Curvaceous string quartet Bond says "who cares"
By Richard Chang
The Orange County Register
Posted November 27 2004
 |
 |
|
They're a string quartet, and each member has extensive classical music training.
But don't call the music of all-female group Bond classical. If you do, you're opening a can of worms.
Critics have chastised the Anglo-Aussie foursome for not sounding classical enough, and for using sex appeal to sell records. The Bond girls don't mind sporting revealing outfits, and have been well represented by men's magazines such as Maxim and Stuff.
But ultimately, these girls just want to play their own type of music, and they just wanna have fun.
"We're breaking down barriers of music," said Australian Haylie Ecker, first violinist for Bond, in a phone interview. "We're kind of this hot pot of musical styles. It's music to be enjoyed, not over-analyzed."
Bond will perform Sunday at the Carefree in West Palm Beach and Monday at the Lincoln Theatre in Miami Beach.
The group consists of Ecker, Eos Chater on second violin, Tania Davis on viola and Gay-Yee Westerhoff on cello. Ecker and Davis are from Australia; Chater and Westerhoff are from Great Britain.
The four met in London, where they formed the band in early 2000.
"Gay-Yee and Eos were already doing session music, and they were experimenting with different genres of music," Ecker said. "It sounded like a lot of fun. I gave it a go, and introduced Tania into it."
A man with money also didn't hurt. In this case, Mel Bush -- known for helping other crossover acts -- funded the entire project and became Bond's original manager.
The quartet's first album was titled Born. It debuted at No. 2 on the British classical music chart, but was pulled off after one week, since England's Chart Information Network determined it was "not classical enough."
A debate over whether Bond's sound is classical music ensued, and has not ceased since. The group's latest album, Classified (Decca, released in June), also seems to flirt with the classical music identification. On it are several well-known classical compositions, from Samuel Barber to Aram Khachaturian to Tchaikovsky. Backup musicians create a contemporary and poppy foundation, the four add their strings, and several layers of glossy studio production are incorporated into the mix.
The cover features the Bond women in classy yet sparse outfits, showing plenty of leg and, oh, one weird-looking violin.
The result is an album that has done well on "classical crossover" charts across the globe.
But is it classical music? If you ask the women directly, they'll admit it isn't.
"We're not doing classical music," Westerhoff said. "It's more like a pop group, and marketed more like a pop group. We're a string quartet, and people have a stereotypical image of what they want us to be like."
As for the sexed-up presentation, it shouldn't come as a surprise for four attractive twentysomethings trying to make it in the music industry. Indeed, what has become a standard for decades in rock and pop marketing has been seeping into classical music in recent years. Lara St. John, Andrea Bocelli, the Ahn Trio and the Eroica Trio are just a few examples.
"For us, it's the music, and the music is pop," Ecker said. "That reflects how we dress onstage. The clothes are fun and young. It's not so sexy, compared to Christina Aguilera and Britney [Spears]."
Westerhoff, who has experience performing with Sting, the Spice Girls, Primal Scream and Barry Manilow, said she's been having the time of her life on the current American tour, which has included performing the national anthem at Shea Stadium, and ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
"It's really fantastic, actually. I wasn't expecting such a response. Everyone seems to be really into it," she said. "When you play really big places, they always feel really cool. You get a good buzz from them.
"There are moments when you wonder, `Oh, what am I doing?' They're all quite crazy in their own way."
But don't call the music of all-female group Bond classical. If you do, you're opening a can of worms.
Critics have chastised the Anglo-Aussie foursome for not sounding classical enough, and for using sex appeal to sell records. The Bond girls don't mind sporting revealing outfits, and have been well represented by men's magazines such as Maxim and Stuff.
But ultimately, these girls just want to play their own type of music, and they just wanna have fun.
"We're breaking down barriers of music," said Australian Haylie Ecker, first violinist for Bond, in a phone interview. "We're kind of this hot pot of musical styles. It's music to be enjoyed, not over-analyzed."
Bond will perform Sunday at the Carefree in West Palm Beach and Monday at the Lincoln Theatre in Miami Beach.
The group consists of Ecker, Eos Chater on second violin, Tania Davis on viola and Gay-Yee Westerhoff on cello. Ecker and Davis are from Australia; Chater and Westerhoff are from Great Britain.
The four met in London, where they formed the band in early 2000.
"Gay-Yee and Eos were already doing session music, and they were experimenting with different genres of music," Ecker said. "It sounded like a lot of fun. I gave it a go, and introduced Tania into it."
A man with money also didn't hurt. In this case, Mel Bush -- known for helping other crossover acts -- funded the entire project and became Bond's original manager.
The quartet's first album was titled Born. It debuted at No. 2 on the British classical music chart, but was pulled off after one week, since England's Chart Information Network determined it was "not classical enough."
A debate over whether Bond's sound is classical music ensued, and has not ceased since. The group's latest album, Classified (Decca, released in June), also seems to flirt with the classical music identification. On it are several well-known classical compositions, from Samuel Barber to Aram Khachaturian to Tchaikovsky. Backup musicians create a contemporary and poppy foundation, the four add their strings, and several layers of glossy studio production are incorporated into the mix.
The cover features the Bond women in classy yet sparse outfits, showing plenty of leg and, oh, one weird-looking violin.
The result is an album that has done well on "classical crossover" charts across the globe.
But is it classical music? If you ask the women directly, they'll admit it isn't.
"We're not doing classical music," Westerhoff said. "It's more like a pop group, and marketed more like a pop group. We're a string quartet, and people have a stereotypical image of what they want us to be like."
As for the sexed-up presentation, it shouldn't come as a surprise for four attractive twentysomethings trying to make it in the music industry. Indeed, what has become a standard for decades in rock and pop marketing has been seeping into classical music in recent years. Lara St. John, Andrea Bocelli, the Ahn Trio and the Eroica Trio are just a few examples.
"For us, it's the music, and the music is pop," Ecker said. "That reflects how we dress onstage. The clothes are fun and young. It's not so sexy, compared to Christina Aguilera and Britney [Spears]."
Westerhoff, who has experience performing with Sting, the Spice Girls, Primal Scream and Barry Manilow, said she's been having the time of her life on the current American tour, which has included performing the national anthem at Shea Stadium, and ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
"It's really fantastic, actually. I wasn't expecting such a response. Everyone seems to be really into it," she said. "When you play really big places, they always feel really cool. You get a good buzz from them.
"There are moments when you wonder, `Oh, what am I doing?' They're all quite crazy in their own way."
