Perfect Fifths

The sound of a violin in modern music is no longer the sign of an eccentric progressive rocker. Many modern musicians, both bands and individuals, integrate violin into their works. Here are a few of the more interesting examples:Darol Anger: Anger plays a unique style which incorporates elements of folk, jazz, and bluegrass. His band Psychograss is a fitting description of his sound. His most recent album is the collaborative Mike Marshall and Darol Anger with Vsen.Emilie Autumn: This violinist is best recognized by her flaming-red hair and punk-goth outfits. Her music is an idiosyncratic blend of cabaret, industrial rock, and classical music. Her compilation album A Bit o’ This & That was released in 2007.Miri Ben-Ari: She goes by the moniker “The Hip Hop Violinist,” which also describes her sound and is the title of two of her albums (2005′s Hip-Hop Violinist and 2008′s Hip-Hop Violinist II). Ben-Ari is originally from Israel, and has collaborated with artists like Wyclef Jean and John Legend.Petra Haden: Haden started off in alternative rock with the 1990′s group that dog. In the time since their break-up, she has done a-cappela cover albums and continued to play violin on various other collaborative albums.Sean Mackin: Mackin’s violin-playing on Yellowcard’s 2003 hit “Ocean Avenue” gained him millions of fans, and Mackin continues to play with the pop punk group to this day. The group’s first album since 2007′s Paper Walls is expected in 2011.Sarah Neufeld: Neufeld plays violin for the indie rock group Arcade Fire, the more orchestral off-shoot Bell Orchestre, and has just joined the Luyas. With all this on her plate, she’s still helping her bands achieve success, with Arcade Fire’s recent album The Suburbs achieving wide success.