TheVeayoTwins

Musician Spotlight: Rising Band The Veayo Twins
BY: David MillsHallowell, ME - Our Friday "Musician Spotlight" is on two lovely sisters Katherine and Kristen that makes up The Veayo Twins. These two sisters are wonderful singers that are well on their way to having a successful singing career. We are highlighting Katherine & Kristen of The Veayo Twins as they are wonderful singers and performers.

The Veayo Twins, as the name suggests, are 16 year-old identical twin sisters that have played multiple live gigs at venues such as the Jonas Brothers softball challenge in New Britain Stadium, New York City's historic Webster Hall, Patriots Place at Gillette Stadium, and Boston's Hard Rock Café. Kristen & Katherine recently opened for Nashville’s Grammy award winning country rock band, Emerson Drive. They have been featured on, or have played their music live on local CBS TV, Fox TV, 92Moose, WKIT, and WTOS radio shows.


Katherine and Kristen, known for their sweet vocal harmonies, play keyboard and guitar, respectively, although you can find Katherine on the drum kit at rock gigs! Their easy listening acoustic set heavily emphasizes catchy original melodies that often revolve around relationships, life experiences, and overcoming obstacles. The twins and their maturely written music will be part of a national documentary film called “Bullied To Silence”, to be released in early 2012. The sisters also perform uniquely arranged versions of cover songs, from oldies like John Lennon, Heart, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty to newer artists like Adele, Kelley Clarkson, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift.



Kristen is the main songwriter for the duo and has created songs that span a wide range of genres like heavy rock, indie, pop rock, and country. The rock original “Scream at Walls” and indie song “Don’t Forgive Me” can be purchased on I-Tunes. The duo has plans to record more tunes at Starfight Recording Studios this February. The Veayo Twins are currently booking family friendly shows as an acoustic duo, but are always ready to bring out the band when requested!

Q&A With Katherine & Kristen Veayo (The Veayo Twins):

When did you two start singing and why?
Kristen: I always liked to sing but at age 11, after becoming inspired by Kelly Clarkson, I became more serious about it.
Katherine: Around the same time as Kristen. I would always sing behind her doing harmonies & we just kept on going from there.


Was being singers one of your goals growing up?
Katherine: It was more about music as a whole not just being singers.
Kristen: Yeah, I agree with Katherine - we both started playing instruments at about age 7.


Do you have the support from your family and friends?
Both: Yes, more so from family. Friends seem to be busy with their own lives.


How does your family and friends help you both with your music?
They support, promote & come to our shows.


Who inspires you both with your music and why?
Kristen: Kelly Clarkson, John Mayer, Nikki Minaj, & Nancy Wilson. John & Nancy are really awesome at guitar & Kelly is my inspiration. I like Nikki because she is proving that girls can do guys' jobs, too.
Katherine: No one special, everyone who plays really well inspires me.


Do you both write your own songs?
Kristen: I write the lyrics, melody & chord progressions.
Katherine: Kristen usually brings me the melody & lyrics. I like to give her suggestions & usually help with the arrangements, especially keys & drums.


If so, is it hard for you both to come up with lyrics?
Kristen: It just comes to me.


Tell us about your style of music?
Both: Its a mix of everything. We are in the process of releasing a multi-genre EP that includes rock, country, jazz, pop & pop/rock.


Do you both play instruments?
Kristen: Yes, I play guitar since I was 7.
Katherine: I play drums & piano & have done so since I was 7.


Tell us how you came about starting a band called The Veayo Twins and what role you both play?
We used our name so that we could become the main identity of the band. This makes it a lot easier for us as the songwriters, creators & decision makers. Everyone knows whose band it is.


How did you both get noticed to perform for the Jonas brothers softball challenge and your other live gigs like Webster Hall in New York City?
When we were 13, we placed 3rd in a high school teen band competition at Gillette Stadium. The promoters thought we fit the Disney look & booked us for the Jonas gig. In New York City, our original music was featured by the Youth Arts Forum & we were asked to play at Webster Hall to help raise money for the homeless kids.


