Trey and Ty Turner build music around twin connection
It’s a twin thing.
Trey and Ty Turner, known by their band name The Icarus Account, have stolen the hearts of concertgoers up and down the East Coast with their acoustic harmonies and infectious rhythm guitar- and piano-driven pop/rock tracks.
The twin songsters are bringing their brand of “acoustic pop with an indie twist” to New Brookland Tavern Wednesday, performing with Igniting the Sky and Rookie of the Year.
“We really are two singer/songwriters playing in one band together,” Trey Turner said. “But we have a little more independent and raw sound than most of the people that you’ll find on the radio.”
With influences like Matt Nathanson, Zack Thompson and The Rocket Summer, The Icarus Account keeps its mission — all the way down to the name — grounded and focused on the fans and the music.
“Icarus is a character from Greek mythology. His story reminds us to stay humble and that no matter how big we get or how much we want to make it in the music industry, we have to hold true to our values that we were taught growing up,” Trey Turner said.
Trey and Ty played music together growing up, spending high school in a three-piece pop/punk band. However, the boys found a love for acoustic and wrote and recorded their first songs as The Icarus Account in 2006 when they were 18 years old.
“We definitely have a chemistry and blend together that is special,” Trey Turner said. “Everyone that sees us play live comments on our harmonies. I think our ability to harmonize together is really enhanced by the fact that we are twins. It’s neat that stuff like that comes pretty naturally to us.”
And it’s true. Their stripped down, acoustically real songs play on love and life, translating from the digital to the stage.
“We have two people who are capable of being lead singers blending into one band and harmonizing really well,” Trey Turner said. “We also take pride in the fact that vocally we can do everything live that we do on the CD.”
Both Trey and Ty sing and play guitar and piano — only adding to the awe of the twin talent — and although Ty writes more of the band’s songs, and therefore takes the lead vocals more often, the Turners make sure to keep things balanced at shows.
And the boys do write all their own music for their EPs and full-lengths, but The Icarus Account YouTube channel is full of quality covers — posted every Thursday — of radio’s favorite Top 40 hits. The boys take up their guitars for an acoustic “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj, complete with raps and Tampa Bay Buccaneers backdrop (hometown: Fort Myers, Fla.), and a slowed-down “How to Love” by Lil Wayne.
The Icarus Account has released two full-length albums, “Mayday” and “Love Is the Answer,” as well as an EP titled “Sunshine and Rain.” And the band’s newest music drops today. The first of the twins’ October recordings are on their EP “Keeper of Your Heart,” which came out on iTunes at midnight, and a 10-song album will wrap up the latest from the duo in early 2012.
Their most popular single “Mayday” is the Turners’ most defining track as a band; however, others like “Invincible” and “Yellow Shirt” fall more on the sentimental side. But nothing beats the songs that fans sing along to at shows like “Favorite Girl” or “So in Love,” Trey Turner said.
“Proud,” from “Mayday,” really shows the boys for who they are both as brothers and a band. The rhythm guitar carries the personal yet relatable lyrics through an incredible harmony and acoustic flow.
“We wrote that when we were heading off to college. It was just a song about growing up and realizing how fast life moves and changes,” Trey Turner said. “We really wrote it as a tribute to our family and our parents for all that they had done for us growing up.”
Although The Icarus Account is unsigned, Trey and Ty have seen their fair share of indie success, with Trey noting three major career milestones: ranking as the No. 4 unsigned band on PureVolume, being featured in AP Magazine and realizing they were on the Apple Akinator app.
The Turners will be returning to South Carolina — their first out-of-state show was in Elko, S.C., for their church youth group — Wednesday at New Brookland Tavern. The show begins at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are $7 in advance and $10 the day of the show.
“You’ll get some great live music, and it’s the day after our new EP comes out, so it’ll be really energetic and exciting,” Trey Turner said. “And we will be friends with you.”