Twins

Celtic/Country Wonder Twins: Interview with Carli and Julie Kennedy

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment
Alec Watson Photography

Alec Watson Photography

Having a twin means you always have a best friend! You have someone that understands you and supports you in everything you do.  

When I heard Carli and Julie Kennedy, the initial  impression  was the amazing vocal harmonies they create. They have beautiful voices and are so talented with  instruments and songwriting. On top of that they are also young and pretty-the kind that reminds of Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite angels. Their EP SMALL TOWN STORIES is out since late last year and are gaining converts from all over with their brand of Celtic and Country fusion. It was fun doing this Interview because the sisters took turns answering. It’s twin power all over!

1. What was the earliest musical memory you both can remember?


The earliest memory I have is of Carli and I playing in a band with our friends at about 5 years old. We made our instruments out of cardboard boxes and tupperware containers and we felt really cool! We have amazingly supportive parents – very soon after, they went to the music store and bought us real guitars and a piano! We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for their support and love!
-Julie

2. Cite the biggest influence in your musical career.


The biggest influence by far in my musical career is Julie. She is my twin sister, my best friend, my musical other half, and my partner in crime! Julie always has my back in the rehearsal room and on stage, and I could not do it without her! -Carli

3.Of all the songs in your album, what are your favorite ones and why.


My personal favourite song on our album is the title track, “Small Town Stories.” We wrote this song about all of the great memories we have from growing up in our hometown of Powell River. To me, it is the song that best represents who we are and where we come from! -Julie

“Front Row” will always be a special song to Julie and I because we wrote it for our dad. Dad taught me my first chords on guitar, and he has been such a huge support for Julie and I since we were playing concerts for him in our living room at five years old! -Carli

4. What are you planning to accomplish this year?

Alec Watson Photography
Julie and I have a lot of goals for this year. We are songwriting for our next album, which we plan to release in 2013. We also have plans to tour throughout Canada in the summer and the fall of this year. We look forward to releasing a couple new music videos as well!
-Carli

5.Talking about twins,my friend Jimmy who introduced your music to me is a proud daddy of twins. What are advantages of growing up as twins?

Having a twin means you always have a best friend! You have someone that understands you and supports you in everything you do. Carli and I have an amazing connection when it comes to music as well – in many ways we can read each others minds! For example, if I forget the words to a song, Carli takes over without anyone knowing! (Very handy!) We also interpret songs in similar musical ways, which makes playing and songwriting together really fun! -Julie

6.Already Miss you is a personal favorite. I know I am such a sucker for sad songs. It’s in my Filipino blood. What inspired you to write this tune?


Thanks so much! “Already Miss You” was inspired by long distance relationships. Our mom and dad started new jobs in the last few years that require them to do a lot of traveling. They are apart from each other a lot more than they have ever been before, which is hard for them! My mom says this song is very close to her heart! -Carli

7.Are you both keen about the ordering of songs in the album and also the whole packaging thing.


We love the entire process of creating an album! We definitely put a lot of thought and energy into the order of songs because, to me, it affects the way you experience the music. We also love the design process of creating the cd packaging. We had a vision for the project, and we worked with an incredible designer to create our EP “Small Town Stories” – it was such an fun process! – Julie

8. Your music is described as a fusion of country, folk, jazz, and Celtic music. What is the general reception towards Celtic music these days?


We grew up playing and listening to Celtic music. We love to include Celtic fiddle tunes in our show, and they always seem to be crowd favourites! -Carli

9.Thanks for your time Carli and Julie.What are your messages to your readers?


It is our absolute pleasure! We are so happy that you enjoy our music. To our readers and fans, we just want to say thank you so much for your constant support! We love hearing from you, and we hope we can continue to make music that moves you and makes you smile!

