FourPlay Electric String Quartet
Encyclopedia
FourPlay String Quartet is a four-piece rock
band from Sydney
, Australia
, formed in 1995. It should not be confused with a smooth jazz
group in the United States
also known as Fourplay
.
FourPlay's members include brothers Tim Hollo (violin and viola) and Peter Hollo (cello), Lara Goodridge (violin and vocals) and Shenzo Gregorio (viola); former members include: Veren Grigorov (viola) & Chris Emerson (viola). Although all members of FourPlay had formal classical training, the band play an eccentric form of rock music, with subtle influences from three of the four band members' Jewish heritage (although FourPlay regard themselves as an Australian band above all else) as well as gypsy, pop, folk, hip-hop
, electronica, post-rock
, folktronica
and many other forms.
and Depeche Mode
, and the theme
from Doctor Who
), along with a few original compositions. In late 1999, Emerson left to get married in England
and was replaced by Veren Grigorov. FourPlay released their second album, The Joy Of... in 2000, which included, among other things, a two-part dub
/klezmer
composition, a distortion-heavy cover of Pop Will Eat Itself
's Ich Bin Ein Auslander, and a gypsy-style instrumental ending with a mass scream. This was followed, a year later (2001), by a 2-disc remix
compilation, Digital Manipulation, featuring work by many Australian musicians, including Machine Translations
, B(if)tek
and Darrin Verhagen. FourPlay have also toured abroad extensively, and supported artists including george
and The Whitlams
.
In 2004, Grigorov was replaced by Shenton Gregory aka Shenzo Gregorio, renowned stunt violinist from Brisbane. Shenzo's personality and style meshed perfectly into FourPlay, and he took to the viola instantly. A highly fertile period of new composition resulted in many new originals, as well as covers of Radiohead
, The Strokes
, and various jazz/blues numbers. These were recorded in the latter half of 2005 and appear on Now To The Future, released in June 2006.
In July 2009, Fourthcoming
, their fourth album was released. Most of the tracks were written 3 years prior. Recorded live at the Street Theatre in Canberra over three small gigs. Like the previous three albums, Fourthcoming contains a number of covers. Rage Against the Machine
, Leonard Cohen
and Sufjan Stevens
. A number of the original songs contain politically charged lyrics. The track A Grain of Truth was inspired by the AWB (Australian Wheat Board) scandal. The track Where The Sun Don't Shine was written in response to the former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard
's sustainable energy policy for the 2007 election. The track Rudd-a-dub Dub refers to the then-current Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd
.
In August 2010, the band collaborated with author Neil Gaiman
and comics author/artist Eddie Campbell
at the inaugural Graphic festival at the Sydney Opera House
, composing a 70-minute accompaniment to Gaiman's novella "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains".
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, formed in 1995. It should not be confused with a smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
group in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
also known as Fourplay
Fourplay
Fourplay is a contemporary jazz quartet in the United States. The original members of the group were Bob James , Lee Ritenour , Nathan East , and Harvey Mason . In 1997, Lee Ritenour left the group and Fourplay chose Larry Carlton as his replacement...
.
FourPlay's members include brothers Tim Hollo (violin and viola) and Peter Hollo (cello), Lara Goodridge (violin and vocals) and Shenzo Gregorio (viola); former members include: Veren Grigorov (viola) & Chris Emerson (viola). Although all members of FourPlay had formal classical training, the band play an eccentric form of rock music, with subtle influences from three of the four band members' Jewish heritage (although FourPlay regard themselves as an Australian band above all else) as well as gypsy, pop, folk, hip-hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, electronica, post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, folktronica
Folktronica
Folktronica or electrofolk is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring samplings of acoustic instruments—especially stringed instruments—and incorporating hip hop rhythms...
and many other forms.
History
FourPlay's first album, Catgut Ya' Tongue? was released in 1998, and featured mostly covers (of bands including MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, and the theme
Doctor Who theme music
The Doctor Who theme is a piece of music composed by Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Created in 1963, it was one of the first electronic music signature tunes for television and after nearly five decades remains one of the most easily...
from Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
), along with a few original compositions. In late 1999, Emerson left to get married in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and was replaced by Veren Grigorov. FourPlay released their second album, The Joy Of... in 2000, which included, among other things, a two-part dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
/klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
composition, a distortion-heavy cover of Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
's Ich Bin Ein Auslander, and a gypsy-style instrumental ending with a mass scream. This was followed, a year later (2001), by a 2-disc remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
compilation, Digital Manipulation, featuring work by many Australian musicians, including Machine Translations
Machine Translations
Machine Translations is the recording and touring name of J Walker, an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. J Walker started out recording all instruments himself in a home studio, but has now branched out to include a band in his recent works...
, B(if)tek
B(if)tek
Btek was an Australian electronic music duo comprising Kate Crawford and Nicole Skeltys, originally from Canberra, who released three albums between 1998 and 2003. In 1999, Btek was nominated for an ARIA as "Best Dance Release" for the track "Bedrock" which appeared on their second album 2020...
and Darrin Verhagen. FourPlay have also toured abroad extensively, and supported artists including george
George (band)
George are a rock band from Brisbane, Australia. Their first album, Polyserena reached #1 in the Australian Charts on 17 March 2002.-History:...
and The Whitlams
The Whitlams
The discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...
.
In 2004, Grigorov was replaced by Shenton Gregory aka Shenzo Gregorio, renowned stunt violinist from Brisbane. Shenzo's personality and style meshed perfectly into FourPlay, and he took to the viola instantly. A highly fertile period of new composition resulted in many new originals, as well as covers of Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, and various jazz/blues numbers. These were recorded in the latter half of 2005 and appear on Now To The Future, released in June 2006.
In July 2009, Fourthcoming
Fourthcoming
Fourthcoming is an album by FourPlay String Quartet. Fourthcoming is their fourth album, and their first to be recorded live, was released July 3, 2009.It follows the trend of their previous album Now to the Future, containing more originals than covers....
, their fourth album was released. Most of the tracks were written 3 years prior. Recorded live at the Street Theatre in Canberra over three small gigs. Like the previous three albums, Fourthcoming contains a number of covers. Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
and Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
. A number of the original songs contain politically charged lyrics. The track A Grain of Truth was inspired by the AWB (Australian Wheat Board) scandal. The track Where The Sun Don't Shine was written in response to the former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
's sustainable energy policy for the 2007 election. The track Rudd-a-dub Dub refers to the then-current Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
.
In August 2010, the band collaborated with author Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and comics author/artist Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
at the inaugural Graphic festival at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, composing a 70-minute accompaniment to Gaiman's novella "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains".
Studio Albums
- Catgut Ya' Tongue?Catgut Ya TongueCatgut Ya' Tongue? is an album by FourPlay String Quartet.This is their first studio album; it mainly consists of covers with two original tracks.-Track listing:...
(1998) - The Joy Of... (2000)
- Now To The FutureNow to the FutureNow to the Future is an album by FourPlay String Quartet. It is their third studio album, and features more originals and less covers than the previous two. Track 9, Bollyrock, fuses the styles of traditional Indian raga with a rock style.-Track listing:...
(2006) - FourthcomingFourthcomingFourthcoming is an album by FourPlay String Quartet. Fourthcoming is their fourth album, and their first to be recorded live, was released July 3, 2009.It follows the trend of their previous album Now to the Future, containing more originals than covers....
(2009)
Singles
- FourPlay String Quartet Part 1 3" single (Reptilia) (2006)
- Fourplay String Quartet Part 2 3" single (Downtown Nudnik) (2006)
- Fourplay String Quartet Part 3 3" single (Trust) (2006)