To witness a live performance by The Kin is to witness something that reaches far beyond any stage. Thanks to the connection the Koren brothers have not only to the music, but to each other, their melodies are rich in grace and have a tangible intensity the audience can almost see as it floats past their ears.
"Music comes from where you least expect it," Isaac Koren, who sings and plays piano, says. "Usually one of us will be inspired by life around us. We go through something personal or we see something in the world that wakes us up and makes us feel inspired, and our reaction is to express it in music."
Once you hear The Kin, you'll be swept up in their passion for sculpting music into works of art with their radiant voices and stunning lyrics. Born into a musical family from Adelaide, Australia, their talent is without a doubt a product of their genes. Isaac is a self-taught pianist, while Thorry began studying jazz guitar at a young age, later moving to New York City to study further.
"I bought a piano and just started playing it," Isaac says. "I'd highly recommend that way of doing it because it promotes creativity and exploration. You just let your fingers wander. I still don't really know I'm doing. I know what chords I'm playing, but I like not necessarily knowing where I am."
You might also be surprised to learn that the brothers, Isaac the eldest and Thorry two years younger, did not start singing harmonies together until 2003.
"We started off playing in bands. Isaac was more into rock and I was into more jazz. We first came together to write a song for our dad's wedding because we had no money to buy him a present," Thorry explains. "It took us by surprise, and we thought, 'Well, this must be something we should do together then.' "
Best known for their impeccable harmonies in songs like "Romeo" and "New Day" off of their latest release Rise and Fall, the siblings have adopted New York City as home now. Their second house would be the van they use while on the road touring, where they've opened for Josh Kelley, the Pat McGee Band and Griffin House over the past few months, after rounding out the winter with a few sets at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas in March.
With their own label, Alethia Records, and three albums — their debut Tracing, Live at the Pussycat Club, and 2007's Rise and Fall — Isaac and Thorry are quickly gaining fans across the country wherever they perform. Their increasingly large book of songs and inspiring presence on stage capture first-time listeners every show.
"The way to describe our music is we like to tell stories," Isaac says. "A lot of bands write music that's very stylistic, but ours is more about the songs."
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