Strings Attached: An Interview With The Harp Twins
What It Takes To Succeed As Independent Musicians
Harp Twins will be performing, along with the Volfgang Twins, at the 2023 Alaska Scottish Highland Games, June 24th and 25th, at the Alaska State Fair grounds. Follow them online for other special performances they’ll be doing while touring Alaska.
Submitted by Joshua Fryfogle
Make A Scene Media Company, and our flagship publication, Make A Scene Magazine, were built on the ethos of making a local arts and music scene happen here, locally. As a musician myself, I see touring musicians coming to Alaska as an intrinsic part of the growth of the Alaskan music and arts scene, so we’re happy to share this interview with this plucky pair of internationally recognized touring artists, Camille and Kennerly Kitt, AKA, The Harp Twins.
Camille and Kennerly were gracious enough to answer my own questions, and I also included several questions that were submitted by other local musicians, the latter being included at the end of this interview.
Harp Twins have an amazing following online. What is something about building an online audience that most up-and-coming musicians might not know or understand?
“We have found that consistency is very important when building any audience or career. We have posted a new music video on YouTube every month for over 10 years. We try to post something daily on social media. However, we are careful not to fall into the quicksand trap of hyper-focusing on the “more, more, more, faster, faster, faster” mentality of current social media. Gradually building a dedicated community of listeners doesn’t usually happen overnight and fads come and go. Keep creating content that is uniquely you, and consistently deliver that to your fans. Don’t be discouraged by what you view as a “small” online audience. We believe growing a small core of invested fans is much more valuable than a large base of “fans” on TikTok (or other sites) who might never even stream one of your songs. Too much emphasis these days is placed on online numbers and rapidly feeding the algorithm, when online numbers don’t necessarily mean anything in a real-world career. This is especially so when social media sites funnel consumers constantly to other channels and more shocking/sensational content. Some hugely popular and successful bands and household name artists have far fewer fans on social media than the current “stars” of those sites. Focus on creating real art and music. Focus on having a brand and business. Focus on the people who consistently show up and buy your new album, the people who always leave encouraging messages, and the people who want to support YOU.”
What were the key steps in building your fan base both locally and nationally/internationally?
“When we began performing, all of our gigs were local events in our area. As word of mouth spread in a wider circle, so did our performances. We started creating music videos to show to clients and eventually others started to find them as well. The gigs started to find us! We live in a global age, so finding an international audience is just as easy as finding a national audience, especially in a market as universal as music. All you need is to find your niche and the have tenacity to continue to follow your dreams.”
How do you maintain your physical and mental health while on tour?
“We’ve always enjoyed staying active, working out, and spending time in nature. Even while touring, we try to stay as healthy as possible. We try to get a reasonable amount of sleep whenever possible. We’re also vegetarian and we don’t drink any alcohol, which we feel works best for our health and lifestyle.
Touring can be an expensive endeavor, especially for up-and-coming musicians. Can you share any practical tips on budgeting for a tour?
“Don’t out-spend your means! We have heard of (and witnessed) touring musicians who have made some big mistakes by touring like they are on vacation. While on tour we shop at grocery stores, rarely eat at restaurants, “shop around” for the best deals on hotels and accommodations, and just generally save wherever we can. Maybe you don’t need that tour bus, or a bunch of back-up musicians! For many years, we toured just with our mom in a mini-van. Just a few years ago, we got to the point where a venue owner sat us down and said, “you need help.” He told us that we were performing at too large of venues to do everything ourselves, and that we were doing way too much work for only 3 people. So, we now tour with 2 additional people. However, we waited as long as we could! Sometimes less really is more.”
Business and creativity are two very different things. What advice do you have for balancing creativity and the business aspects of music?
“We think it’s important to realize that not all of your work is going to be ‘fun’. We hear a lot that ‘it’s not work if you love what you do’. However, being an independent musician doesn’t mean that you are sitting in musical bliss with your instrument all day and the rest just falls into place. If you have trouble making the time for the business or ‘not fun’ aspects of your career, set aside a certain time of day for that portion of your job. Often the things that we as humans avoid are the things that most need to be done.”
Can you talk about a time when things didn't go as planned on tour and how you dealt with it?
“No matter how well things are planned, eventually something happens that is out of your control. Our touring van once died in Nebraska when we were on our way to a performance in California. We lost a day, had to get a new van, and then drove straight with no overnight stops to make it to our performance in time. We also had a venue power outage for our Christmas show in Colorado, followed by the venue owner getting injured during that same windstorm. We personally stood outside (in the middle of winter) at a theater with no lights or power to meet every car who showed up for the concert and let them know that it was postponed. Those are just a few examples! Sometimes you just have to go with the flow!”
How do you maintain relationships with family and friends while being on the road?
“Well, we tour with friends and family so that helps! Thankfully we live in a day and age where we can text, video chat, etc.! We also have friends and family who live in different areas of the country, and touring allows us to visit much more often than we could if we didn’t tour!”
What's your approach to sound checks and dealing with sound technicians?
“Be nice! It might sound obvious, because most of the time, people are professional and lovely! However, sometimes musicians encounter a sound technician who might be difficult to work with, doesn’t believe that we know what we’re talking about, or is just having a bad day. However, we have found that kindness generally wins out. We once had someone tell us that we were ‘almost violently positive’ after working with us for an entire weekend at an event. We found that quite amusing!”
How do you handle disagreements or conflicts within the group on tour?
“We make the offending party get out of the van and walk to the next venue. Just kidding! We get coffee! Seriously, if someone seems cranky, they usually just need food or sleep! Thankfully we get along super well. Otherwise, touring wouldn’t work because we spend soooo much time together!”
