The Shook Twins

  I got the chance to meet up with the Shook Twins, made up of Katelyn and Laurie Shook, and ask them a few questions about their music and their lives We had a few laughs, and I learned that these girls have a great sense of humor, are lovely, charming, ambitious and talented. And hungry. Hungry for life and hungry for Joel’s burritos. They are Sandpoint natives, and divide their time between there and Moscow, where they are finishing college at the University of Idaho, with degrees in communication.
 
  They play gigs here, there, and everywhere in between. Be sure to catch them live - their contagious banter is even better in person, and their music is a refreshing blend of wisdom and innocence, which is deepening and becoming more mature and well rounded by the day. Being twins, they have what seems to be an innate sense of harmony, and their lilting voices blend together in divine consonance. And Laurie beat boxes, which is pretty awesome.

J: Capos, your thoughts?

K: I cannot live without capos

L: First of all, we should have them surgically implanted, because we forget them all the time

K: We noticed that Ani (Difranco, one of their main influences) uses them, so that’s cool

L: They are beautiful things, they make life easier, and I am all about making life easier.

J: I have noticed that your music is outrageous, you have clearly been influenced by such bands as Jem and the Holograms. What are some other late 80’s early 90’s cartoons that have influenced your musical career?

K&L: Oh my god, the Gummy Bears, (here is when they burst into song, expertly covering the Gummy Bears theme) and Fraggle Rock (more singing) oh my god, Fraggle’s rock

J: What’s the coolest about living in Moscow
and Sandpoint?

L: We have two rooms,

K: The wormhole (an obscure inside joke about time travel)

J: Jem and Fraggle Rock aside, who are some other musical acts who have influenced you?

K&L: Ani Difranco, Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan, Dave Matthews, Cold play, Bjork, New Kids on the Block, (giggle) no, but, for real, NKOTB, it’s the right stuff

J: Do you believe current pop music trends are the miserable and untimely death of the heart and soul of music?

K: Pop music, like Brittany (Spears), etc, is important, because there has to be something out there that is the opposite of good, and pop is the opposite of good

L: Listeners are fed up and angry with that crap, so they are more inclined to look for something beautiful - it’s like it fuels the revolution against itself, towards better music

J: How would you describe your sound, other than truly truly truly outrageous?
K&L: Soft folk Christian death metal, (giggle) with a little beat box on the side, to wash it down

J: On your new live CD, I have noticed a few curse words. Is this a conscious step towards a more thug - like image, or are you just potty mouths?

K&L: Laughter

K: It’s my fault

L: She always slips, maybe cusses a little too much

K: But that’s really who we are, so f@#k it

J: What is it about beat boxing that is so freaking cool?

L: White chick from Idaho, no one expects it

K: And it sounds like a drum

L: A face drum

J: How do you strike the balance between success and selling out? If you make money at something you love, is it still art, or does a paycheck ruin its integrity?

L: I don’t think a paycheck ruins integrity, more power to you if you can change peoples lives and make a living doing it, as long as you keep doing what you were doing before you started making money, then that’s awesome

K: success in a musical career is measured by how many people know about you, how many people you reach, and if more people like you, buy your albums and come to your concerts, than you make more money, but I wouldn’t look at fans like dollar bills, more like how excited I was to have so many people listening to us

L: it’s all about your intent, if you are still spreading your message than its not selling out

J: Why?

L: Because everybody is different

K: Because because because because because, because of the wonderful things he does

There you have it, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, in all their glory. Learn more about the Shook Twins, how to buy their CD’s, and where they are playing next, by visiting their website, www.shooktwins.com