Family stories

Chris and Meredith Thompson's double threat

by Laura Kiritsy

Acoustic powerhouses -- and identical twins -- Chris and Meredith Thompson emphasize that unlike many musical family acts, they were not victims of tyrannical stage parents who

forced their kids into the show-biz grind as some twisted fulfillment of their own dashed hopes of stardom. No, the Thompsons weren't paraded onto Community Auditions in matching outfits to warble selections from Annie -- condemning them to a cheesy five-minute career and a decade of drug-addled drama. Oh, and another thing. "We weren't Mouseketeers," laughs Meredith, the duo's percussionist/flutist.

"They were musical," Meredith says of her parents, who raised the sisters in Providence, Rhode Island. "My mom sang in the choir and my dad knew two and a half chords on the guitar so he could butcher any folk song," she jokes. "But they didn't push it. You know, it was just a fun thing. We kind of grew into it."

Chris began writing songs when she was in high school, and the sisters made their debut at Providence's Stone Soup Coffeehouse open mic about 10 years ago. What they have grown into since is one of the most innovative acts on the Boston area's acoustic/folk scene. With an exotic blend of Afro-Cuban beats, jazz-inflected guitar, other-worldly flute sounds, and the lyrical sensibilities of Woody Guthrie, they're hard to miss in a throng of your average guitar-picking acoustic musicians.

But it's their seamless, Celtic-flavored harmonies that unmistakably stamp their unique sound and grab your ears. When they intertwine their voices on such show stoppers as the rhythm-laden "Wood and Stone," the title track of their third CD, they reap the benefits of being twins.

"Our voices are similar," explains guitarist Chris. "Meredith is really good at harmony. We really do tend to lock in pretty quickly even if it's a new song or a song we haven't sung together before."

While most musicians of the Thompsons' caliber have spent years awash in music theory, these two headed off to Cornell University and played out only about once a month during college. In fact, they rarely crossed paths before they were graduated, in 1996. Though each has taken voice and instrumental lessons, and both read and write music, they prefer to let nature take its course when it comes down to the nitty-gritty.

"You gotta be able to hear it," Meredith says. "Even when I took piano lessons I always ended up like, `Okay, I can read it, but I can do it much faster if I just listen and say, "Oh yeah that sounds right. That doesn't sound right." So it was like, `Let's fool the piano teacher,' " she confesses with a laugh.

That's not to say there isn't a lot of technical expertise involved in integrating the Thompsons' diverse taste in rhythms and melodies. Their song-writing process usually begins with Chris, who'll come up with a melody line or lyric for a cornerstone.

"And then we kind of dig around for an interesting story," Chris explains, "because that's something that really drives our music -- stories. When I think of who's influenced me -- people like Woody Guthrie. If you listen to Woody Guthrie's songs, they not only told a story in his time but they also tell history and they talk about the human experience. I think that's what music is about. When people hear a song and they go, `Oh, that is about me.' If they can kind of say, `That's my story.' That's when it becomes really powerful."

Fresh out of the can, the Thompsons' fourth CD was recorded live at Cambridge's legendary folk haven, Club Passim, in February. From the cautionary "Silver Bullet," inspired by a story heard on NPR's This American Life, about a man who returns home to his declining hometown eager to make changes only to find the disillusioned townies aren't looking for a savior, to the soulful "United," a testament to the power of working together as exemplified by Providence, Rhode Island's "Waterfire" exhibit, the Stone Soup Coffeehouse, and the Walk for Hunger, the Thompsons chronicle the everyday experiences that make our ordinary lives a little more extraordinary.

As a pair of independent musicians managing their own career and playing up to five shows a week, it's no stretch to believe that sometimes they just get pooped. But they wouldn't have it any other way. "It's more of a calling than it is, `Well I think I'd like to be a musician,' " says Meredith. "It's not like, `Well how am I gonna do this?' How am I not going to do this?"

Chris and Meredith Thompson appear on Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lancaster Coffeehouse, Lancaster Middle School, Main Street (Route 70), Lancaster. Stephanie Corby opens the show; tickets are $12. Call (978) 365-2043.