Following a popular show on Vashon last year, the Shook Twins will return to Open Space for Arts & Community at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Debra Heesch and Open Space will host the show.
Born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, the Shook Twins are an Indie folk-pop band hailing from Portland. Identical twins Katelyn and Laurie Shook are joined by Niko Daoussis to form the band’s core.
The group’s unique sound comes from a wide range of instrumentation: banjo, acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass, mandolin, electronic drums, face drum (beatbox), glockenspiel, ukulele, banjo-head drumming and their signature Golden Egg.
Beautiful harmonies layered upon acoustic and electric instrumentation are coupled with Laurie’s inventive use of percussive and ambient vocal loops. With Katelyn’s repurposed telephone microphone, their music is set apart, creating a unique and eccentric blend of folk, roots, groove and soul.
The duo’s style fluctuates from song to song — they draw from life experiences, writing about being potters’ daughters, the sway of the subconscious, imagined superpowers and a chicken friend named Rose.
The Shook Twins pull out unexpected covers on classic hits and their friends’ songs, sprinkling in rhythm-driven dance numbers from the 1990s and female supergroup Sideboob. Katelyn and Laurie are the main songwriters, but they also back up their band member Daoussis, adding his compelling songs to the mix.
After releasing their first album “You Can Have the Rest,” the twin sisters moved to Portland, where they released “Window,” featuring Bonnie Paine and Bridget Law of Elephant Revival.
The Shook Twins recorded their third album, “What We Do,” with Grammy-nominated producer Ryan Hadlock at Bear Creek Studios. They are currently recording new music at Hallowed Halls in Portland with Justin Phelps.
The Shook Twins have shared the stage with Ryan Adams, Gregory Alan Isakov, Greensky Bluegrass, Mason Jennings, Blitzen Trapper, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams, David Grisman, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sarah Jarosz, Laura Veirs, The Fruit Bats, Jonatha Brooke, JJ Grey and MoFro, The Indigo Girls, Crooked Still, Jason Webley, The BoDeans, Elephant Revival and more.
Seattle band Rabbit Wilde will open for the twins. The group revamps classic string band instrumentation with homespun percussion, a six-string ukulele and cello. With widely varying influences and three distinct vocal styles, the band creates a sound that’s appealing to all audiences.
Tickets are at Vashon Bookshop and online at shooktwinsopenspace.brownpapertickets.com.
