Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Gorfain.
Hi Eric, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began my career as a studio musician while living in Tokyo in my early 20s. I moved back to LA after four years in Japan and the next thing I knew, I was on the road with Jimmy Page & Robert Plant leading the string orchestra on the Japanese leg of their Unledded tour. Inspired by the experience of that tour I wanted to create a string section (hence “The Section Quartet”) made up of musicians who liked recording and performing with rock and pop acts rather than just orchestras. I found a kindred spirit in cellist Richard Dodd and a few years later we met violinist/arranger Daphne Chen and violist Leah Katz. By day The Section Quartet plays on recording sessions with Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Jenny Lewis, weyes Blood, , Dr. Dre, and others, but by night we’re a rock band disguised as a string quartet performing our own arrangements of songs by Radiohead, Tool, Led Zeppelin, Elliott Smith, The Postal Service, etc. at venues like Largo at the Coronet and The Echo. We’ve even played our own sets on the Main Stage at Coachella. The Section Quartet is most known for our full-album string quartet renditions of Radiohead’s “OK Computer” and “The Bends.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The life of a musician never takes a straight path, but I’ve been fortunate to stay busy both here in LA and occasionally in Tokyo. The Section Quartet has stayed busy too; even during the pandemic we’ve been recording remotely when we can’t gather and planning for the future return of live music.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I’ve played violin since the age of four, so one could say the instrument is practically a part of me. I’ve learned how to play other instruments over the years (guitar, piano, drums, bass, mandolin, etc.) which always supply me with new creative inspiration. In addition to playing violin, I’ve been a string arranger for many years, and I’ve been fortunate to write string arrangements for everyone from Def Leppard and Christina Aguilera to jazz legend Cassandra Wilson and singer/songwriter Sam Phillips (the composer and performer of the iconic “la la” score from Gilmore Girls). In recent years I’ve been composing for film and TV, most notably Season 1 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (co-composing with Sam Phillips).
What are your plans for the future?
In 2020 I launched an experimental music project under the moniker tone-cluster, creating soundscapes using amplified violin processed through effects pedals and loopers. It’s a new musical direction for me that I’ve already incorporated into a short film score I just completed, and I plan to release more tone-cluster music in 2021. The Section Quartet celebrates our 20th year in 2022, so we’re planning a lot of fun stuff for next year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ericgorfain.com
- Instagram: @ericgorfain
- Twitter: @ericgorfain
- Other: www.thesectionquartet.com
Image Credits
Photo of Eric Gorfain by Jeff Chen Photo of The Section Quartet by Debby Wang
