For “Oh Perilous World,” her new album with chamber-rock band Rasputina, cellist/singer Melora Creager found inspiration by obsessively reading daily news on the Internet. She compiled a notebook of words, phrases and stories and then used it to cull material for lyrics. Keeping with her strong sense of storytelling and interest in history, Melora gave … Read more
It feels like we’ve interviewed Rasputina so many times that there couldn’t possibly be anything left to ask them. But now that they have put out a live CD, “A Radical Recital,” a few more questions came to mind. Melora was gracious enough to answer them by email. What made you decide to do a … Read more
Bringing exquisite vocal arrangements to ancient poetry and prose, the Mediaeval Baebes have crafted a unique style that draws from the past yet sounds extremely fresh. The group was founded by Miranda Sex Garden vocalist Katharine Blake and currently boasts a line-up of 9 talented singers. Any notions that the medieval angle is gimmick are … Read more
Proving that it’s possible to rock out using harp and cello as the lead instruments, double-breasted perform with a level of intensity and professionalism that makes it seem like they’ve been playing together for years. But in reality, the group has existed for only a few months. Keeping with their quick evolution as a band, … Read more
“The Lost & Found, ” the EP that marks the long-awaited return of Rasputina, is one of the more unusual collections of covers out there. Who would have thought that Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” would sound great played on cellos? The disc also features songs originally by Marilyn Manson, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, and … Read more
An interview with Anne Dudley and Paul Morley of The Art Of Noise, conducted when they were releasing “The Seduction of Claude Debussy” in 1999. It’s been a long time since The Art Of Noise put out an album. Why release a new one now? Anne: “I think the power of an idea. There’s nothing … Read more
Since the early 80’s, Britain’s Attrition have been at the forefront of dark, often ethereal electronic music. Their current album, “The Jeopardy Maze,” truly represents the band in top form, combining electronic beats, orchestral elements and haunting vocals. The following is an email interview with the group’s leader, Martin Bowes. How big of an impact … Read more
An interview with Katherine Blake How did your shows on this year’s Lilith Fair tour go? Katherine : “They were fabulous. The reaction was awesome. It was really in our favor that we’re so different from all the other acts. We were selling more CDs than anyone’s ever sold on Lilith Fair. It was just … Read more
Just because a band relies almost entirely on electronic instruments doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be synthetic sounding. A good example of this is Sheffield’s In The Nursery, who use samplers and computers to come up with lush, classical sounds. Back in the early to mid 1980’s, the duo comprised of twin brothers Klive … Read more