For Section Quartet violinist Eric Gorfain, rock 'n' roll is played from the heart.
"There's so much about the performance and the moment," he said. "It's about conveying what you are feeling."
The Section Quartet will perform Friday at Puccini's Golden West Saloon.
The band recreates rock songs for a string section. Members have rearranged songs by artists such as the Strokes, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. The band has two violinists, a violist and a cellist.
"Our focus is on the original arrangements of these songs," Gorfain said. "We're able to put our personalities into this, and we're not just reading off of paper."
The members started their careers as studio musicians. Gorfain, who toured with Led Zeppelin, met cellist Richard Dodd at a recording session in 1997.
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"We hit it off, and when it came that I was going to record some sessions of Led Zeppelin songs, I called Richard, and the musical partnership was set up," he said.
Gorfain and Dodd met violinist Daphne Chen and violist Leah Katz backstage at the American Music Awards in 2001. The four had some sessions together and hit it off.
"We like to say we Brady Bunched the band together," Gorfain said.
He said the band only wants to perform rock music.
"We could venture out into hip-hop, but with rock, there is so much there to work with," he said.
The band has played on albums for the Foo Fighters, Fiona Apple, Jakob Dylan, Sean Lennon and Dr. Dre.
The band's latest album, Fuzzbox, was produced by Linda Perry. Gorfain met Perry when the band worked on a Christina Aguilera album.
"(Perry) was an unusual choice, but for us, it seemed very natural," he said. "She brought an attitude and this amazing sound. She captured us in a way that we had never been captured before."
Gorfain said that as a studio musician, his job required him to adapt quickly to different styles of music. He said fronting a band is unpredictable.
"As the front man, as I get on the mic and talk to the audience, I never know what's going to happen," he said. "I have to think on my feet and, hopefully, not say anything stupid."
Gorfain said the band would like to compose a score for a movie one day. For now, the quartet will continue touring.
"We're doing this for ourselves," he said. "In that respect, it feels great. It's great to put a lot of hard work and energy into this and see it pay off."
The Section Quartet
Puccini's Golden West Saloon
620 Central Ave. S.W.
Friday
7 p.m.
$10 advance
$15 at the door
