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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Rasputina| image = Rasputina1.jpg| caption = From left to right: Sarah Bowman, Melora Creager, Jonathon Tebeest| image_size =| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Brooklyn , New York , United States | instrument =| genre = Cello Rock Gothic Rock Dark Cabaret Independent music|Indie Folk Rock | occupation =| years_active = 1992–present| label = Filthy Bonnet Records Columbia Records Instinct Records | associated_acts =| website = http://www.rasputina.com/| current_members = Melora Creager Daniel DeJesus Dawn Miceli |past_members= Jonathon TeBeest Sarah Bowman Zoë Keating Julia Kent Kris Cowperthwaite Agnieszka Rybska Nana Bornant Serena Jost Lisa Haney Perry James Tom Martin Mark Hutchins Catie D'amica Melissa Bell Julie Griner Stephanie McVey (touring) Rasputina is a cello -driven band based in New York that is renowned for their unconventional and quirky music style as well as their fascination with historical allegories and fashion, especially those pertaining to the Victorian era .
The group is fronted by cellist/vocalist Melora Creager , who also writes all of the lyrics and creates art for the band's albums, singles, and website.
History
In 1989, Creager, wanting to form an all-cello band, placed an ad to find members. Julia Kent responded and the two formed the Traveling Ladies' Cello Society as a duo. Creager also toured with Nirvana (band)|Nirvana after they released In Utero (album)|In Utero . In 1991 (their official website claims "1891"), Creager and Kent expanded the group with members who attended the same nanny school in Manhattan (which wasn't known until post-formation). They were then renamed "Rasputina" after one of Creager's songs. The group played shows and became a local favorite in New York City . Columbia Records ' A& R representative Jimmy Boyle saw the group perform at a festival, and they were then signed to the label.
In 1996, they released Thanks for the Ether . Rasputina toured with such bands as Bob Mould , Porno for Pyros , Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson and Les Claypool . In 1997 the band released Transylvanian Regurgitations , a follow up Extended play|EP remixed by Marilyn Manson|Manson and Twiggy Ramirez .
On their second full-length album, How We Quit the Forest , Rasputina signed on Chris Vrenna (from Nine Inch Nails ) as their drummer and producer. He encouraged the group to go ahead with the distortion they had been experimenting with. He provided electronic drums and sound effects.
Rasputina went through several line-up changes. Lisa Haney performed as third chair cellist before the group signed to Columbia. "Carpella Parvo" was credited as the third cellist on Thanks for the Ether , but Creager has since admitted that Carpella never existed, and her name was a play-on-words joke representing the carpal tunnel syndrome that Kent and Creager developed after playing all the second chair parts. Agnieszka Rybska performed on How We Quit the Forest . She temporarily left the band in 1998 due to pregnancy.Allmusic|class=artist|id=p182500/biography|pure_url=yes AllMusic Guide
Drummer Perry L. James toured with the Rasputina in 1998-1999. Julia Kent left during the four-year hiatus between How We Quit the Forest and 2002's Cabin Fever (Rasputina album)|Cabin Fever , which was released on Moby 's label Instinct Records . In 2004, they released a follow-up album, Frustration Plantation , which featured Zoë Keating , who left the band in 2006.cite web | url = http://www.rasputina.com/newsbunny.html | title = Newsbunny | accessdate = 2006-06-29 | work = Rastputina: A Division of the Ladies' Cello Society Upon her departure, Creager's ensemble consisted of her and Jonathon TeBeest . Ex-Graces cellist Stephanie McVey occupied second chair from September 2006 to January 2007. Sarah Bowman rejoined Rasputina on their spring 2007 tour of the U.S.
In 2008, Bowman and TeBeest left the band and were replaced by second chair cellist Daniel DeJesus and drummer Catie D'Amica.
In summer 2010, a documentary was made about Rasputina called Under the Corset by Dawn Miceli . http://underthecorset.com/ Under the Corset Documentary website In January 2011 Melora Creager announced in The Dawn and Drew Show that Dawn Miceli will be playing the drums on the February 2011 tour. http://thedawnanddrewshow.com/dnds-953/
Sister Kinderhook - Filthy Bonnet Co., June 15, 2010
Live albums
A Radical Recital - Filthy Bonnet Co., 2005
Melora a la Basilica - 2008
The Pregnant Concert with artwork by http://www.ifeelinfinite.net Dese'Rae L. Stage - May 10, 2010.
Compilations
Great American Gingerbread: Rasputina Rarities & Neglected Items|Great American Gingerbread - Filthy Bonnet Recording Co., 2011
Singles and EPs
Transylvanian Regurgitations - Columbia Records, 1997
The Olde HeadBoard (EP)|The Olde HeadBoard - Columbia Records, 1998
The Lost & Found (1st Edition) - RPM Records, 2001
My Fever Broke - Instinct Records, 2002
The Lost and Found, 2nd Edition - Instinct Records, 2003
The Willow Tree Triptych - Extremely limited by Melora, 2009
Ancient Cross-Dressing Songs - Extremely limited by Melora, 2009
Promotional
Transylvanian Concubine/The Vaulted Eel, Lesson#6 - Oculus Records 1993
Three (3) - (promo), 1996
'' Three Lil' Nothin's - (promo), 1996
Transylvanian Regurgitations - Columbia Records, 1997
Videos
Under the Corset - Documentary, 2010
Great American Gingerbread - Combination of CD rarities, including a DVD of live performances at The Knitting Factory, 2011
Misc
"Transylvanian Concubine" on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album soundtrack. (The song was featured in the episode " Surprise (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Surprise ".)
