{"id":3826,"date":"2015-02-12T11:06:11","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=3826"},"modified":"2015-02-12T11:06:44","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:06:44","slug":"on-stage-nalani-sarina-are-twice-as-nice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=3826","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Nalani & Sarina are twice as nice"},"content":{"rendered":"

JMSN, Doomtree hit local stages; Michael Franti forced to cancel local gigs due to injury<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Denny Dyroff<\/span>,<\/strong>\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"nakani<\/a>

Nalani & Sarina take the stage at the World Cafe at the Queen, Feb. 13.<\/p><\/div>\n

Years ago, there was a popular slogan used in commercials for a chewing gum brand that is still ranked in the Top 10 for \u201crecognizable ad slogans.\u201d The main hook was \u201cDouble your pleasure, Double your fun with Doublemint Gum.\u201d<\/p>\n

It could be slightly revised in 2015 and used to refer to a musical act that is destined to break into the national spotlight soon — \u201cDouble your pleasure, Double your funk with Nalani & Sarina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nalani & Sarina — twin sisters Nalani and Sarina Bolton — are the real deal. They are vocalists, songwriters, multi-instrumentalists who know how to rock, write insightful melodic songs and how to get their funk on.<\/p>\n

On February 13, Nalania & Sarina will visit the area for a show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400,\u00a0www.queen.worldcafelive.com<\/a>). They will be the headliners of the \u201cLadybug Festival Presents Ladyfingers\u201d show.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just in the studio again all last weekend,\u201d said Nalani, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from the twins\u2019 home Flemington, New Jersey. \u201cWe were finishing up the new album and we\u2019ll be mixing it next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually going to be an EP with six songs. We\u2019ll be releasing it in March starting with a single. The whole EP will be available digitally in May.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarina said, \u201cThey\u2019re all new songs — all of them written in the last six months. We had a new approach this time. The songs on our last album were based on personal experiences. This time, it\u2019s other people\u2019s stories — more of a world-wide approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last few months, we went to concerts by Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. They inspired us lyrically and musically. The new EP has more of an emphasis on lyrics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nalani said, \u201cWe really focused on the lyrics. And, we finished each other\u2019s sentences during the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

With roots based in rhythm-and-blues, soul and rock, the sisters create vocal harmonies that only twins can make.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re sonically alike and there is this telepathy,\u201d said Sarina. \u201cWe\u2019ll be singing a new song and when one of us gravitates to a harmony, the other knows exactly where to go. We\u2019ve been singing together ever since we were three. Being twin sisters, there was nothing else to do. We started singing professionally when we were 15.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nalani said. \u201cIt was a different experience taking on other people\u2019s stories. It was sort of like playing God — writing stories about characters and deciding what they do. Some of the stories were based on friend and others were based on fictional characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the songs was about a teenage boy going through different foster homes. It was like writing a movie. We wanted to make sure every story we told had a universal message so it could connect with people on other levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

The songs tell stories but they still are tight songs — not long rambling stories set to music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re telling a story and using choruses to look at people\u2019s emotions,\u201d said Nalani. \u201cOne of the songs came out of thin air when we were playing in our basement at 2 a.m. one night. The lyrics just came in and it took on this perspective in our lives. It also had a different production aspect — a Beatles influence with weird sounds.<\/p>\n

Sarina said, \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely become more comfortable in the studio. We\u2019ve gotten used to the studio environment and gotten better with how to handle vocals. We try to recreate how they\u2019re done live. We really emphasized on making vocals different so they can relate to the stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re writing in the third person, you\u2019re able to go anywhere you want. When you\u2019re writing about personal experiences, you can get too attached. We treated each song as a separate piece of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nalani & Sarina have been making music together for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re identical twins,\u201d said Nalani. \u201cWe graduated early from Hunterdon Central High a few years ago and we\u2019ve been doing music ever since. Actually, we both started playing classical piano when were six and then studied operatic vocals when we were in sixth grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cClassical music and opera provided good basics for us. Our mom was a folkie so we listened to a lot of folk music when we were young — great songwriters like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. And, we\u2019ve listened to a lot of classic rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nalani & Sarina list acoustic guitar, piano and ukulele as their main instruments.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur new music still has that pop-rock-funk feel,\u201d said Sarina. \u201cWe started writing our own songs about six years ago and really started to delve into soul and funk two years ago. We love all the Stax artists — Sam & Dave especially.\u201d<\/p>\n