Band of the Week: Catherine A.D.

All the religious experience of a Christian chanteuse, but without the religion of anything but a beautiful voice.

Check her out on myspace or go over to bandcamp for free downloads and lovely purchasables.

Catherine A.D. - Missiveh [mp3]

Concert Review: Rasputina @ The Knitting Factory

If you have the profound interest in Nirvana that I do, you'll know that Melora Creager started her proper career as a cellist on the final Nirvana tour, an occupation that "taught her lessons in avoidance of immense fame, which she has successfully practiced since. " Shortly after her stint with the unfortunately-not-so-immortal Kurt Cobain's group, she formed the Traveling Ladies' Cello Society, which promptly mutated into the Rasputina that we know and love today, a Victorian feminist cello rock Goth band conglomeration thing. Although Rasputina changes its line-up nearly as often as Lady GaGa changes her outfits, the band is still going strong, consisting now of Melora, Daniel DeJesus (the group's first male cellist), and Catie D'Amica on percussion.

Attending a Rasputina concert is a little bit like going to an incredibly enthusiastic recital; there isn't going to be any moshing, nothing will get out too of hand, but you've also never seen cellists play until their stings nearly popped off either. Melora is a delight, though a cold one; her patter is constant and clever, almost more suited to a standup routine or a magician's show, but she never seems to lose her calm quiet demeaner, either, that motherly attitude of hers toward the audience and her fellow bandmates. DeJesus, clearly the least experienced, and experiencing problems with his cello's end-pin which required masking tape and finally a hold-between-the-knees approach, received sympathetic looks from Melora throughout, and finally a drawled, "I can wait for you all day, honey." When you go to see Rasputina, know that you're three feet from professionals, and while they're not nearly as subdued as a Ben Sollee style pop-cellist, they're also not going to go punk band crazy on you. It's pleasant, and they're damn good, but you still almost do wish they would traipse just a little bit more off the deep end.

3.8/5

Rasputina - Holocaust Of Giants [mp3]

The real showstopper and delight for me at this concert, though, was, surprisingly, the opening performer, Larkin Grimm. Her life alone is something I can admire - born into a hippie commune run by "The Holy Order of MANS" to parents of German, Sinti, Afro-Caribbean, English, French, and Cree descent (which may explain her her utterly exotic beauty), the young Larkin Grimm attended Yale for some years, only to drop out and wander the wilds of Alaska. It was then she began singing, and dear God, what singing. I haven't gotten chills from a live performance in quite sometime, but her deep, rich voice set the hairs on the back of my neck twirling.

Larkin's performance was augmented and altered from her usual freak folk with the addition of a crazy-awesome drummer (whose hatful of feathers posed a most entertaining distraction, billowing in the wake of his enthusiastic pounding) and a bassist and back-up singer, Cindy Lou Gooden, whose own little band, V. Fresh, I find quite delightful. Altogether, a phenomenal performance. Make no mistake, I am now stalking you, Lady Grimm.

5/5

Larkin Grimm - Dominican Rum [mp3]

And from Cindy Lou Gooden:
V. Fresh - The Clientele [mp3]

Metal Madness Monday: Luna Mortis

In honour of Iron Maiden's new release, I present to you the only female-fronted metal band that has ever reminded me of the aforementiond British greats: Luna Mortis.

I found these guys (and gal) browsing through YouTube one wintry afternoon, and was surprised to hear very Maiden-esque guitar parts, and (curiouser and curiouser) something that sounded remarkably like a female Bruce Dickinson. Granted, there already is a cover band called the Iron Maidens, but Luna Mortis does its own thing in high gothy fashion, with a bit more screaming than I entirely like sometimes, but still, I have to give Mary Zimmer credit for not conforming to the stereotype of most poppy or high-pitched female singers.

Indulge:

Luna Mortis - Forever More [mp3]

Metal Madness Monday News: Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

Iron Maiden's fifteenth studio album came out last week, and they sound pretty much the same as ever, though I think the guitar parts have slowed down a bit. Can't blame them - they're like 200 years old now, though doing much better than the likes of Gun N' Roses and other decrepit bands that try to push albums out way past their prime and after a decade long (or more) hiatus. Iron Maiden, however, has found the secret of eternal youth: keep producing, keep touring. Seems to be working quite nicely for 'em.

Pick up your copy of The Final Frontier wherever people sell anything.

Iron Maiden - El Dorado [mp3]

Video: Johnny Cash Does Elvis

Oh, you slick and amusing Man in Black.

Literature Corner Connections: Venus In Furs

I've been a de Sade fan since long before I should have known who he was. I dare say, if I meander any direction in the land of S&M, it's toward the S portion, and I utterly love his Voltairian wit and cynicism. I doubted that I could ever like anyone who took it from another angle in that respect.

However, my boyrfriend told me I really ought to read de Sade's German antithesis, Sacher-Masoch (the man who put the M is S&M), so I gave it a shot, somewhat skeptical as to what merits I would find in his most famous work, Venus in Furs. It's a good thing I kinda like being proven wrong sometimes, because I LOVED Sacher-Masoch. His writing is far more poetic than de Sade's, and while he does make his primary male characters subservient imbeciles, he empowers his females to such a point that I'm compelled to group him with the early feminists. (I'm also likin' the prevalence of red-heads in this work - gotta support my fellow female daywalkers.)

Because I'm sure you're curious as to what this book is actually about, the plot runs something as follows: An unknown narrator, possibly Sacher-Masoch himself, dreams of a visit from the goddess Venus, draped in furs. Upon awaking, the narrator tells his friend, Severin, of the strange vision. Severin, it appears, has experienced something similar in real life, and hands over a manuscript, Memoirs of a Suprasensual Man, in which he details his time with an earthly Venus, Wanda von Dunajew. After meeting her in a garden and becoming entranced with her beauty and potential cruelty, he signs a contract to be her slave for a period of a year, and the pair set off for Italy with whips and furs and all the necessary accoutrements of a happy little sadomasochistic lifestyle.

One thing I love, though, is that Wanda is not purely cruel; in fact, Severin is the one her coerces her into mistreating him, and at first she is quite reluctant to do so. Indeed, she exhibits a tendency to fluctuate between the brutality that Severin craves and the affection that she wishes to bestow upon him. Instead of presenting her as merely a cold-hearted dom, Sacher-Masoch has made her someone I can truly identify with, and for that I am impressed.

As to how this is relevant to a music blog, if you've ever heard the absolutely wonderful "Venus In Furs" by The Velvet Underground, that's where it comes from. And if you haven't heard it, crack out your favourite cat o' nine tails and have a listen. It's a classic, baby.

The Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs [mp3]

Music Video: All The Damn Kids - Echoes

I'm really freaking lovin' these guys lately.

Go give them loves on myspace or download some free tracks on last.fm