Along the same line, how was it opening for Emerson Drive at this past summer's Maine Lobster Festival?
Kristen: It was great!
Katherine: I loved it - the guys of Emerson Drive were so nice to us!


How were you both able to open for Emerson Drive?
The Jessica Prouty Band recommended us to Chad Ridge who was also involved in our filming of the Bullied To Silence documentary. Chad was involved with entertainment for the Maine Lobster Festival.


Is it hard being musicians from Maine?
Kristen: No, we seem to be doing fine.
Katherine: The only thing that's probably difficult is there are less people here, but we do play out in Boston sometimes.


On recording your music. How does it feel recording your songs in a studio?
Good because we get to hear the final product.


Was it hard at first to record in a studio?
Not really - our instructors seemed to prepare us well when we were young.


What do you both hope to accomplish with your music in the future?
Have fun first & if it goes further then great!


Katherine tell us somethings our readers should know about Kristen, do you both get along?
Yes we do - we fight sometimes but get along really well with music. Kristen surprises me every time she writes a song - she's really good at it.


Kristen tell us somethings our readers should know about Katherine, do you get along with her?
She is amazing at drums & piano. It frustrates me - I wish I could play that good. I am really proud of her.


If you both could perform with anyone in the music industry, who would it be and why?
Kristen: Kelly Clarkson or John Mayer. Kelly because she's my inspiration & John Mayer because he's amazing - I'd love to do a duet with him.
Katherine: A duet with Rob Thomas, he's so awesome & unique.


If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Kristen: Madison Square Garden
Katherine: The Super Bowl


What would you both say to someone wanting to get into music, but just don't know where to start?
Kristen: Educate yourself, practice, take criticism & if you're knocked down, make sure you get up.
Katherine: Make it your passion - have to have the willingness to work hard.


On schooling, is it hard being musicians still in school?
At our old school, it was very hard because there was a lot of pressures there. At Hall-Dale, our new school this year, its much easier for us to have fun & do everything we like to do. Our schedules can be a challenge but it’s worth it.


Do you both get involved with plays?
Yes, our last one was Once Upon a Mattress


Finally, is there anything else you both want to say to our readers?
Kristen: Follow your dreams - life is too short to do any different.
Katherine: Whatever you're passionate about, keep doing it & if someone tries to stop you, keep going anyway. Please tell the readers to find us on Facebook.

We hope this Q&A gives you a better idea and to learned more about The Veayo Twins. It was great the Katherine & Kristen Veayo took time to answer our questions. Thank you Katherine & Kristen Veayo. Now, we will share some of their upcoming performances and photographs. Also, The Veayo Twins official sites will be listed for you all further along.

Upcoming Performances:

Mar 15, 2012
8:00 PM
Irish Twins Pub
Lewiston,, ME
A great evening at Lewiston / Auburn's premier place for live entertainment, and great food !-NO COVER-Hope to see you there! http://www.irishtwinspub.com


Mar 24, 2012
6:30 PM
School Of Rock, Hall-Dale High School
97 Maple St, Farmingdale, ME
All ages and this will be our 3rd WTOS School of Rock !!! We'll be joined by PROSPECT HILL, The Resistance, Vadim Albert and more! $7 in advance $10 at the door. Online Tix available here http://theveayotwins.com/T-Shirts___Merchandise.html


Mar 25, 2012
TBA
The Big Easy
Portland, ME
Details SOON:)


Mar 31, 2012
7:00 PM
Hoxter's Pub
Hallowell, ME
Come relax with great people, nice selection of beer on tap, specialty drinks, wine and a bistro style menu to round out a memorable evening with us! NO COVER!!The Veayo Twins performing at Rock City Cafe back in January. We had a great time listening to these beautiful, talented sisters perform.

Please take a minute to visit one of their official sites below to learn more about Katherine & Kristen that make up The Veayo Twins.

Official Website: http://theveayotwins.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVeayoTwins?sk=app_2405167945
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TheVeayoTwins
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-veayo-twins/id434144751
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheVeayoTwins
ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/VeayoTwins


Our next "Musician Spotlight" will be featuring Emma Webb, a talented Singer/Songwriter from Tennessee on Monday, the 5th of March.


