Just five short months ago, the Australian duo, “The Kin”, set out on a two-month arena tour opening for legendary crooner/rocker, Rod Stewart. Within one month of touring, brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren’s third full-length album, “The UpSide”, hit number 37 on Billboard’s “Heat seeker’s” Album Chart. This is a feat in itself, seeing as they only sold personally manufactured (with Nielson Soundscan barcodes stuck on them) albums at their concerts. Enough of those barcodes were registered during their first five shows to land the band this honor. The independent duo created their own label, Aletheia Entertainment, to retain creative control of their music. Isaac and Thorry have since released the music from their previous albums to iTunes. “The UpSide” was recorded with legendary producer, Jack Douglas (who had worked with John Lennon and Aerosmith) and was released on September 22, 2009.
On November 22, the brothers played their closing show at The House Of Blues, opening, alongside The Watson Twins, for indie folk rocker, Joshua Radin. It is a rarity to see an opening act draw such a large crowd, however, “The Kin” packed them in. Playing songs not only from their new release, but also their 2007 album, “Rise and Fall”, Thorry and Isaac romanced the audience with their soulful harmonies, skillful blend of acoustic guitar and piano, and soft playful quips and stories. Their voices melted together beautifully and made every song seem as though it were a lullaby. As a solo red light shone down on Thorry , the piano seemed to channel John Lennon’s “Imagine”. A beautiful balance of voice and lyrics, “The Kin” are not only audibly compelling, but visually beautiful and engaging.
The brothers announced that the audience would be eligible to sign their high schools and colleges up to host a concert featuring the two, where proceeds would directly go to “Charity Well”, a cause which raises money to build wells for clean water in schools in Africa. The Kin use their music to raise money for many causes and charities throughout the US and the world. Needless to say the mass of girls in the audience kept the boys busy for quite some time following the show.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Thorry and Isaac after the show and the consequent pandemonium. They were apologetic for the massive amount of autographs they had to sign, but glad to have so many fans in attendance. I mentioned the resemblance of their song “Never Be the Same” to “Imagine” to which I was told did not even register with them until their producer, Jack Douglas, called them on it. He asked the duo if they would like him to tweak the piano lead in as he had for Lennon, to which they both enthusiastically agreed. Very soft spoken and polite, they told me of their humble beginnings in tiny clubs with audiences of (sometimes) four people in New York City and about having just come off the arena tour with Rod Stewart where they were given the freedom to “jam” with a band. They cite their influences as being the band and artists that their parents listened to; Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin. I inquired as to what the large instrument Isaac was using during the show to beatbox…. a didgeridoo. He wanted to incorporate the native Australian natural long wooden instrument into the music somehow, and beat boxing seemed to work. To say that Isaac and Thorry Koren are just talented would be a painful understatement. Their music is personal and heart felt and their performance was enticing. With bands like “The Fray” on the rise, a place in music is open for The Kin. Hopefully the world catches on to what thousands of fans across the US and Australia already know: The Kin are amazing.