Q&A With Rasputina’s Melora Creager

For almost two decades, Rasputina has carved out one of the most interesting niches in contemporary music. Melora Creager founded the cello-based ensemble in Brooklyn in 1992, and although the band has gone through numerous lineup changes, it continues to produce its distinctive, heavy-yet-haunting sound. Despite near-constant performing, Creager, fellow cellist Daniel DeJesus and percussionist Catie D’Amica have managed to release two LPs a month apart: live album The Pregnant Concert (so-named because Creager was pregnant with her second daughter at the time) and sixth studio full-length Sister Kinderhook (both on the Filthy Bonnet label). Rasputina even found time to be the subject of a documentary titled Under The Corset, which chronicles its tour experience on the West Coast. The group has been crisscrossing North America all summer in support of the albums, giving its rabid fanbase more chances to party like it’s 1799. Creager will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.

“Holocaust Of Giants” (download):

MAGNET: You’ve had nearly 20 members/touring musicians in your history. Why do you think so many artists are eager to play with Rasputina?
Creager: Some have been sure we were about to “hit it big.” Most have been somewhat inexperienced coming into the band. It doesn’t take long to tire of touring. Most people have their own project that is their true love.

How do you think the band has changed over the past two decades?
I’ve gained so much skill and confidence over the years. That changes the presentation and increases the fun.

You are touring extensively and you have a baby daughter at home. How do you find a good balance between your music and your family responsibilities?
I can’t and don’t waste time, but even if I catch a moment to daydream, that’s still working for me. My schedule is pretty free form, so I can focus properly on my daughters. In some ways, art suffers. I haven’t written a book or made elaborate staging. But I know I’m doing my personal best for family and music.

How is the tour going so far?
Really well! I have a sweet, fun group, and it’s cool how we get tighter from playing every night.

Your band has been credited with being one of the musical focal points of the steampunk scene. Do you embrace that description, or do you find it limiting?
No, I don’t get into those genre labels. They pass quickly by, and they’re more about style than substance. Too bad that a couple of quick words can’t describe us, but it’s better in the end.

New member Daniel DeJesus has his own project called DeJesus and is a visual artist, as well. How does his aesthetic fit in with the Rasputina vibe?
Daniel has a lot of creative energy to put into the group. He has fun with costumes and knows a lot about art history. He knows what I’m trying to say and can add more to it.

Your daughter sings a song on your album Frustration Plantation. Does she plan to follow in your footsteps to be a musician?
Hollis is not so into making music. She has a darn good mind for management, however. She’s always got my back.

Sister Kinderhook was officially released in June, but it had been made available online for streaming for months. Do you think this increased interest in the album?
The streaming album may have whetted fans’ appetites some, but it was intended as a convenience for the press. Hopefully, it’s mostly hardcore fans that listened to the streaming, people who will buy it later and have a basic understanding of how free downloading hurts artists.

You’ve worked with musicians like Nirvana, Marilyn Manson and Chris Vrenna of Nine Inch Nails. What about your music do you think appeals to other artists with very different styles?
Those are people from long ago who each had different reasons for being interested in me. Nirvana needed a good cellist who wouldn’t get a big head, Manson liked my aesthetic, and Chris got his start producing.

Under The Corset, Dawn Miceli’s documentary about your group, was just released. How did you feel about being the subjects of a film? Was the process difficult?
Not difficult at all. Dawn is the kind of person you feel like you’ve known forever. I like the movie she made, how she presented us and for people to know that we’re humble folks who are working really hard.

You had a track featured on Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Album. How did that come about? Are you a fan of the show?
That darn vampire song got used for all kinds of things lo, those many moons ago. The song was used in a scene in the show where Drusilla does a little dance.

I’ve heard you are a big history buff, and you reference many historical events in your lyrics. What about the past inspires you to write?
I get inspired by how people have remained basically the same emotionally over vast amounts of time. I like to describe details and to share weird knowledge with people through music. It’s like a note from me to you.

Many people find the cello to be the most beautiful-sounding of all musical instruments. What about the cello makes it so evocative?
The cello has the same range as a human voice, so that affects us. It sounds like one of us! And it’s capable of such sadness.

Who are your biggest musical influences? Which classical/Baroque artists do you enjoy most?
I like some modern minimalists like Michael Nyman, Arvo Pärt and Gavin Bryars.

There have been issues with carpal tunnel syndrome in the group. Is everyone healed up right now?
I’ve corrected my grips and posture. Yoga helps. I’m wearing an elastic shoulder-puller-backer right now!

What goals have you yet to achieve with Rasputina?
Alarmingly, we haven’t played in Europe yet.

What is special about your hardcore fans?
The personal connection they feel—how they link parts of their lives with different Rasputina songs.

—Danielle Bacher