Like a fine piano that's been left in the East River, or perhaps a string quartet with an identity crisis, the Australian band FourPlay hears no boundaries when it comes to their music. Be it punk rock or grunge, metal or doom, genres that classify most anything can be thrown out the window and re-learned after hearing this "classical" ensemble.
With an upcoming tour through the States and England--with Neil Gaiman at Carnegie Hall, no less--Classicalite caught up with the string-benders to get some notes on their sound, what's to come for the band, etc.
Yes, this is a band...not your average "string quartet," indeed.
Classicalite: The conventions of string quartets are usually reserved for learned classical listeners. FourPlay seems wont to break these boundaries and limitations as much as possible. Do you agree?
FourPlay: We are classically trained musicians playing classical instruments, however, FourPlay is not a classical ensemble. The band started when we did a few covers of rock songs from Jimi Hendrix, Metallica and Jeff Buckley--exploring the instruments to create the sound of a rock band, from distorted guitars to drums to vocals. We then explored the possibilities of effects pedals, looping pedals and extended techiques. FourPlay has two violas, unlike most string quartets, and it is difficult to classify us into any genre. We love to rock out on stage and audiences respond to that energy.
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