Musical inspiration: Jo Quail and Rasputina

Cello rocks. 
Hard. 


The two acts below would be absolutely perfect for The Pleasure Gardens, the eccentric club night featured in my first novel, I Am a Muse. Its founder, Constance Blackwell, wouldn't rest until she had secured Rasputina and Jo Quail for her next event!  

Legendary "cello-rock" band Rasputina were in town last Wednesday, and there was NO WAY I was going to miss this event! Led by the incredibly charismatic Melora Creager, Rasputina have been a huge influence on trends such as Modern Victorians, Steampunk and Freak Folk and are championing DIY, art-school  values and work ethic. Rasputina are cultured, alternative, highly original and absolutely unique. 
Heavily influenced by history - social, cultural and in a wider sense - Rasputina's body of work is made of fascinating, vivid storytelling and fantastic melodies. 
Seeing them play live is  a thrilling experience: Melora's voice is incredibly versatile and clear; she is one with her instrument which obeys her every whim. Daniel is a real virtuoso and his cello rocks harder than any guitar in the land; Dawn's drumming is tribal and occult. The audience was enthralled, understandably. 

More pictures!

Here's a video of Rasputina performing 1816: The Year Without a Summer

Jo Quail and her Starfish electric cello.

I was also simply blown away by the support act: Jo Quail. 
An extremely talented - and in demand - professional cellist, Jo writes, records and performs instrumental music that encompasses a wide range of genres. 
A virtuoso classical musician, she also has one foot firmly planted in the alternative scene(s). Her beautiful compositions are haunting and haunted, mysterious, with a dash of the occult; classical mixes with dark folk and industrial to create intriguing, bewitching soundscapes. 


I have been looking for the perfect music to accompany The Book of Thoth, my second novel - I always have one or two tracks to use as the soundtrack to one particular story. 
I think I have found them! 

I particularly love this track, Jhanoem The Witch 4.