}

HISTORY ----------------- The Section Quartet was originally conceived only as a studio entity. Eric Gorfain, having toured with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, was called upon to write string arrangements for a Led Zeppelin tribute album. He drafted Richard Dodd for the project, which was released on a small indie label in 1998. Dodd had worked with artists such as Lowen and Navarro, The Bangles and The Three O'Clock, just to name a few, and the two bonded over their mutual interest in rock music. Gorfain: "That's when I had the idea to put together a studio string group to play recording sessions. What would make this group unlike typical session players is that the people involved would still be classically trained, but with a real enthusiasm for rock music. I called it ‘The Section', as in the string section on a recording session." This group went on to record Gorfain's growing list of strings-only adaptations including the music of Tool and Radiohead's celebrated OK Computer album in its entirety. Daphne Chen and Leah Katz met on the Los Angeles freelance scene in 1999; Chen was a member of Latin rock band Quetzal, and Katz was already a veteran of Hollywood recording sessions. They formed a string quartet of their own, backing up artists on TV award shows such as the Grammys and American Music Awards. Ultimately, Gorfain & Dodd met Chen & Katz, and though no one remembers the details of that first encounter, there was instant chemistry. Chen: "People had been telling us we should meet Eric and Richard, and we finally ran into them backstage at an awards show. We started recording together as ‘The Section Quartet' and everything gelled: we played well together, worked well together, and had a blast. Leah and I were in the process of dissolving our own group, so we joined up with the boys. I describe our union as straight out of The Brady Bunch." In February 2002, Mark Flanagan, the owner of L.A.'s exclusive club, Largo, asked the group to perform their version of the OK Computer album live; Flanagan and acclaimed singer/songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips had discovered the quartet's recording of OK Computer before extending the invitation. On a whim, the quartet accepted and received a strong and immediate reaction from their first live appearance. Seemingly overnight, The Section Quartet had become a band. Shaped by the personalities and musical influences of all four individuals, the band continued to expand their repertoire, playing style, and scope of work. In addition to Gorfain, Chen began arranging for the group. Katz: "As a band, we honed our sense of rhythm and developed a distinct and aggressive style, free from the constraints of our classical upbringings. In our studio work, we can still whip out traditionally beautiful, lush strings when appropriate. Our sessions go smoothly and efficiently because we've played so much together – most of our communication is telepathic!" The Section Quartet self-released No Electricity Required in 2004. The Lizards Like Us EP in 2006 was also self-released, celebrating TSQ's second invitation to perform at the Coachella Festival by none-other than festival mastermind, Paul Tollett. While continuing to build an audience and play the club circuit in Los Angeles, the demand for The Section Quartet as a session group on other artists' records skyrocketed. Diverse artists such as Foo Fighters, Fiona Apple, Rooney, Devendra Banhart, Sam Phillips, Jakob Dylan, Christina Aguilera, Sean Lennon, Maroon 5, The Twilight Singers, A Perfect Circle, James Blunt, Ryan Adams, Rilo Kiley, Chantal Kreviazuk, Wilco, Grant-Lee Phillips and Dr. Dre have all collaborated with TSQ. With the forthcoming FUZZBOX, The Section Quartet challenges the listener to join the band in breaking down traditional walls between musical genres. As Gorfain states, "Classical musicians for centuries have been interpreting music from composers, both living and dead. We're doing the same thing, except we're interpreting rock, not Rachmaninoff."