BIOGRAPHY
You grow up fast in the music world. Having a twin sister along for the ride has the obvious benefit of keeping you grounded, but there are other perks, too: "We're always in time," Katherine and Kristen Veayo say, in lock-step.
"I'll slow down by mistake," Kristen laughs, "and Katherine is right there with me."
Maybe it's supposed to be the other way around Katherine, as drummer, is charged with keeping time but sometimes you just have to follow wherever it is the songwriter is going.
The pair, now 17, have been performing live since they were 13, and are well on their way as one of the rising stars in New England's jam-packed musical landscape.
Unlike many young performers in today's music scene, the Veayo Twins didn't cut their teeth with songs written for them. Kristen has been the artistic guiding force from the beginning, and both her songwriting and full-bodied delivery suggest an old soul. Taking almost equally from the songwriters introduced to her by her mother (James Taylor, Carly Simon, Trisha Yearwood) and the bubblegum pop that all pre-teens can't resist (Britney Spears, Aaron Carter, Kelly Clarkson) she has already crafted an album that features gutty R&B, straight-ahead rock, and thoughtful introspection.
Many songs target, directly and otherwise, the pain and alienation that young teens can face in today's bullying culture, and the two are involved in important work, playing shows for the likes of Bikers Against Bullying and participating in the documentary Bullied to Silence, which took home the prize for Best Content at the 2012 Boston International Film Festival.
"Kids come up to us in tears after shows sometimes," Katherine says, "and we know how they feel and wish other kids didn't have to feel that way."
Still, the Veayos don't get ahead of themselves. There's high school to finish. More songs to write. They could probably use a full-time band to flesh out all the parts they currently play themselves in the studio. But there¹s time for all that. In the meantime, they're excited to build on thrills like rocking out the Jonas Brothers Softball Challenge in New Britain, CT, or opening for Grammy winners Emerson Drive, and rocking at New York City's historic Webster Hall. Heck, they even got to play the Hard Rock Cafe in the Bahamas!
Read more...