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Hi Tyler & Kendel,
Thanks for allowing us to do an interview with you for The Canadian Celtic
Music Website.
Thank you! We appreciate the chance to meet (so to
speak) with the many fans of your website!
 You
sound like you've been performing your whole life. What got you started
playing the fiddle?
Well we were too young for boot camp so...just kidding. Our Mom put us into
music lessons when I was 5 and Kendel was 3. Our hands were too small for
piano, the instrument she originally planned for us to play, so we took up
fiddle because they scale it down in size.
For someone who is new to your music, how would you describe it?
Well, I suppose you could say our fiddling is something like Ashley MacIsaac
meets Charlie Daniels, and our vocals are something like Spirit of the West
meets The Wilkinsons.
Do you have any other musicians in your family? Are your parents musical?
Well, our Dad likes to sing in the shower...does that
count!? Actually, both our parents enjoy music very much and play it for
recreation, but when people ask that question to them, they usually like to
say that they USED to have lots of talent but that they gave it all to us.
;)
Do you play any other instruments besides the fiddle?
We are both vocalists as well as fiddle players and we are writing our own
material as you can hear on our new disc called ".CA" People often
ask us why we called it that and our answer is pretty simple - marketing.
You see, we just created our first website and its address is, www.thecarsons.ca,
so we want to get people thinking of The Carsons and .CA as being
synonymous.
 You
have released 2 CD's..."Fiddle Fire" and ".CA"...how do
the 2 CD's vary in style/selection of tunes?
The first disc, "Fiddle Fire" is very "rootsy" with all
acoustic instruments. We had a blast recording it with some great musicians
in Vancouver. There are plenty of great traditional tunes on that album. Our
second album, ".CA" shows our artistic voice coming into the
picture a little more with a sound that we call "Celtic-Country" .
This album features 3 vocal tracks that we wrote including our first single,
"Fly Away" (the graduation song). If any the visitors to your
website like it, we sure hope they call their radio station and request it -
that would really make a difference for us!
What fiddlers/musicians do you look up to? Who have been some of your
influences?
Oh that list is endless. But to mention just a few, I'd have to say that
fiddlers like Leahy, Natalie MacMaster, Ashley MacIsaac and of course our
dear friend, Daniel Lapp have really had an impact on us, as well as the
industry in general, in regards to promoting the genre. We also wouldn't
want to forget others like Garth Brooks, Prairie Oyster, Brooks & Dunn
(who we opened for - man that was cool!) and The Wilkinsons who have all
inspired us to follow our dream in this crazy but wonderful industry!
How do you choose the tunes you're going to record?
We wanted to make sure we gave people a disc that would keep their interest
from beginning to end. It was a challenge to weave together songs from the
genres of Texas swing, Celtic, and New Country, but we think we've succeeded
and it seems that most people who have had a sneak preview of our cd agree.
I guess this is why we call our sound, "Celtic-Country".
What do you enjoy to do when you're not playing the fiddle?
We're generally up for just about anything, but being a family show... ;) We
are both into sports. I play golf whenever I get a chance and Kendel really
likes her figure skating. We also do our share of acting on TV & stage,
and Kendel is still in high school- so grade 12 takes up a lot of her time,
too.
Have you ever competed in fiddle contests?
Of course! In fact contests are a really special thing because it provides
an outlet for real fiddle enthusiasts to get together and explore the music
in more depth than we often get the opportunity to as a collective group.
The jams and dances that inevitably spring from contests really help to keep
a "down home" spirit in the music.
 You've
traveled to the Cayman Islands & Asia, performing your Canadian music.
How have you been received there? How did those trips come about?
Hey this is Kendel here now to answer the rest (it's time to take over from
that brother of mine - make sure things stay on the straight and narrow!)
