Meet Carrie Caruso of Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Caruso.

Hi Carrie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started playing violin through my public school program in Walled Lake, Michigan. Later, I moved to Arizona and studied violin with the late Dr. Frank Spinosa at Arizona State University in Tempe. I would arrange classic rock and pop tunes for a string quartet for fun. I had a wedding client who requested all classic rock songs for their wedding. I hired friends/colleagues to read through my arrangements and perform them for the wedding. Before the ceremony began, the audience was standing in applause. I thought, “Hmmm, there might be something to this.” That started my electric string quartet, Urban Quartet, later renamed Urban Electra. I had always admired crossover artists like Vanessa Mae and Bond. However, they were still playing classical repertoire. I liked the idea of the violin taking the lead, like an electric guitar, in rock bands. While the classical string quartet certainly adds class to an event, most people are intimidated by classical repertoire because of their lack of familiarity. However, having string quartets play Led Zeppelin now creates an unexpected connection with the audience because it combines the class and sophistication of the quartet while still being able to please the familiar ear with the content. It is the best feeling when someone approaches me and says, “Wow! I love Radiohead and never imagined hearing “Creep” played like that!” Urban Quartet started playing corporate events throughout the Phoenix area and shortly discovered that we needed to be amplified to compete with the noise of a party in a ballroom. We initially started with a condenser microphone which then proved to have many complications like feedback, not enough cello, etc. That is when we decided to plug in!

It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The first year playing electric instruments was close to comical. We rented a PA from Milano Music and lugged that thing to several resorts, trekking through lobbies and ballrooms carrying equipment in and out of parties, to then have to play sound engineer with a diagram starting with, “plug into an outlet in the wall to turn on the power. There was a serious learning curve for us! We then hired Jim May Productions to do our sound and booking. That was a game-changer. As a result of these changes, we were well on our way, and as a result, we then had many traveling performances from Playa del Carmen, Germany, to a ten-day cruise in the Caribbean. The struggle was real! The beginning of my classical crossover adventure was tough juggling the hat of being a student, a mother of two young children, and my music. At the time, I also had a full-time private violin studio.

Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I am known for pioneering the electric violin performing in the Phoenix area. I had always loved rock and pop, but at that time, there wasn’twasn’t anything out there locally that was doing what I was doing. I started arranging rock and pop songs for the string quartet mainly as a hobby until one day in 2007 when I had a wedding client for all classic rock songs. That was my opportunity to play my arrangements. So I hired freelance musicians that I frequently played with for the job. As we played “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, the guests waiting for the ceremony to begin stood and sang along. I thought, “Hmmm, there’s something to this.” I asked the musicians I had hired if they would be willing to have a reading party and review more of my material, and they agreed. That was the beginning of Urban Electra. To this day, we are sisters. We are family—all of the weddings, divorces, babies, graduations, etc. Why are audiences drawn to electric violins, cellos, etc? The people love the sound of strings. However, many are intimidated by the lack of knowing classical repertoire. But when an audience hears the music they grew up listening to, that’s another story. Classical rock songs translate very well for acoustic string quartets. An electric string quartet, we’ve just added a whole other element like shredding Jimmy Page riffs, etc.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Don’t overthink, do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carrie-caruso.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrie.caruso_violin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieCarusoViolinst/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urban_electra/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bowshred
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Dy20YxSurxiTj33m837xw
• Yelp: www.urbanelectra.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UrbanElectra/

Image Credits
Marille Kris, Melissa Shumway, Preston Yarger, Harley Bonham, Ken Brown