What skills or knowledge do you wish you had before you started touring.
“Thankfully our touring really started out slowly, so we were able to learn as we went along. We’re guessing that it would have been impossible had we tried to jump into touring right where we are now. We would encourage musicians to talk with other bands and musicians who they meet at gigs! Venue owners, sound technicians, etc., also have a lot of knowledge!”
What are the biggest misconceptions about touring that you'd like to clear up for new musicians?
“The biggest misconception that we have seen from people is the thought that touring is glamorous. People see the highlights on social media and view touring like it will be that sunshine, roses, and trashing hotel rooms. Lol. However, touring is a lot of hard work and long grueling hours on the road. You have to be okay with enjoying the little moments and realize that most people can’t tour like a rock star. ;) ;)”
Harp Twins are known for beautiful interpretations of well-known songs, as well as original music. How do you strike a balance between the two?
“When we started releasing music online and touring, we primarily shared covers of rock, metal, soundtrack music, etc. However, as we grew, we began to share our original music because we have loved writing our own music since high school. We were nervous about the reaction of our followers since they found us through our covers. However, the reaction was incredible! We have been told by SO many people that they enjoy our original songs much more than our covers. We now focus most of our arranging and writing time on creating more original music. However, we still enjoy releasing covers and will still continue to do that!”
How do you two go about deciding which songs you will cover? Is there method you follow, or do you choose cover songs by whatever inspires you at the moment?
“Most of our covers have just been music that we enjoy. We love classic rock and metal, so those covers are especially fun for us. We occasionally have done song cover commissions, which is always a unique and fun challenge!”
When it comes to original music, what does your writing process look like?
“Writing every song is different. For some, we write the lyrics first, and then write the music. For others, we add lyrics after the music is finished. Many times, our original songs begin with some little melody idea and grow into a song from there. When we have lyric or music ideas, we will grab our phone and jot some notes or hum the tune so that we don’t forget our ideas. It amazes us at how often we will be simultaneously working on the same piece and what we’re working on just fits seamlessly together. We have such similar souls and that seems to shine through when we write music together. We love that writing is an organic process for us and that every song or piece was written by both of us.”
When recording cover songs, how do you go about getting legal permission to record those songs? Are there legal and financial considerations that most musicians might not understand?
“There are companies who act as the ‘middle man’ to get licensing from the publishers for musicians to legally cover songs. Those licenses cover streaming and downloading sites, physical albums, etc. It’s not difficult to obtain, but it can get expensive! Releasing versions of public domain songs or original compositions is definitely a better move financially! Most social media sites have their own deals worked out with publishers for cover versions. Those deals are constantly changing and your cover could be removed at any time – even if you have paid for licensing!”
What about Alaska is good for independent musicians, compared to other places you’ve performed?
“For us, Alaska holds SO much inspiration! Alaska really is the most beautiful place that we have ever been! It’s hard not to be inspired when gazing at the vast mountain ranges, standing in an ancient fjord, or hiking a glacier! Also, we’re guessing that those long winters allow a lot of time for music writing next to a cozy fireplace!”
What advice would you give young musician that you wish you had been given early on in your careers?
“Learn the business side of things! We have degrees in Harp Performance from a University Conservatory of Music, and we weren’t required or even encouraged to take a single business class. We also know of very few people who were at our conservatory who now perform full time. We think it is extremely important for independent musicians to learn basic skills in managing a business, finances, etc. It should be something that is taught in music schools and conservatories, but if it isn’t, seek out that knowledge and those skills on your own.”
Below are some questions that were submitted by other independent musicians who live in or work in the Alaskan music scene:
Elicia Pettit asks: What are the compromises you are glad you made?
“Spending less time at home so that we can tour. We think it’s easy to become a bit of a homebody – especially for artistic people who can tend toward the introverted side. However, we have found that a compromise between home and the road is very rewarding! We appreciate our time at home and on the road so much more! Friday pizza night while watching OnPatrolLive or Doctor Who on the couch is so much more enjoyable when we’ve had shows every Friday night for 2 months and finally get that pizza and tv night!”
Hope Cassity asks: What’s made you the happiest out of all your work?
“We think the happiest times of our careers have been hearing the positive impact that our music has made in the lives of others. We love creating music just for ourselves, but there is something so special when we hear that our music has helped someone going through a hard time, calmed anxiety, or given someone a moment of joy. The greatest gift we could have in life is bringing light to someone.”
Andy Mullen asks: What is your definition of success?
“Joy and contentment with where we are at the moment is our success. Being able to create music for a living is what we dreamed of and we’re so happy to have the privilege of doing that. We know we’ll never be the most successful musicians in the world, but we don’t mind that! We can still have continuous goals for the future while being happy where we are now.”
Van Horn Ely asks: Top 3 must-do’s to share your art widely?
“1) Release your music on streaming / download platforms, 2) Post regularly on social media, 3) Create music videos – all you need is a phone!”
Becky Bloomquist Oviatt asks: What was your defining moment? When you went from “garageband” to national recognition?
“We’re not sure we ever had one defining moment. We’ve always felt a bit like the tortoise in that old children’s tale. The media loves those stories of instant stardom and people love to hear about someone who blew up “accidentally” on TikTok. We’ve just kept making music and kept doing what we love, and our career has continued to grow and expand. We still don’t think of ourselves as being famous at all!”
Rod Rongstad asks: Do you think interviews contribute to your success?
“It’s interesting, because we have commented to each other that we never know when or how someone will discover us! Some of our biggest long-time fans have found us through interviews on tiny local news sources! So yes, we definitely think interviews can help contribute to your success!”
