Cello rock

Cello rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the use of cellos (as well as sometimes also other bowed string instruments such as the violin and viola) as primary instruments, alongside or in place of more traditional rock instruments such as electric guitars, electric bass guitar, and drum set. Celli (often in groups of three or more) are used to create a sound, beat, and texture similar to that of familiar rock music, but distinctly reshaped by the unique timbres and more traditional genres of the cello (in particular) and other string instruments used. The celli and other stringed instruments are often electronically amplified and/or electronically modified, and often played in a manner imitative of the sound of electric guitars. They are often combined with other elements typical of rock music such as rock-style vocals and drumming.

Cello rock has been developing slowly over the years, with its direct influences dating as far back as the 1930s in Russia and Germany. The popularity of cello rock is steadily on the rise, as groups of the genre are taken as support acts on tour by well known artists. Apocalyptica opened for Metallica in 1996 and co-headlined with Rammstein in 2005; and Rasputina opened for Marilyn Manson in 2002. The genre, however, is still somewhat of a cult phenomenon in the United States music scene.

Particularly notable is Apocalyptica, a Finnish quartet (now trio), which has gained considerable notoriety, particularly on the European continent. The group originally played cello covers of heavy metal songs, including songs by Metallica. They now mostly play their own heavy metal based compositions. Also prominent in the genre is Rasputina, an American band that uses distortion effects pedals on their celli. The band is made up of two cellists, song-writer and vocalist Melora Creager, and drummer Jonathon TeBeest. They are known for their references to the Victorian era and eccentric song subjects, as well as their string of albums since the mid 1990's. Primitivity is the project name for cellist Loren Westbrook-Fritts's cello rock. Westbrook-Fritts began by covering songs of Megadeth, and has more recently created original music and classical music converted to metal. The first cello fronted power trio is Von Cello which consists of cellist Von Cello Aaron Minsky with bass and drums, although the band has expanded to include additional vocals and keyboards. They have released CDs covering genres from classical crossover to "metal cello" a genre coined by Von Cello. Von Cello also stands out as a cellist who has pioneered the (self titled) "celtar" style of playing, that is, playing the cello like a guitar, held over the knees or with a guitar strap over the neck, and strummed and picked with a guitar pick.

Cello rock bands

In addition to cello rock groups that feature celli as the primary melodic instruments, some rock groups and artists have featured acoustic or electric celli as part of the band. In most cases, the cello is not a full member of the band, but is used only for a specific song, but a few artists have featured a cellist as a full band member. Such artists include the singer Poe (featuring cellist Cameron Stone), and The Dreamscapes Project (featuring cellist Ben Guy).

A subgenre pioneered by cellist Gideon Freudmann is "Cellobop" (a term he coined), which essentially consists of the cello used in a folk rock context. Freudmann describes the genre thus: "Imagine the passion of a Mozart aria or the fury of a Bartok quartet layered with an R&B sensibility."

Cello rock now has record labels devoted solely to the production of music in that genre, such as Vitamin Records.

Cellist Matt Haimovitz, although not a member of a rock band, does a rendition of Jimi Hendrix's famous improvisational version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Von Cello also does a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner with full electronic effects that can be heard on his CD, Breaking the Sound Barriers.

A pioneer in the composing of rock cello music books, Aaron Minsky has published over a dozen books with Oxford University Press. Titles include Ten American Cello Etudes and Three American Cello Duets. His music is in the curriculum of many schools, colleges, and adjudication exam organizations, and is performed by cellists around the world. His latest effort is a transcription of the music of the Grateful Dead, entitled Dead Cello.