The four young women who perform in the Raymond Weil Watch Co. commercials intrigue me. Are they musicians who really perform together?
—Norm C., New Mexico
The intriguing young women in those ads are a string quartet known as Bond. They are Haylie Ecker, 24, from Perth, Australia, on first violin; 24-year-old Tania Davis from Sydney, Australia, on viola; 24-year-old Eos from Cardiff, Wales, plays second violin; and Gay-Yee Westerhoff, 26, from Hull, England, plays cello. All four began their musical education as children. They were brought together by a concert promoter named Mel Brush and discovered they all shared a desire to break free of classical music constraints. They formed an entirely new type of string quartet that incorporated all forms of music, including salsa, trance, house, and traditional East European folk music. Some Olympic ice skaters used Bond's music for their routines during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Their album, Born, is available in America. Although they have toured Europe and Asia, they have not played in the United States yet.
