BlackWire “Some dream and say, why? I dream and say, why not?” Robert Kennedy BlackWire Defined: BlackWire is the dream of Violist/Arranger Linda Davis and Manager Sandy Smolen. Davis’ arrangements of classic rock hits stretch the whole idea of staid string quartets and sextets with edgy invention that reinvent and reinvigorate the music. Bouncing off the traditional bass and drum bottom and backbeat, the jazzy-bluesy flexibility with just a pinch of mischief thrusts the original material into the 21st Century. BlackWire makes the familiar surprising without losing the comfort of familiarity. From the Classics to Classic Rock: Davis first began experimenting with a chamber orchestra playing Stravinsky and Copland, as well as premiering works of local composers. BlackWire now plays classics from a more popular field, but classics just the same. Combining the ethereal quality of Enya with the energy and drive of Barrage, BlackWire makes the familiar songs of Chuck Berry, Beach Boys and the Beatles surprising without losing the comfort of familiarity. A simple challenge of “Why aren’t you doing this [rock]? “ culminated with the recording of the self-titled CD “BlackWire.” Along with Sandy Smolen, the production of the CD became a team effort of not only arranging, but also finding players who bring enthusiasm and understanding to the music. The group was honored and to have preeminent jazz violinist, Tracy Silverman, lend his impeccable interpretation to a few of the old chart toppers. A Rediscovered Audience: Billboard Magazine once reported, that “the success of new … product from legacy artist – Harry Connick Jr., Hall and Oates, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler and others – testifies to the strength of music of grownups … during the past year, The Billboard 200 has confirmed the sales strength of the adult – oriented artists.” BlackWire fits perfectly into this demographic while expanding the genre to an audience for whom the music is fresh and new. BlackWire’s strings carry melody, harmony, rhythm, organ, lead and horn parts that weave a whole new fabric from a well-established soundscape into something concurrently “forever young” yet “all grown up.” Along with adult comments like, “Your music feeds my soul” and “I’ve had such a stressful day and your music was so calming”, members of the younger generations have said, “Like, this is so cool!”