Review: Rasputina at the Wonder Bar

Rasputina's Melora Creager (Credit: Alex Biese)

With a cold and biting wind howling in from the ocean across the street, a crowd that seemed to be comprised of the devout and the curiosity-seekers ventured out to the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park on a chilly Thursday night (Nov. 21) to check out Victoriana-flavored, cello-powered indie trio Rasputina, currently in the midst of a brief east coast tour.

It seemed fitting that on what felt like it had to have been one of the coldest nights of the year, the second song of the band's set in this off-season beach town was "1816, the Year Without a Summer," a track chronicling a year of weather anomalies from the band's latest album, 2007's "Oh Perilous World."

Anyone familiar with Rasputina's history may know that the band has had an ever-evolving lineup over its 17-year history, with cellist, lead singer, founder and driving force Melora Creager remaining the only constant. However, her two compatriots on this tour, cellist Daniel De Jesus and percussionist Catie D'Amica, don't sound anything like hired guns. The band was tight all night long, with De Jesus and Creager seeming to be telepathically linked as they attacked their cellos with expert skill.

If anything, the band seemed so wrapped up in the music they were making, which was much heavier and more intense than one would at first expect, that Creager's light vocals were occasionally drowned out, such as on the hard-rocking "Draconian Crackdown."

While the band did rock hard and well throughout the night, it seemed that the audience in Asbury Park was unsure how to respond to the show, which felt like a combination between a recital and rock concert, and they often simply applauded politely after each song from their seats and bar stools located a good distance from the stage, leaving the general admission standing room area as a type of barren no man's land.

Along with interesting, unique and compelling music, the band's hour-long set also featured Creager's between-song banter that had the crowd smirking or scratching their heads (before "Cage in a Cage," Creager revealed, "This next song is our ‘Mutiny on the Bounty' song. Everyone has one, we know. We're just not that original.")

Opening the show was Brisbane, Australia-based duo An Horse, currently in the midst of their second U.S. tour. The band delivered a brisk 30-minute set of material from their debut LP, "Rearrange Beds," which is currently only available stateside on iTunes and at shows.

Those who aren't lucky enough to catch this up-and-coming band live will have to wait until the first quarter of 2009 to get their hands on a physical copy of this record, a very promising first effort from two musicians who stand a good chance of becoming indie darlings in the very near future.

Rasputina and An Horse are bringing their tour to Hoboken tonight (Friday) with a show at Maxwell's, and if you're looking for unique, literate tunes to help see you through this winter, you should check the show out.