Not For Your Wedding

Over the past few years, string quartet tributes to pop culture have flourished and it can seem like it's more of a prolific commodity than an artistic endeavor. Vitamin Records are the ones responsible for those String Quartet Tributes you see out there and we are curious who in their right mind made the decision to make a Clay Aiken Tribute? The L.A. based, The Section Quartet (pictured above) participated on a good number of those albums (but not Clay's) and play tonight (think Radiohead) in a concert presented by KCRW at Largo. Some hate this type of strung out tribute music, some love it - we'll let you decide and chime in.

If you like string quartets, but not tributes, we recommend Ethel who considers themselves a band, not a string quartet. We are a bit over Kronos Quartet and find Ethel's self-titled album a much more satisfying listen. Both groups will play in the L.A. area later this spring among various other concerts featuring string quartets:

1/23 – Penderecki String Quartet at LACMA
1/24 – Tokyo String Quartet at UCLA Live
2/22 – Kronos Quartet at UC Riverside
3/11 – Ethel at the Women in New Music Festival
through April - various concerts featuring various artists playing various music at the Walt Disney Concert Hall