at a recent show, electric violinist caryn lin announced: "this is a native american, west african, techno-tribal, australain, cosmic, celtic, rock piece."
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WORD format Bio she was joking, but only sort of. a classically trained violinist who went on to become an electric violin and education innovator, she's influenced by everything from baroque to rock. and although she thinks of her music as solo electric violin/ virtual orchestra, caryn's music isn't easy to categorize, even for her.
the cherry hill, new jersey native started violin lessons at age 9, and soon began studies with the philadelphia orchestra's larry grika. she earned a degree in violin performance from northwestern university, but even then she took a unique approach to the violin. when she got home from class, all she wanted to do was jam to her jackson browne and bob dylan records.
after graduation caryn moved to germany to study under virtuoso susanne lautenbacher. but staying true to her love of innovation, she also jammed with street musicians and played in several bands. during a show on her last night in germay, a guitarist wondered what would happen if they plugged an echo box into the pick up on her acoustic violin. caryn listened as the sound of her violin filled the room, accompanying itself, and creating a fantastic soundscape unlike anything else she'd ever heard. it was as exciting as an electric guitar, but it was even closer to her heart. the classical musician who had always felt like a misfit had found her place.
after years of experimenting with sound, caryn puts on a live show that is truly unique. sometimes as a solo artist and sometimes with a backing band, she plays her 4, 5, and 6 string electric violins and uses a jam man to make short on-thespot recordings of her voice, percussion instruments, and other sounds. As she plays the violin, the recorded snippets play back in a continuous loop adding layer upon layer of sound over deceptively simple melodies. the result is music that is both otherworldly and totally catchy. in recent years she has become a strong lyricist, sometimes adding her crystalline voice to the mix.
caryn has played everywhere form lincoln center to six flags, the kimmel center to the crayola crayon factory, to the 800th anniversary of a monestary in the french alps. Her music has been featured on mtv's the real world and on 150 radio stations across the coundty, and she (and her music) appeared in the movie "philadelphia." she has just released her fifth studio album - "the call".
"unlike the music defined by pure genre,
lin's only limits are those of her electric violin"
new york post
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