"Transylvanian Concubine" on The Black Bible , a four-disc compilation album released by Cleopatra Records . (October 27, 1998) http://www.discogs.com/release/431695
Our Lies - 2001
"Hunter's Kiss" on the compilation album 12 Tales in 2002
" Coraline " on the Neil Gaiman tribute album '' Where's Neil When You Need Him? Dancing Ferret in 2006
"A Skeleton Bang" on the charity album Colours Are Brighter in 2006
"Warbots" on the compilation album Asleep By Dawn Club Mix #2 released by Dancing Ferrets Records
Song inspirations
Creager is a self-proclaimed history buff and often bases Rasputina's lyrics on said history.
Some of these include:
Thanks for the Ether
*"My Little Shirtwaist Fire" is based on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911.
*"The Donner Party" discusses the Donner Party , a group of American pioneers traveling to California who encountered a series of mishaps and resorted to cannibalism. The track compares them to the colonial pilgrims.
*" Howard Hughes " is about legendary aviator.
How We Quit the Forest
*"Rose K." is about the Rose Kennedy|matriarch of the Kennedy family, who had a stroke at age 94 and was cared for at the Kennedy Compound by private nurses and staff. Although Melora jokingly refers to this as her " Alzheimers|Alzheimer's Song" on A Radical Recital , Rose was not known to have suffered from Alzheimer's disease. In concert, Melora also frequently introduces the song by referring to Rose's decision to have her daughter Rosemary Kennedy lobotomy|lobotomized at the age of 23, to calm her alleged mood swings.
*"Herb Girls of Birkenau" describes the victims of human experiments in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, from the point of view of a powerless witness.
*"Rats" is about the 16th century decision by the then Pope to declare the semi-aquatic capybara as fish for Catholics to eat during lent.
Poor Relations in the Shed Out Back ( Frustration Plantation bonus disc)
*"Yellow Fever" is about an outbreak of yellow fever in New Orleans in the summer of 1853.
Oh Perilous World
*"1816, The Year Without a Summer" is about the Little Ice Age . The year 1816 had an unusual weather pattern (due to the volcano Mount Tambora erupting) and was known as the Year Without a Summer . The song also makes mention of author Mary Shelley writing her famous novel Frankenstein , Freemasonry|Freemasons and Benjamin Franklin .
*"Choose Me For Champion" is about islanders' sufferings due to Western European invasions and mentions Thursday October Christian .
*"Cage in a Cave" is about Thursday Christian's father, Fletcher Christian , an 18th century man who was part of the Mutiny on the Bounty in Tahiti .
*"Incident in a Medical Clinic" is about the disease Schistosomiasis (also known as Snail-fever).
*"Child Soldier Rebellion" makes mention of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda 's usage of children as soldiers.
*"Oh Bring Back the Egg Unbroken" is about the Tangata manu competition of the inhabitants from Easter Island .
*"We Stay Behind" is about the people who stayed behind in New Orleans during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. An article from the Associated Press|AP by Allen G. Breed exclaims, "I've never even had a nightmare or a beautiful dream about this," about watching the warehouses burn. "People are just not themselves."
cite news |author=Allen G. Breed |title=New Orleans Evacuation Picking Up Steam |url= http://www.breitbart.com/article.php? id=D8CD14K00& show_article=1|date=2005-03-09 |accessdate=2008-01-11
In popular culture
The Dead Milkmen have released a song titled "Melora Says" which is about some of the themes covered in Rasputina's music.
http://www.rasputina.com Rasputina's Official Website
http://www.facebook.com/OfficialRasputina Rasputina's Official Facebook Page
http://www.zoekeating.com Zoë Keating's Official Website
http://www.jonathontebeest.com Jonathon Tebeest's Official Website
http://www.kopydlow.net Full discography
http://pod.icast.co.il/1db26a49-8838-42b4-968d-898de6558014.icast.mp3 An Extensive Audio Interview with Melora Creager on The Jekyll and Hyde Show, 106FM Jerusalem. October 2010
http://a.opillard.free.fr Huge Gallery
http://www.synthesis.net/site/content/view/5916/ Synthesis Interview July 2007
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Rasputina Rasputina at Discogs
http://www.ryanobermeyer.com Ryan Obermeyer's Official Website
http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp Show 451 "Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour" audio and video taped August 7, 2007
Rasputina DEFAULTSORT:Rasputina (Band) Category:Musical groups established in 1992 Category:Musical groups from New York Category:Steampunk music Category:Rasputina
