Courtesy Kirk Stauffer Photography
The Shook Twins are not your ordinary string band. A live performance by the group is often punctuated beat box sounds, electronic loops or even the shaking of a large percussion egg that is now a standard instrument in the twins’ stage setup. Fronted by identical twin sisters Laurie (banjo, guitar, vocals, beat boxing, bass, looping, ocarina, djembe) and Katelyn (guitar, slide, glockenspiel, mandolin, vocals), the twins take you on a musical journey incorporating many modern and sometimes quirky elements in their stage performances. “We have some weird things that we do,” said Laurie Shook on Friday, “I’ll beat box and I’ll loop that. Or I’ll pound on the banjo or pound on the giant golden egg that we have and loop those things to create some sort of alternate percussion line. Katelyn has this telephone microphone thing that she sings into which makes her voice sound really cool.”
Courtesy Kirk Stauffer Photography
Colorado audiences will have the chance to check out the Shook Twins this week as the band tours through the state with shows in Denver, Fort Collins and ending on Sunday Jan. 27 at Shine in Boulder. “Colorado has some great audiences. said Laurie. “We’ve been coming there for about 7 years now, it’s a delight. I think Boulder is one of my favorite cities.” The twins will be joined for these shows by musicians Niko Daoussis (mandolin, electric guitar, electric drums, bass, and vocals) and Anna Tivel (fiddle, mandolin, vocals).
Laurie and Katelyn Shook have come a long way from their Sandpoint, ID beginnings where they embraced their love of music at the age of six dancing and singing together in back yard performances. Focusing on vocals in their early days the twins sang with the choir. “Nine years of choir. And we’ve just always loved singing very very much,” said Laurie. “And we didn’t start playing instruments until we were 18.” After that they formed the band and have played with many musicians including Ryan Adams, Mason Jennings, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The FruitBats, Jonatha Brooke, Michelle Shocked, JJ Gray and MoFro, Crooked Still, TheBoDeans, Elephant Revival, The Head and The Heart and more.
In 2009 the twins cut their first album “You Can Have the Rest.” They picked up and moved to Portland, Ore., to work on their second album “Window,” which was released in 2011. The Shook Twins were joined by members of Elephant Revival in recording “Window.”
“Elephant Revival, they’re probably our favorite band, they’re one of my favorite bands of all time,” Laurie said. “The fact that we get to sing and play with them is a dream come true. They’re just wonderful human beings.”
The twins plan to get back in the studio soon to work on a new album and may ask their fans for a boost through the KickStarter.com platform. “We’re going pretty big this time around we’re definitely going to need some help,” said Laurie. “So yeah there will be a kick starter happening in Feb.” For more information visit www.shooktwins.com.
If you go:
Jan 23, 8pm – PAC3 w/ Mountain Standard Time (All ages), Carbondale, CO
Jan 24, 7:30pm – Vilar Performing Arts Center (All Ages), Avon, CO
Jan 25, 8pm – The Soiled Dove Underground (All Ages), Denver, CO
Jan 26, 5:30pm – GNU: experience gallery w/ Lindsey O’Brien & Matt Mahern (All Ages), Ft. Collins, CO
Jan 27, 9pm – Shine w/ Ghost Dream (21+), Boulder, CO