In Greek mythology, Sirens use their hypnotic songs to lure sailors to their death on rocky shores. Like those mythic sisters, the Shook Twins captivate audiences with their harmonies. But instead of suffering the sea goers’ fate, they are nourished with life-affirming songs, ethereal vocals, and other-worldly rhythms. The Shook Twins will drop-ship Friday, April 7, 2023 at The State Room.
Originally from Sandpoint, Idaho, identical twins, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, blend folk and bluegrass with pop overtones to create a trippy, intermountain newgrass sound. It’s where the Rocky Mountain high meets the West Coast chill. One of their latest tunes, “Stay Wild,” blends an herbal mellowness with a smooth, retro disco groove. The song makes you want to stay wild without venturing too close to the edge. In “Safe,” their voices blend perfectly with a soothing strum of an acoustic guitar, punctuated with banjo inflections to create a hypnotically-induced safe space. It’s like musical therapy.
Katelyn, on guitar and vocals, and Laurie, on banjo and vocals (aka the Shook Twins), occasionally tour as a duo, but for the upcoming tour, they’ve added multi-instrumentalist and co-collaborator Niko (Slice) Daousiss and others to the mix. Joining them on stage is a magical golden egg (which also serves as a percussion instrument) that symbolizes their music and serves as a metaphor for their identical-twins-one-eggness.
Co-headlining the show is Daniel Rodriguez, former founding member and singer/songwriter of the transcendental folk band Elephant Revival. Rodriguez wrote and performed lead vocals for such classics as “Birds and Stars” and “Sing to the Mountain.” When the band took a hiatus in 2018 (a gentle way of saying they broke up), Rodriguez launched his solo career. Transitioning from the orchestral sound of Elephant Revival to a more stripped-down acoustic resonance was a tall order, but with his 2020 single “Colorado,” he didn’t drift too far from his musical roots. I can still hear the rumble of the elephant in his work.
In his second, recently-released, full-length album, Vast Nothing, Rodriguez offers us a full dose of lyrically beautiful folk that conjures up simple, romantic gestures. He cuts “Through the Static” with lyrics like “love letters under a magnet on the fridge.” On “Mixtape” he tries to “keep the music playing like a mixtape/ keep the vibe rolling down the freeway/ keep the morals high.”
Seeing the Shook Twins and Daniel Rodriguez co-headline on The State Room stage on April 7, 2023 will be your chance to channel your inner hippy for a few hours and indulge in some soul-soothing musical meditation. I’m going to the pre-show at The Bayou and pair this mountain newgrass with an In The Pines hazy IPA from Level Crossing.
Fans of Elephant Revival, Rising Appalachia, Tegan and Sara, Lucius, John Craigie, Lumineers, First Aid Kit, and Gregory Alan Isakov won’t want to miss this show.
Who: The Shook Twins and Daniel Rodriguez
What: Bloom Tour
Where: The State Room
When: April 7, 2023
Tickets and info:https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/shook-twins-daniel-rodriguez
