The Section Quartet

The Arc of The Section Quartet

The pivots — what forced The Section Quartet to reinvent.

1. 01

   The Tribute Factory Years

   From 2000 to 2003, the group was essentially the house band for the Vitamin Records tribute boom, pumping out full-album reimaginings of everything from Nine Inch Nails to Coldplay. They weren't just doing greatest hits sets; they were tackling complex beasts like The Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer in their entirety. You can hear them learning the architecture of rock dynamics through these sessions, figuring out how to translate a synth wash or a distorted guitar solo into a pizzicato pluck or a sustained drone. It was a brutal workload that forced them to develop a specific, aggressive shorthand that separated them from the standard chamber music circuit.

2. 02

   The Session Room Shift

   Once the industry realized Gorfain and Chen weren't just playing dress-up, the quartet started showing up on major label sessions for artists like Fiona Apple and A Perfect Circle. They moved away from being a cover act and became a structural component of the mid-2000s indie and alt-rock sound. Working under producers like Jon Brion changed their approach to texture, moving from literal translations of rock songs to creating atmospheric, cinematic layers that felt integrated rather than tacked on. This period culminated in their own releases like Fuzzbox, where they finally brought those high-end production values back to their own arrangements.

Influences

• Kronos Quartet — David Harrington’s crew proved in the '70s and '80s that a quartet could play Jimi Hendrix and George Crumb in the same set. The Section Quartet took that blueprint and applied it to the 90s alternative boom. You hear it in the way they prioritize the 'vibe' of a recording over strict classical precision.
• Radiohead — They covered OK Computer twice and used Jonny Greenwood’s penchant for avant-garde string arrangements as a North Star. The way they handle dissonance in their later session work is a direct lift from the Penderecki-inspired textures Greenwood brought to Kid A. It turned them from a cover band into atmospheric architects.
• Tool — The group recorded two volumes of Tool tributes and Gorfain has cited the band’s rhythmic complexity as a major hurdle for string players. You can hear Justin Chancellor's percussive bass influence in the way Richard Dodd attacks the cello on their heavier arrangements. They don't just play the notes; they play the math.
• The Velvet Underground — John Cale’s electric viola work in the late '60s is the undisputed DNA for any string player who wants to sound like a riot. The Section Quartet follows Cale's lead by embracing the 'drone' and the ugly, scratchy harmonics that most violinists spend years trying to polish away. It’s the difference between a clean studio sound and a record that actually has teeth.
• The Beatles — George Martin’s scores for 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'A Day in the Life' are the reason string quartets exist in the rock lexicon at all. The Section Quartet covered the solo years of the Fab Four, but the real influence is Martin's staccato, unsentimental string writing. They keep the arrangements tight and rhythmic instead of letting them turn into mushy orchestral soup.