Melora has played the cello since age nine, and, along with her two bandmates, is now proving that cellos DO have a place in pop music. Aside from some drum accompaniment, Rasputina's music is created solely by cellos. The songs have an ethereal edge to them, especially in Melora's vocals, but are also extremely tight

Rasputina recently embarked on their first national tour, opening for Bob Mould. Melora says that she and her bandmates are all fans of Mould, so they didn't mind hearing his music night after night. It might not be the most obvious musical pairing, but Rapsutina like it like that.

"I like contrast, and when we think of tour pairings I like to think of very constrasty pairings," explains Melora. "The audience, I think they have no idea what they're seeing so they seem a little stunned but they're very attentive. But sometimes, as a show, I think it may be weird, too goofy or theatrical for Bob. He has a very white boys of a certain age audience. If we can make them be quiet and pay attention it's good."

The group has been around for about five years now, and has been playing out in New York City for most of that time. Melora says that in the beginning she was so shy about singing that the vocals were nearly inaudible. But the group improved and attracted the attention of a "very zealous A&R " person who believed in them. Prior to "Thanks For The Ether," Rasputina's only recorded output was one seven inch.

The current line-up differs slightly from the one featured on the album. Carpella joined Melora and Julia in the studio, but she's left the country and has been replaced by Agnieszka, who came over from Poland seven months ago.

"Fresh in the country, she came to an audition and we met her and we started playing together," says Melora. "It's very fun to have someone who's not a jaded and cynical NY musician." .

Melora, who writes all of Rasputina's material, has played cello with a wide variety of bands on stage and in the studio, including Ultra Vived Scene, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and Babe The Blue Ox.

"Thanks For The Ether" features songs Rasputina have been playing all along as well as recent material. Melora says that she had creative spurts in the process of making it, so some of the tracks are extremely new. The spoken segments featured on the album came about very quickly. Melora did the cover art for the release herself.