Bond:
Classical Quartet Heats Up the Music Charts
Four
gorgeous women clad in bikinis and colorful sarongs are standing ankle-deep in
the waters off Cuba, their lean bodies posed seductively, their hair blowing gently
in the coastal breeze. It's a lovely sight, yes, but one we've all seen before.
Probably just a photo shoot for a swimsuit calendar or fashion magazine, right?
But wait....upon closer inspection it becomes clear that each woman is not only
holding a musical instrument, but is also playing it. And playing it well.
 Welcome
to the world of bond. And we aren't talking the 007 variety. These women aren't
mere eye candy to a British womanizer, they're redefining classical music as we
all know it. Meet Tania Davis, Gay-Yee Westeroff, Haylie Ecker and Eos (who mysteriously
has no last name), the ladies who make up the stunning UK string quartet. Ranging
in age from 23 to 26, the bond ladies have taken the UK and the rest of the world
by storm with their new brand of classical music, made unique by pulsating dance
beats and passionate world rhythms. It's the kind of music that appeals to all
ages.
Consisting of four classically
trained musicians, Bond performs on electric violins, viola and cello. Bond's
debut album, Born, was released in the U.S. in March 2001, after having thrived
on the charts (both classical and pop) around the world. Born has gone gold in
the UK, France, Australia, Sweden, Italy and Austria and was certified platinum
in Turkey and Bulgaria.
But don't expect
to find bond playing in the background of a stuffy reception — these women
take center stage and are entrancing performers, grabbing the full attention of
the audience, men and women alike.
 After
rolling into the States in the spring of 2001, bond began a promotional whirlwind
tour, including a Jaguar-sponsored concert outside the New York Stock Exchange
and a performance at the New York Auto Show, as well as appearances on national
television programs like Good Morning America.
Add
to that the fact that Born hit the top of the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart,
ahead of Charlotte Church and Sarah Brightman, and the quartet's mass appeal becomes
even more evident. This success was the brainchild of Gay-Yee and Eos, who did
backing for pop artists. Gay-Yee performed with Primal Scream, Spice Girls, Bryan
Adams and Barry Manilow, while Eos played with The Divine Comedy and Cocteau Twins.
"Gay-Yee
and I met doing session work since we used to do backing for bands," Eos
said. "So we got to talking about the idea of doing a quartet that wasn't
just backing, that was up front."
 The
two girls then met Haylie, who introduced them to fellow Aussie Tania. Just like
that, bond was born. With the flair, good looks and attitude of a rock band and
music that could easily play in dance clubs from London to Ibiza, bond is a group
that breaks boundaries.
"If I
were to explain bond to someone, I'd probably call it eclectic," Tania said.
"The music is quite a mix. It's a lot of different styles. The producer we've
been working with has introduced a lot of different flavors to the music."
From
the Latin elements of Quixote (by far one of the best tracks on Born) to house
beats of Victory (the group's first single), each song on the album whisks the
listener away to a different emotional state, from romantic to relaxing to heart-poundingly
upbeat. But the base of the music are the strings, the main component that united
all four women in the first place.
"I
love classical music and I really enjoy every other style of music as well, so
this is ideal for me because it brings all those together," Gay-Lee said.
Classical
music never looked, or sounded, so good.
|
