8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 15, 1996 Rasputina brings unique style to Pontiac By Heather Phares For the Daily You might think the idea of a ladies' cello society is about as modern as a whalebone corset. The women of Rasputina, one such musical society, would beg to dif- fer. Much like the antique underpinnings the group collects and wears onstage, singer / songwriter Melora Walters and her sister cellists mold their genre-defy- ing music with seemingly quaint and historical influ- ences. On the group's debut album, "Thanks for the Ether," PR Rasputina sings of cannibalism in colonial times, uses old love letters as song lyrics and records Playi with an Edison machine - all Door in the pursuit of creating some- D thing entirely new. The group succeeds; "Thanks for the Ether" is disorienting, dis- turbing and certainly different. And the group brings this unique style to its concert with Kula Shaker at the 7th House in Pontiac on Sunday. As fresh as the band sounds, Rasputina has taken its own sweet time in perfecting its style. Combined, the trio has more than 50 years of playing experience. In a recent interview with The Michigan Daily, Walters explained how she found the cello: "I started playing when I was around nine. My father played briefly in college, and he made sure each of his kids played an E ing 'ont instrument. My dad really wanted me to play cello, so I sort of obliged him that way." Rasputina "formed four or five years ago," accord- ing to Walters, and it was set aside as she toured with bands like Nirvana. Several years and lineup changes later, Rasputina still feels a little like a band in flux: "Julia joined a couple of years ago. Our drummer is from Alice Donut, and he's new to the band for this tour. And Mischka just emigrated to the States from Poland just seven months ago. "It's very exciting for her, VI E W and it's exciting for me as well. Rasputina She's just the complete oppo- site of your typical cynical Sunday at 7th House New York hipster. It's good to tiac with Kula Shaker. have new eyes and ears in the open at 8 p.m. Tix $6. bn. band." Walters' songs also seem to have a fresh perspective on things. She attributes this to the spontaneity of her songwriting: "I write on a four-track. I'll come up with a song and I'll either be singing it or I'll come up with a pure cello riff. Lyrically, I'm most inspired by what I read. I read a lot of history and that really influences what I write my songs about." But she is somewhat ambivalent when it comes to her feelings about her band's debut album. "I enjoy it in hindsight, but it was pretty tense and pretty tedious to make," Walters said. "Everything was very micro- scopic and we redid everything over and over to make sure it was perfect." Even though songs like "Transylvanian Concubine," "Mr. E. Leon Rauis" and the band's cov- ers of the classic "Why Don't You Do Right?" and Melanie's "Brand New Key" sound good, Walters is critical. "It's still a little too natural and aco* sounding for my tastes. I like a more distorted kind of sound, and that's the way we're veering now. The:way we're playing live is kind of influencing the way we'll probably sound when we record next," Walters said. The group's live show is an experience better lived than described. With attention to detail on both the musical and visual fronts, Rasputina captivates audi- ences no matter who they tour with. "We tend to push the limits of what we can do with our sound when we're onstage," Walters explained. "There's also something very visual about it, with three wo °p bowing cellos intensely. We kind of look dowin showboating cellists that toss their heads and roll their eyes while they're playing, but it is pretty energetic." And where does the group find the delicate, antique undergarments that are its visual trademark ? "We are always looking for new additions," Walters "said. "We're flea market frequenters, and a lot of the time people end up giving us stuff that they know fits in with our style. It's always a hunt." But hunt no farther than Rasputina for innovative, unique music. New Yorker art critic to read at Borders Noted historian and New Yorker art critic Simon Schama visits Ann Arbor tonight, with a 7:30 reading at Borders Books & Music. Schama will be in town promoting the Vintage Books release of "Landscape and Memory," an eloquent and unique work that discusses and dwells on the natural world. Schama weaves together history, art, mythology and cul- ture as he explores the ideas of homelands and the meanings of land- scapes. Schama, educated at Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard, now teach- es history and art history at Columbia University. Grandfather of rap music, Gil Scott Heron, hits Ferndale's Magic Bag Gil Scott Heron, the grandfather of rap music, has been performing politically motivated urban poems longer than most University stu- dents have been alive. He will be appearing in two shows at the Magic Bag in Ferndale tomorrow at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Heron is per- haps best known for his militant album "The Revolution Will not be Televised." His most recent album, "Spirits" (TVT records), was released in 1994. Heron's flowing, jazz-background performance will be complemented by the poetic expression of Detroit native Jessica Care Moore, who first gained attention as the only poet to win Showtime at the Apollo's amateur night contest five times. Tomorrow night will undoubtedly be one of spoken power and revolu- tionary mind spill. Tickets are $15 and they can be purchased at the Magic Bag box office or through Ticketmaster. For more infor- mation call (810) 544-3030. L,, U U 3 " t '7SV- SPIKE & MIKE'S uw' Sick & Twisted Festival of Anima OP r FRI S NOV 11:30 MChigan 603 E. Lib Thete Info Line: http://www.michtheat Recycle the Daily. U ;,' r MEN 0 0 rol"m i tiOfl ?ENS CDAY - Two 5-week sessions More than 75 quality education courses - French Immersion 3-week Program College Preview High School Program Pont-Aven Art Program For information: The American University of Paris Summer Programs, Box S-4 60 East 42nd St., Suite 1463 New York, New York 10165 Tel. (212) 983-1414 Fax (212) 983-0444 Web site -http://www.aup.fr Email - Summer@aup.fr . 15 PM berty 668-8397 ter.com/mt/ Accredited by the Middle States Association hbc £ibigan &iIy IS HIRING for Winter Term! The Michigan Daily's Display Advertising Department is looking for some highly motivated students for the upcoming Winter term. As an Account Executive, you will meet and communicate with local and national businesses in order to sell advertisements. 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