The Watson Twins
with Joshua Radin
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13
The Social, 407-246-1419
$16-$18
Despite the glaring hook at their disposal — they're photogenic twin sisters — the Watson Twins' concept is notably free of cheap sizzle. Anchored by the unhurried warmth of their voices, their soulful sound bridges country, folk and singer-songwriter traditions with a quiet dignity. L.A. may lend their music a contemporary finesse, but its rootsy essence still evokes Kentucky, where they grew up.
The sisters had already made modest ripples, but their profile rocketed with the 2006 indie smash Rabbit Fur Coat, a collaboration with Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. Their own graceful debut LP, Fire Songs, was released last summer.
Telling them apart
Chandra: "I'm the one that's the less put-together of the two."
Leigh: "We have similar styles but hers is a little bit more natural, a little bit more granola."
What she brings
Chandra: "I feel like she always brings the perfect element of the harmony."
Leigh: "I don't think I would be here on tour and have done so many amazing things if it wasn't for her being the more motivated and more strong-willed."
Best artistic virtue
Chandra: "She's got a great knack for straightforward and simple, great hooks that just get stuck in your head."
Leigh: "I think lyrics, really. She's a great storyteller."
Working together
Chandra: "That fear of failing in front of somebody doesn't exist with us because we're way past that in our relationship."
Leigh: "We've never really fought our whole lives, if you can believe that. We probably have more now that we have a band together than we ever did our whole lives."
The challenges
Chandra: "A lot of times I think you get so used to just taking every step with this person that you forget, oh yeah, I need to reassure them that they're doing a good job or everything is going well and that they sounded great on that song or whatever."
Leigh: "We realize that the thing that we have together, the productive nature of working together, that needs time and that everything else needs to fall away when we're working on it."
Differences in vision
Chandra: "Our interests lie in soul, R&B, country and folk. Because we draw from the same sources, we don't generally have those conflicts in the studio."
Leigh: "I feel like right now we're both really excited and we have ideas. And amazingly enough, those thoughts haven't clashed as of yet."
The twin mystique
Chandra: "We do have this thing with food where a lot of times we'll crave the same types of food."
Leigh: "There's some times where I know that we communicate where we're not talking necessarily. It's easy for me to read how she feels. And we like Doublemint gum."
Working with Jenny Lewis
Chandra: "It was a great way for people to be introduced to us, just because the integrity of the project was there and it's a beautiful record."
Leigh: "That project let me sing with two amazing women who I respect and admire, who were encouragers to me. Personally I feel like it was important for me to get excited about music again."
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