Laurie and Katelyn Shook of the Shook Twins
By Dominique Wald
The Shook Twins will shake it up on stage Friday at Lewiston’s Dogwood Concert.Based in Portland, Ore., the band includes twins Katelyn and Laurie Shook, who grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho. They are joined by Kyle Volkman, who handles bass, and Niko Daoussis, who plays mandolin, electric guitar, electric drums, bass and sings.
Katelyn said folk music isn’t something she and Laurie were surrounded with growing up, but they eventually found their passion in high school.
“When we were little we listened to all the popular music like Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, and we still love that music today,” Katelyn said, “but as we got older, the Beatles really inspired us and we started getting into the folk scene.”
Katelyn credited the choir program in Sandpoint with some of the girls’ success. During their time in choir, the sisters were able to participate in concerts and sing their original songs.
Performing with a sibling, and particularly a twin, has its advantages. Katelyn said she doesn’t feel as much pressure to say what’s on her mind during the creative process.
“We totally collaborate and we get along amazingly well, but, at the same time, if we don’t like something we can just say, ‘Hey, that sucks let’s not do that,’ ” Katelyn said.
The Shook Twins will also perform with folk-rock band Fruition, a group they’ve worked with in the past.
Katelyn and Laurie said they face the typical challenges of others in the in the music industry — like making enough to pay the bills — but Katelyn said their music is about making people feel something, which gives them faith to continue performing.
“We’ve been lucky in that we keep our finances simple, but we just love making people feel good with our music,” Katelyn said. “Sometimes we’ll have people tell us our music really helped them get through a tough time. And for us, that’s so rewarding.”
If you go
WHAT: The Shook Twins and Fruition
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Silverthorne Theater on the Lewis-Clark State College campus, 500 Eighth Ave., Lewiston
COST: $25 for general admission, $20 for LCSC students and faculty with ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lcsc.edu/ce .
