Zac Rae is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist of the

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...

, with whom he has recorded two studio albums and two EPs. Rae is a former member of Alanis Morissette's backing band, which he joined in 2001 at the age of 21. While touring and recording with Morissette, Rae worked extensively as a session musician, recording with

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

, Stevie Nicks, Ringo Starr,

Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 20 ...

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Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...

and Against Me! amongst others. In 2015, Rae initially joined Death Cab for Cutie in a touring capacity, following the departure of founding member

Chris Walla Christopher Ryan Walla (born November 2, 1975) is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie. Musical career Early bands While at Bo ...

. In 2016, both he and touring guitarist

Dave Depper Dave Depper is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the guitarist and keyboardist for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. Music career Depper began his career playing with various Pacific NW artists, including Meno ...

were added to the band's core line-up. Rae's first studio album with the band, ''

Thank You for Today ''Thank You for Today'' is the ninth studio album by American indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. The album was released on August 17, 2018, on Atlantic Records. Production and release The album was produced by Rich Costey, who returns after ...

'' was released in 2018. Alongside his duties in Death Cab for Cutie, Rae continues to record as an in-demand studio session musician, contributing to

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's final two studio albums, ''

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'' (2016) and ''

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'' (2019), and appearing on albums by

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

, Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino, Niall Horan, and

Best Coast Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. The band consists of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began ...

Early life

Rae began taking piano lessons at the age of five. During high school, he would seek out live musical opportunities: "When I was in high school, you could get a gig playing jazz for a couple hours at places like Barnes and Noble. So my friends and I would play in little quartets, and each get paid in $25 gift cards, which translated to about two CDs. Later as a teenager, I spent some time on the Cuban jazz circuit in Los Angeles, which was a lot of fun." Rae studied at

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

for two years, before dropping out to find full-time work as a musician: "Shockingly, no one has ever passed me over for a gig because I didn't have a degree."

Career

Rae's professional career began in 1999: "Around the time I dropped out of music school in 1999, I met a group of more active musicians in LA and I started connecting and working with them. ..One thing led to another and soon I was working full time doing session work, and then I got my first touring break with Alanis Morissette in 2001 when I was 21".

Discography

with Death Cab for Cutie * ''

'' (2018) * '' The Blue EP'' (2019) * ''The Georgia EP'' (2020) * ''

Asphalt Meadows ''Asphalt Meadows'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on September 16, 2022, through Atlantic Records. Produced by John Congleton, the album was preceded by the singles "Roman Candles", " Here to ...

'' (2022) with Alanis Morissette * ''

Feast on Scraps ''Feast on Scraps'' is an Alanis Morissette CD/DVD package released on December 10, 2002. The DVD was filmed during a concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands and the CD contains B-sides and unreleased studio tracks left off Morissette's album ''Under ...

'' (2002) * '' So-Called Chaos'' (2004) * ''

Jagged Little Pill Acoustic ''Jagged Little Pill Acoustic'' is a studio album by Alanis Morissette. It is a largely acoustic retrospective version of her highly successful third album, '' Jagged Little Pill'' (1995); the songs are stripped-down versions of the originals, ...

'' (2005) * '' Havoc and Bright Lights'' (2012) as a session musician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rae, Zac Living people Death Cab for Cutie members Atlantic Records artists 21st-century American keyboardists Year of birth missing (living people)