We're Twins Records is a small independent record (mostly CD-R) label based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Brooklyn, New York. We are dedicated to a handmade aesthetic and creating outlets for creative music that doesn't fit neatly elsewhere. Here is an incomplete label history:
While studying History at the University of Michigan, Ben Tausig formed a project called Cockroach Huxtable, combining original folk songs with experimental electronic music. He played at several open mic nights around campus, gaining acclaim and released two CD-Rs: "Huxtable Terrordome EP" and "Pterodactyl, Kite of Destruction" in 2000. Ben's housemate Kelly Caldwell appeared on a version of "Bicycle Built for Two" on the album, and the pair began playing live shows with another housemate, Matt Buckman on bass guitar. They called their band And Spiders, and wrote several songs of which only a few were recorded. The studio recordings of "And Spiders," "Halloween.com" and "Long Enough" come from this period.
At this time, Matt and Ben were also DJs at WCBN, the student freeform station at the University of Michigan, where they met Kelly Szott and Katie Linden. Intending to record a film soundtrack, the four formed The Most Dangerous Game of Cat and Mouse Band and instead recorded a 10-song EP called "EP" in one night. In order to release this, Katie and Kelly started We're Twins Records, assembling hand-made art unique to each CD-R.
The second release on the label was the self-titled first album by Strikeforce: Euler, Matt Buckman's electronic project. At this point, the label was collectively run by the four members of the Cat and Mouse Band and Jason Voss. In the summer of 2001, several one-off bands were formed, usually featuring slightly different combination of regular members (Paraguay Today, Cannibal Kitten, Production Bee). In the fall of 2001, several tracks from these projects and other friends were compiled into "We're Twins: Our Sampler 2001," which was made available for free to anyone who wanted a copy. Matt Buckman moved to Boston, leaving the Cat and Mouse Band as a three-piece. The trio played some relatively small shows and recorded several songs on Ben's computer, almost all of which were promptly lost or forgotten.
In Winter of 2002, And Spiders was re-formed with Jason Voss replacing Matt Buckman on bass guitar. This incarnation of the band had a short life span, since Ben (along with Katie and Kelly S.) were planning to move to New York City in September of 2002. During this eight month period, And Spiders recorded "In the Woods," played some house shows and parties as well as opening for Saturday Looks Good to Me at the Magic Stick in Detroit and playing shows in New York City, Boston and Akron, Ohio.
Also in 2002, We're Twins received an unsolicited demo by "Ryan and Justin" and released it on the label. Justin Shay subsequently joined the team, releasing a solo album called "City Lights and other songs." Justin became a mainstay of the label, releasing a lot of different CDs.
After the Most Dangerous Game of Cat and Mouse band moved to New York, the label split its operations between Ann Arbor residents and New York City residents and released "A Free Example of We're Twins Music 2003," which like the 2001 sampler was available by request to anyone who asked. The 2003 CD included the debut recording by Melting Moments, a project started by Anna Vitale and enlisting help from Jason Voss. The pair continued to practice regularly, but was slow to write and record new songs.
Justin Shay began a project inspired by Brazilian Tropicalia music called The New Sound of My Bossa Nova, releasing a self-titled album. In the summer of 2003, the project recorded its second release, an EP called "For the Kids" with Kelly Szott, Katie Linden, Lydia Clowney and Jason Voss joining Justin as band members. Justin also recorded a new solo album called "She said it looks like Spring."
In the summer of 2003, Justin Shay and Jason Voss started a project called Ever Will You Get There, making a three-inch CD of songs written and recorded while walking around Ann Arbor. The New Sound of My Bossa Nova also played several shows as a duo of Justin and Jason or a trio with Kelly Szott. In early 2004, Justin travelled to the West Coast, playing some shows including one in Olympia, Washington with Patrick Elkins, who had recently moved to Olympia from Ypsilanti (the town next to Ann Arbor). At that time, the two recorded a CD called "Justin and Patrick" on Justin's My First Sony tape recorder. Justin moved to Los Angeles shortly after this and just before leaving completed a full-length record by The New Sound of My Bossa Nova called "Sing Songs of Love." The band was offered a show in Houston playing at KTRU's annual outdoor show, and Justin, Kelly, Jason and Patrick met up to play a great show with the likes of Magas and Jana Hunter.
In July 2004, Justin Shay, Patrick Elkins and Jason Voss went on a three-week tour of (mostly) the West Coast by Greyhound Bus called the "Hobo-A-Go-Go Tour" and released a special tour album containing songs by the three of them, both individually and in collaboration. Shortly after returning from the tour, Patrick and Jason moved into a house with their friends Dustin Krcatovich (who has a zine called Shuttle Bus and a CD-R label called Casanova Temptations Edutainment Consortium) and Penelope. The house was named Totally Awesome House and its residents began a series called Totally Awesome Supper Club where bands played and home-cooked food was served each Tuesday.
In October 2004, We're Twins Records simultaneously released "The New Folk Sounds of Patrick Elkins" and "Arts and Crafts" by Jason Voss. In support of these albums, the pair toured the entire US by Greyhound Bus for three weeks in December 2004. Jason toured the midwest and east coast for 2 weeks at the end of February 2005 with Nat Baldwin. During this time, Melting Moments wrote several songs and played some shows, notably at the Totally Awesome House Halloween Party, at which all of the bands did cover sets of other local and/or We're Twins-affiliated bands.
In March 2005, We're Twins released a seven inch record by Saturday Looks Good to Me ("I Don't Want To Go"/"Disaster") and an album by Jib Kidder called "Thirteen." Later in 2005, Melting Moments released their long-in-the-works debut album "There Is a Rat in Separate" and We're Twins released a limited edition CD-R by Kelly Caldwell called "Lobo." For Halloween 2005, Jason assembled a fancy package with a disc of recordings from the Halloween 2004 show at Totally Awesome House and a disc of new spooky halloween jams by Fancy Panthers, the Wallace Bros, Team E-Z PJ's and others plus a 3'' CDR with the 2002 and 2003 jams and spooky surprises in a hand-wrapped enamel package. In 2006, We're Twins endeavored to release a real CD in a large edition, namely "Fruits of the Spirit" by Patrick Elkins. The album was recorded by Fred Thomas and features lots of guests in Elkins' most pop-oriented album to date. "Fruits of the Spirit" ended up being the final We're Twins Records release. Melting Moments briefly became a 3-piece with Aleise Barnett on drums and then went on hiatus for most of 2006 before reuniting in 2007 to write some new songs and play 3 shows. They might get back together in some form again someday.
