DC-based artist, Rachel Burns, will celebrate her latest EP release on May 31, 2023, at the Pie Shop in Washington, DC. She's assembled a DMV All-Star band and will be trading songs, swapping lead vocals, and performing original songs alongside some cherished covers. This night of music is certain to be a blast, and we cannot think of a better way to spend an evening in DC than celebrating alongside one another as we celebrate one of our very own.

The cancer-surviving mother of two has been an outspoken activist both on the streets, where for years she dressed in a Wonder Woman costume protesting the Trump administration, and in her music – using her voice as a beacon of positivity and a vessel for change. A graduate from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in Classical Vocal Performance, Burns has always had at least one foot in the music world, captivating audiences in Boston as well as her native Washington, DC with a mix of pop, country, jazz, and blues songs. After 25 years working in business and playing music on the side, she was ready to let her inner songbird soar.

It wasn't until more recently that she found her calling as a songwriter: 2022 saw the release of Burns’ debut EPLiving My Breast Life, a five-track collection that employed a mix of humor and hope to tell her breast cancer story in a unique way.

For Burns, songwriting is her way of celebrating life and spreading joy. "The emotion of joy is a higher frequency," she says. "I love how live music transforms an audience into joy. My concerts aim to uplift –after a few songs I love seeing people dancing and laughing! It's so important to move our bodies. Laughter, dancing, all of that moving and shaking is really good for our bodies and our souls."

Burns brings that same animated spirit and unique personality to her sophomore EP What a Nasty Woman, a record of resilience and protesting the patriarchy while celebrating the power of feminism. "What a Nasty Woman is about breaking through barriers of our societal conditioning-it's a humorous call to evolve from the past." Burns says. "There are some outright silly songs on it, but they are based on truth, putting a satirical lens on the patriarchal conditioning that we're all used to existing within."

Rachel Burns' activism, resilience, and struggle. But first and foremost, it's fun. "I think powerful messages are delivered with humor the best," Burns says. "They're most impactful when they're funny; we have a southern saying, you kill a lot more flies with sugar than you do with salt. The experience of creating this record also heralds Burns' emergence as a true bandleader, producer, and artist –owning every aspect of the creative process, from inception to release. It's "raw, outrageous Rachel" every step of the way, and whether you're looking to stick it to the man or just sing aloud, What a Nasty Woman is here as a form of therapy, entertainment, laughter, and truth. "I like to empower people to empower other people. I'd like to uplift us all with this project," Burns shares. "When I would dress up as Wonder Woman, I held up a giant sign that said, 'Time to bust out the golden lasso of truth' in glitter. Wonder Woman's superpower was telling the truth. The truth is really powerful; it can break down all kinds of barriers, and I think that's the kernel of a lot of my music: Truth-telling. We're going to laugh, dance, and be real –and not pussyfoot around anything!"

We truly look forward to celebrating Rachel Burn's latest release as we celebrate Rachel, her music, her indelible spirit, activism, and our community on May 31st at Pie Shop and look forward to celebrating the official release of What a Nasty Woman on July 7th.

To learn more about Rachel Burns, please see the following web resources:

• Webpage
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• TIDAL
• Spotify
• TikTok
• Bandcamp