Rasputina at The BKLYN Knitting Factory 04/14/12

A passive gasp of recognition lept out of my mouth as the first thunderous notes of Trenchmouth began. It's been some years since I've heard this song played, and I took it as a good sign for the state of the rest of the show. A good sign it was indeed. I've not seen my favorite group of cellists since October, where weird wet wintry weather unleashed its wrath upon Manhatten and spoiled my Halloween fun with snow and sleet. All that bad stormy juju had resulted in a VERY delayed Rasputina, which then in turn produced a shortened set list, and lastly, and perhaps most saldy, a bleeding inky mess of an Indian headdress. This show at the Brooklyn Knitting Factory, as Melora, Daniel, and Dawn tore through the set, seemed to me was an exceptional way to apologize for mother nature's misgivings that fateful October night.

Looking particularly svelte and attractive, Melora had locks of lavender tinted waves flowing out from her head with Mucha-Esque flowers adorning the sides of her face. Her knit top only slightly masked the lower curvature of a rather flattering hip corset completed with a pair of lovely and particularly frilly bloomers. Daniel, handsome as ever wore butterfly wing makeup in tints of cerulean blue and a rather dashing hat with skeletal accoutrements nestled delicately in his billowing mass of hair. His open collared shirt was cinched with a pin striped man-corset, with his camo-socks and dapper brown shoes tapping in time with the cello. Dawn stood out with a crown of flowers, pig tails, and streaks of her of blue and black bangs framing out her heart shaped face. She also wore a golden corset with a delicate white lacey top beneath. I focus on their dress because it made me nostalgic for the days when I would go to a Rasputina show dressed to the nines, with flowing fabrics and lace, and a cinched waist.

The crowd only further deepened my misty eyed reminiscing as a good portion of them were dressed in period clothing and other outlandish getups that I haven't seen in quite an age as well. It makes me want to dust off my doll shoes and red flower corset, for sure. I'd like to hope and think that Rasputina and I have been around so long that we have finally come back around in the carousels of fashion to an age where dressing up for a concert is back in vogue (wouldn't that be grand?) BUT, I digress, my apologies.

Everyone was absolutely beautiful that night. Even better, the way Rasputina and their audience looked paled in comparison to the way they performed. They were burning the place DOWN, one passionate harmonious pluck of the chord at a time! I swear, I saw smoke rising from their bows as Melora and Daniel dragged them fervently across their cello's strings... strings that seemed to positively tremble with glee just to be played. Their was an ecstatic frenzy to their playing that night, and for the first time in quite a while, I could feel the joy in the room flowing out from the musicians on the stage. Melora even cracked a smile, delicate as baby's breath. Further proof of the positivity came when drunkards at the rear bar were becoming cantankerously loud during a beautifully arranged and quiet performance of "Secret Message". Melora looked over from her spot on the stage and simply shouted the ever effective "Shut up!" which surprisingly WORKED. Despite this hiccup  it didn't seem to kill the good nature of the room. The set list was a delicately balanced menu of olde and neue. This was definitely one of the best Rasputina shows I have been to in a long while, and as always I eagerly await the next opportunity to see them- maybe next time I'll dust off the waist cincher.

The Spectacular Setlist:

Trenchmouth

Humankind as a Sailor

1816, the year without a Summer

Holocaust of Giants

Sweet Sister Temperance

Identity Tokens

Secret Message

Momma was an Opium Smoker

Two Miss Levens

Any Old Actress

I Want You to Want Me

Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works

High on Life

In Old Yellowcake

Retinue of moons/Infidel is Me

Encore:

The New Zero

Rats

Hunters Kiss