Rasputina

In Fa La La, alternative cello ensemble Rasputina renovates the madrigal songs of Thomas Weelkes. Through sublime songs- unheard for over 400 years- the group explores connections between non-entity Thomas Weelkes and the Shakespeare authorship controversy.
Who was songwriter Thomas Weelkes? In just a 3 year period- 1597 to 1600- a very young man of no reputation allegedly wrote and published 61 brilliant, emotive, masterful & ingenious songs. Published in 3 collections much like today's record albums, Weelkes' madrigals were like the pop-songs of their time. But other than this music, the only historical record of Thomas Weelkes is a few accusations of chronic drunkenness and habitual blasphemy.
Rasputina directress Melora Creager shares her arch humor in the between-song tellings of grotesque Elizabethan factoids, the 16th Century origin of platform shoes, and the sad-but-true story of lead-based make-up.
As the first to use the cello as the main (even only) instrument in a rock group, Rasputina has led a 20 year exploration in cello amplification and performance. Creager's expressions of historical anecdote and outsider character within the genre of pop-music find a perfect new home in the complex harmonies of the Renaissance.