Chicago musician Rachel Ries began her musical journey as a child. On the surface, the sound of the music she creates is “folk.” But that description is too simple, because there are a broad range of disciplines that inform her melodies and lyrics. And they are as varied as the places and mental spaces that Ries has visited on the way to her latest album, Without a Bird. It’s a largely autobiographical album. Which makes sense because for Ries, music is just a thin, pretty skin covering what’s inside her.

Rachel Ries performed the song “Learning Too Slow” with band-mate Ariel Bolles here in our Jim and Kay Mabie Performance Studio. It’s from her latest release, Without a Bird.