjoys being part of a musical community in her hometown of Chicago. Her debut album, “A Child Like This” (2017), features an ensemble of nine musicians, her second release, “Stillness” (2018), is an intimate collection of solo Jazz and Brazilian guitar arrangements. Leah has played to rooms big and small, solo and with bands, from historic Chicago stages (Old Town School, the Green Mill, PianoForte Chicago) to synagogues, church basements, yoga studios and other grassroots community spaces.