when goth girls (and boy) came to wv

by binky rasmussen

Maybe you've never considered the question of whether cellos could rock. If you had, and remained doubtful, those doubts would be erased by Rasputina's live rendition of Barracuda. The Heart classic not only adapts surprisingly well to the unusual instrumentation of two cellos and drums, but leader Melora Creager's voice - while not as strong as the operatic howl of Ann Wilson – is remarkably effective as an uncanny wail. Even the gray-tinged former metal dudes in the crowd were banging their heads ever so slightly.

That being said, the best material Rasputina played at their show at 123 Pleasant St. in Morgantown, was the music from their latest release “Frustration Plantation.” Their earlier material achieved some commercial success with radio airplay in the 90s (remember “Transylvanian Concubine”?), and several songs from their first three releases were interspersed in the setlist of the show, part of a two month tour of the US. After a label switch, from Columbia to Instinct Records, and multiple personnel changes, Rasputina have gelled into a more solid – and rocking – representation of Creager's vision of an historical, slightly creepy ensemble.

With Creager on lead vocals and cello, Zoë Keating on backup and second cello, and Jonathan TeBeest on drums, this incarnation of Rasputina is better and heavier than ever. While the music has lost none of its creepiness of theme and ghostly wailing sound, it has dispatched with some of the more ethereal instrumentation, making more effective use of both amplification and TeBeest's efforts.

Time spent in the Library of Congress yielded several songs with a direct nod to Southern folk music and its tales of woe. Heavier songs like “Possum of the Grotto” and “High on Life” were interspersed with a few covers - Led Zeppelin's “Rock and Roll” – and the rollicking good “If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love.” Not all was heavy, of course, including the standout “Secret Message” which is a stealthy charmer from the new release, and a transformed version of CCR's “Bad Moon Rising.” Detracting from the strengths of the set were some sound problems that under-miked Keating's vocals, and left Creager's macabre between song banter to patchwork phrases. No doubt some long time fans missed the inclusion of older work. In general however, Rasputina played to the strengths of the current line-up, and maintained their air of jaded melancholy throughout.

Given Rasputina's alt-Goth reputation, fondness for corsets, and earlier association with Marilyn Manson, it was not surprising to see the crowd partially filled with young women (and a few men) who had dolled themselves up in their gothy best. What seemed to be unusual was that most of these fans sat on the floor of the “saloon” in rapt attention when Creager requested it, with no apparent concern for the close association of their finery with the less savory accumulations on the ground beneath them. While certainly a strategy for a good view of a seated band, it was also a fitting image for an act like Rasputina, who combine decadent beauty with a fine sordid edginess. Appropriately, as the sea of fans parted down the middle, Rasputina quit the stage and walked right out the front door, disappearing into the night.

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