live review 12-1-95

Well, yes. The violin was electric and belonged to the Dambuilders' Joan Wasser, who performed a buzzing, free-form, dissonant, and, ultimately, rewarding set with singer-guitarist Mary Timony, of Helium, on Friday. Over at the M.E., the instruments were acoustic and the setting semi-classical. A hearty crowd greeted the Rachel's, a sextet that weaves strings with piano, bass, guitar and, occasionally, drums. It's original, heady music -- much of it suited for soundtracks -- and it was rather enthralling, not unlike the Penguin Cafe Orchestra in gentler moments or Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, at its most clamorous. It transported you to the tranquil world of "Brideshead Revisited."

Jim Sullivan, Globe Staff

From the Boston Globe, Dec 7, 1995, reprinted without permission.