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Thursday, July 5, 2001
Classical quartet gets sexy
Spice Girl method reaches audience
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
Associated Press

Associated Press

The quartet bond uses Spice Girls-esque flash and fashion to sell their contemporary classical music.

NEW YORK - With their plunging necklines, bare midriffs and tight pants, the women who make up the group Bond look more like a girlish pop group than a classically trained string quartet.
   In fact, the group has already been dubbed the "classical Spice Girls" by some media. But even though their sexy looks have helped garner plenty of attention - and fans - in Europe, the description rankles the women who have spiced up the classical world with their contemporary sound and even more contemporary looks.
   "We’ve just kind of laughed about that really, because we’re not really like the Spice Girls, obviously," says Gay-Yee Westeroff, the cellist in the quartet. "No one’s Ginger, no one’s Baby, no one’s Sporty."
   "We’re not anything like them, but if we could reach the same audience that they reach, that would be real great," says violinist Haylie Ecker, one of the two Australians in the group.
   For a classical group to sell millions upon millions of albums would be quite a feat, given that many groups struggle just to sell several thousand copies.
   But the women of bond - Ecker, 24, Westeroff, 28, Tania Davis, 24, and Eos Chater, 24 - are making impressive headway by using their considerable sex appeal, as well as incorporating modern dance music with their classical style.
   Their debut album, "Born," has been certified gold or platinum in several European countries, and has been making waves on the American charts as well. Here in the United States, it has sold 91,000 copies in its three months of release, according to Soundscan. That’s impressive for a classically oriented group.
   Ironic move
   But their untraditional musical mix hasn’t been universally accepted. When their album was released in Britain, it debuted at No. 2 on the Chart Information Network’s classical chart, but within a week, it was removed from the chart for being too pop-oriented.
   The women found the move a bit ironic, considering the growing number of collaborations between pop and classical musicians in recent years
   "When you look at the content, the chart content of the classical charts of the moment, you’ve got soundtracks from movies, and (Luciano) Pavarotti is singing with U2," said Davis, who plays the viola. "We laughed at it because it was a bit hypocritical. But in a way it was a really positive thing, because that was our break, and people went and bought the CD to decide for themselves."
   Those who buy the CD will find classic string arrangements intertwined with Latin and world and dance beats. Some classical purists say it’s not their music - and bond is quick to agree.
   "From the beginning, it was never to be a strictly classical quartet," violinist Chater said of the group. "I mean, we all played in classical quartets ourselves, and some of the records that we do are certainly more classical. ... But largely, we thought we wanted to incorporate a lot of different styles, kind of get a pop style in there, with a lot of emphasis on music from all around the world, incorporating different flavors into the music."
   In concert, the women usually play their contemporary-classical mix, with amplified instruments. But they also play acoustically as well, and sometimes throw in traditional classical pieces into their playlist.
   Bond got its start in London almost three years ago, after British-born Westeroff and Chater, who were playing with pop acts ranging from the Spice Girls to The Divine Comedy, began exploring the possibilities of playing a classic-pop mix of their own.
   Around the same time, veteran pop manager Mel Bush, who has managed acts including violinist Vanessa Mae and David Bowie, began considering forming a classical group he could market to the pop world. Bush, who knew Westeroff, helped the pair put the group together, eventually teaming the two British women with Ecker and Davis.
   Talent required
   Bush says that by mixing different styles of music with classical, bond can introduce string music to a segment of the population that never really listened to it before.
   "I think if you broaden the band of classical music, you open up your audience to a much broader audience," he said. "The comment that we get a lot is that ‘If classical music was more accessible like this, then I’d buy more classical music.’"
   Bush says while the group’s attractiveness may get them noticed, it’s their talent that keeps people’s attention.
   "It’s actually very secondary, the looks, because if you have no music, you have no future," says Bush. "The public will not buy music because they are four pretty girls."

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