More info:

    http://www.cjkennedy.com

http://www.myspace.com/carliandjuliekennedy

http://www.twitter.com/carliandjulie

http://www.youtube.com/carliandjuliekennedy

Press contact    Media & Industry: i see. Irene Carroll Et Associates Public and Media Relations. Irene Carroll, Strategist 416.366.5473 irene@iseeassociates.ca — Touring & Information: Kit Watson, kit@toolkitmusic.com, 778.995.7311

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twins and Small Town Stories

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

 

I am rocking my body listening to The Kennedy Sisters. It was a link (and all the links in this post) sent by a friend who is a father to twins. Their song Already Miss You got to me that I had to stop what I was doing and hold back the overwhelming emotion from spilling out. Music can do that to me. And these twin sisters created an album that not a single track is weak. All the songs in the EP Small Town Stories will get to you be it due to their sweetness, fast tempo or the how the tracks speak to you intimately that makes you say hey, I exactly feel that way.

Aside from the wonderful lyrics, the merit of this album is also due to the musical richness and now these sisters put out a truly artfully crafted album that begs for multiple listens. Their voices blend beautifully and I am such a sucker for harmonies. I got that after listening to a lot of Mamas and Papas as a kid and later on Enya and Clannad. So harmonies get to me so easily. “Small town stories, they take me home” they sing in their title track. And I second to that. Most of the wonderful things we want to listen to, be it in TV or movies always deal with getting to know the characters closely and the small town stories that hold everything together. This album shines like reflected light on golden pond..of it’s what the pond looks golden anyway. It is everything that holds the tracks together-plus the sheer talent of these twins.

Listen to the streaming music here:http://cjkennedy.com/?page_id=96

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The folowing videos are all about twin performers in Irish and Celtic music

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/CamilleandKennerly
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/CamilleKennerly
SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/CamilleandKennerly 

Please share with your friends!
Click to RE-POST this on FACEBOOK: http://tinyurl.com/CKZombieFB 
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Please listen with HEADPHONES for richer more complex sound and fuller bass lines!!

WEBSITES:
http://www.HarpTwins.com 
http://www.CamilleandKennerly.com

Identical Twins Camille&Kennerly play their duet harp arrangement of “Zombie” (The Cranberries) on their Electric Harps!

Jennifer and Hazel Wrigley are excellent young fiddle and piano virtuosos from Orkney, a group of islands just off the north coast of Scotland. The twin sisters are preserving Orkney’s local musical traditions while at the same time composing important new material. Their Orcadian music is quite distinct, reflecting not only their Scottish heritage but also these islands’ strong Norwegian ties. Orkney’s geographic isolation has led to a deep sense of self-reliance and independence among its people, who consider themselves Orcadians first and Scots second. Both this independence and pride are happily reflected in Orcadian music. Here, the Wrigley Sisters perform “Skeldaquoy Point”, “The Hawk Reel” and “The Salvation Reel”.

To find more music from this part of hte world vist:http://www.folkways.si.edu/searchresults.aspx?sPhrase=United%20Kingdom&sT…

To learn more about Smithsonian Folkways visit http://www.folkways.si.edu 
To find out more about the Smithsonian Folklife Festival visithttp://festival.si.edu/
The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright/). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.

Music video by The Proclaimers performing Love Can Move Mountains. (C) 2009 SLG, LLC

Celtic Twins

Listen to their songs here: http://www.themorrisagency.co.uk/band-hire/profile/Celtic-twins/

 

Twin Power

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

I find twins fascinating because both equally share the same amount of talent. One can’t be without the other. If you think about it, they have been in the womb for almost nine months and they share a circle on their own. I am featuring the Twin Thistle. The videos are from the past.

This post is dedicated to Jimmy and Nancie .

10 year old twins Michael and Lizzy are featured here, playing three different songs. Michael is an absolutely great bagpiper and Lizzy a very talented keyboard player, who also composes great music! Together they make up “Twin Thistle!” Listen to these wonderfully talented young kids, and see why we feel the “future of Celtic Music looks bright!” 

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For those not committed, you might want to go!