Ever notice how violinists are really cool in rock circles these days? We’ve already told you about a few such violinists performing in the D.C. area in recent months, and now one of the most internationally lauded is taking a local stage. David Garrett, who in 2010 was one of the top-grossing concert acts according to Billboard’s Boxscore Chart, will show off his violin god chops as he mixes rock and classical sounds backed by a four-piece band. So why all of the fairly recent excitement about the violin?

“The violin is a very honest instrument. You can immediately hear if somebody can play or not,” Garrett said. “I think audiences are looking for something which isn’t manufactured, something which is handmade.”