Rocky Coast News is pleased to have The Veayo Twins as our latest "Musician Spotlight", where we highlight, promote up and coming musicians that have amazing vocals, sound, style and/or who are able to play an instrument well singing.


Rocky Coast News
Reporter David Mills
Rockland, ME 04841
rockycoastnews@live.com


Rocky Coast News is a division of Rocky Coast Media delivering Nautical, Community & Entertainment News - Rocky Coast News

15 year old twins Kristen & Katherine Veayo, and the music they write are being featured in a nonprofit film called “Bullied To Silence”, to be released in the fall of 2011. This is a powerful, provocative and timely feature documentary that gives a voice to the bullied child. The twins are relocating from Winthrop to Hall-Dale High School in the Fall. The lyrics for “Scream at Walls”, a new original featured in this film & written by Kristen, go well with the title “Bullied to Silence”, thus the new slogan “Speak out, or scream at walls”. Kristen, who is real passionate about Rock right now, has written several originals and performed them with her sister Katherine at many notable venues such as the Jonas Brothers softball challenge in New Britain Stadium, CT, New York City’s historic Webster Hall, Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots) and Boston’s Hard Rock Café. They have been featured on 92Moose and WTOS radio shows and played their music live on local CBS, ABC and Fox TV shows.

The Veayo Twins and their band will be performing a limited local schedule this summer that includes The Winslow Family 4th Week, Old Hallowell Day fireworks, Great Falls Balloon Festival, and The Harmony Free Fair fireworks show. They offer a very unique family friendly show including some oldies and many original rock tunes they have written plus the latest modern pop hits as listed below. The twins would love to get your support on July 2nd, at 1pm, at the Battle of the Bands & Chicken BBQ, at Fort Halifax Park, Winslow. If they win the cash prize and the honor to headline Winslow’s annual Street Dance on July 3rd, the Veayo Twins plan on donating a portion of the winnings to “Bullied To Silence”. Donations can be made online at http://bulliedtosilence.com/. Other links can be found athttp://theveayotwins.com/ .

Some Modern Pop Covers

Perfect – Pink
Love the Way You Lie (pt. 2) – Rihanna
Forget You – Celo Green
Firework – Katy Perry
Friday – Rebecca Black
Evacuate the Dance Floor – Cascada
ET – Katie Perry
She’s So Gone – Naomi Scott
If I Were a Boy – Beyonce
S&M – Rihanna (Kristen cleaned up the lyricsJ)
Price Tag – Jessie J
What the Hell – Avril Lavigne
Paris(ooh LA LA) –Grace Potter
Local Summer Festivals & Fairs

Jul 2, 2011 1:00 PM Winslow Family 4th Battle Winslow Fort Halifax Park, ME http://winslow4thofjuly.com/

COME SUPPORT US and SEND us to the STREET DANCE on the following day! 9 hours of Rock starts at NOON, we go on at 1pm when the Chicken BBQ starts! One band will be selected to Headline the Street Dance on July 3rd.

Jul 16, 2011 7:30 PM Old Hallowell Day Fireworks Hallowell, ME http://oldhallowellday.org/
Old Hallowell Day Fireworks Show, The Veayo twins perform original rock songs & modern pop by the riverfront just before the fireworks–come celebrate with us!

Aug 21, 2011 2:00 PM Great Falls Balloon Fest Lewiston, ME http://www.greatfallsballoon
The Veayo Twins perform 60 minutes of Rock on the Lewiston side for Family Fun Day at Great Falls Balloon Fest.

Sep 3, 2011 6:00 PM Harmony Free Fair Harmony, ME http://www.harmonyfreefair.org/main.html

Sep 4, 2011 6:00 PM Harmony Free Fair & FIREWORKS
Harmony, ME Veayo Twins do rock with their full band under the lights. Free Admission—Awesome food!!

http://theveayotwins.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TheVeayoTwins - The Valley Voice

By Zachary S. Grabko
Correspondent
With the “Jonas Brothers vs. ESPN Softball Challenge” coming up next week, many minds are gearing up for the big event. Though watching the Jonas Brothers play softball is plenty of eye-candy, other attractions will be on display August 13. Along with Vermont-based band Burnham, the teen band known as Fyve will be performing before the Jonas Brothers take the field.

Recently I was able to speak with the 14 year old twins of the band, Kristen (rhythm guitarist and back-up singer) and Katherine (drummer and back-up singer) Veayo, about the band’s intricacies.

Started a year and a half ago, Fyve was formed when the twins began collaborating their music together. After adding a singer (no longer with the band), and friends Aaron St. Pierre (bassist) and Declan Chu (lead guitarist), the Maine-based band was formed.

“We just kind of clicked,” said Katherine, and soon they were performing any gigs that they could, from local venues to any given talent show. They even turned down the distortion for a few acoustic shows, though as the twins told me: “we are a rock band … acoustic sets can make the music lose some power.”

Finally, about four months ago, the band got their first break. After placing in 3rd in the “Best High School Band in New England Competition” at Gillette Stadium, Bob Bowser of the Massachusetts-based band Keep Me Conscious decided to take the band under his wing, and make them a part of B. Castle Productions, a promotion group that Bowser runs.

With the members still being in school, the twins said that schedules have been tough to work around. They certainly manage though. During the summer they typically have one to three gigs a week, with a lighter schedule of one or two gigs a month during the school year. Often their three- to four-hour practices consist of going over the set list for their next gig.

The twins accommodate this busy schedule as best as they can. By participating in music programs outside of practices, they’re able to work on the band’s music individually. In fact, Katherine has spent three summers doing percussion section at the New England Music Camp. It helps that they have been interested in music so long, with Katherine playing drums and piano for six years, and Kristen playing guitar since she was 7 years old.

Fyve uses a very classic approach to stage presence and interaction with the audience, by getting the crowd involved as much as possible. Unlike The Pixies, said Katherine, “we actually like the audience.”

Pop and Pop-rock is central to Fyve’s work, as both members often cited Paramore and Kelly Clarkson as the band’s main influences. Not to say that they are unaware of classics, as Katherine said her drumming was influenced by Ringo Starr and D. J. Fontana (Elvis’s touring drummer). Strangely enough, Kristen cited “A Horse with No Name” by America as the song that started her interest in playing guitar, as well as Nancy Wilson of Heart.

Being the sole lyricist for the band, Kristen spoke a lot about her creative process. “The lyrics just sort of come to me whenever I write out my feelings … some songs are finished in one night, others take me months.”

Often the topics revolve around relationships and love, a cornerstone of any teen band. “While some people try to run away from relationships, the rest of us stick around and fight for them, especially teenagers … we think that us being teens really helps that connection between the lyrics and the listener of them,” said Kristen.

“For any teen musicians out there, I would say they should follow their heart and dreams … something is bound to happen,” said Katherine. Kristen jokingly added: “only if they work hard.”

They however, don’t let the notion of being “only a teen band” enclose them. For both of them, playing music and being on stage “is fun, and we enjoy it. Really, that’s all what touring and playing gigs is for us, just having a good time,” said Katherine.

The twins are very excited to be able to play at the event, and appreciate that all donations for the event will be going to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Although all of the game’s tickets have been distributed, there is the possibility of more seats becoming available prior to August 13th. To join the waiting list, go on to http://store.rockcats.com/nutmeg/, and fill out the order form. You will be contacted if/when tickets become available.

For more information on Fyve, go on to their website at http://fyverock.com/, or check out their Youtube account at http://www.youtube.com/user/Fyverock. - New Britain Herald

Identical Twins Katherine Veayo on Drums and Kristen Veayo on guitar are members of the Winthrop area band Fyve and have been recognized nationally for their young talent and showings in national competitions.

No story about young musicians in our area would be complete without mentioning the Veayo twins. They, too, were on the scene and, most assuredly, you will be reading about and listening to their music in the future. Listen to some of their cuts on Facebook and YouTube.

I truly love the fact that Hallowell and our valley retains it’s rightful place as a Maine music Mecca. It is my hope that we never loose sight of our artistic flair. Keep the music flowing!

Support Local Musicians - Valley Voice

Local band Fyve to represent Maine at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA on Sunday, 6/13/10 - WTOS radio broadcast on 6/09/10