Anyhow, we've been really lucky to be able to see some far off places in the
world, just by playing music. To begin with, we were seen "busking"
on the inner-harbor in Victoria when a lady took our business card and
called us for a gig in Vancouver. When we played over there, the head of
Tourism Canada saw us, and asked us if we were interested in performing
overseas. Of course we said yes- and we ended up being hired to go to Japan
and to Thailand. It was an incredible experience (we were also fairly young
at the time- 12 and 13 I think.) More recently we got the treat to go to the
Cayman Islands. It was at the end of grade 10 for me - and it was by far the
nicest trip I've ever taken. The music was received very well. Many of the
shows were for the locals of the Caymans (and of course, lots for the
thousands of tourists that come in by cruise ship everyday!) so we got to
meet some very cool people!
I hear you've also performed on the Jerry Lewis Telethon in California.
That must have been quite the experience!
That was a very cool show to do. We got to stay in the Beverly Hills Hilton,
and meet some people that we never would have thought we would ever meet
(Jason Alexander - George Kostanza from Seinfeld, among others.) We got to be
backed up by a live, huge 18 piece band - and introduced by Ed McMahon. It
was a trip that we won't forget!!
Having played the fiddle while going to school, what have your classmates
thought of your playing? Were you asked to perform at school events?
We were lucky, when we started to play for shows at school, it was around
the same time that Ashley MacIsaac came out and made the fiddle really cool.
It was seen as a really 'hip' talent to have- and I'm not sure the kids
would have taken it the same way without Ashley's influence. We've done too
many school events to count, and they were all fun. It's cool to play talent
shows or showcases and whatnot when it's other students performing along
with you. Our friends have always supported our music styles, too (with only
a few jokes here and there...)
 What
have been some of the highlights of your career so far?
Hard to say - we've been lucky to play where we have in such a short time.
The main highlights would be the two cds 'Fiddle Fire' and '.CA,' opening
for 'Brooks and Dunn,' playing as guest artists with 'The Victoria
Symphony,' and traveling the world!!!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
We have so many dreams and ambitions, and to know if any will actually turn
out is impossible. We just keep growing up, so our dreams change all the
time. All I'll say is, we'll be having fun creating music, jamming with
other musicians, and with luck we'll be more well known in the industry.
That would make me happy. I don't think we'll ever give music up - so that
part will happen for sure!
Where have you performed?
We perform at so many different places, no one would want to take the time
to read them all! We play big shows and small shows. It's all fun.
Is there a place that you would like to visit?
I'd love to go back to the Cayman Islands, but I'd really like to tour in
Europe or Australia or somewhere like that where we've never been. I'd also
love to get to the East Coast of Canada - where the fiddle is really hot!
What's your favourite movie / TV show?
I don't really have a favorite. I like Friends a lot (along with every other
teenager in the world!)
 Who
are your favourite singers/instrumentalists?
Geez - how am I supposed to pick favorites??? You should see my CD
collection. Right now, some of the top picks would be Kenny Chesney, Garth
Brooks (of course - always a fave), Tim McGraw, LeAnn Womack (that new duet with
Willie Nelson is hot!,) ummm....Dixie Chicks of course, Eileen Ivers,
Nickelback, Britney Spears (new CD is incredibly produced!), Faith Hill,
there...I think that's enough. I could just name my entire CD collection,
but I won't!
If you could perform with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
I would love to do the fiddle part (and some vocals) on stage with Garth
Brooks to 'Callin' Baton Rouge' because that would be a dream come true. His
shows are so huge and so fun...he's the best entertainer! Once again- I
could name you a million people, but we'll leave it at Garth. And Tyler just
yelled that he'd prefer Britney...go figure!
Best of luck with your career in the months and years to come!
THANKS!!!! Don't forget to check out our website at www.thecarsons.ca
- make sure you drop us a note while you're there!
Tyler & Kendel (The Carsons)
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 "Their ability to entertain and keep their
audience…speaks volumes to their talent, their stage presence and their
entertainment. They work well together on stage and their talent is
outstanding." Colin Gorrie, Vancouver Island International Festival
for Young Audiences
"Following their performance as guest
artists with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra "at a very high profile
private concert for the World Association of Nuclear Operators, they deserved
and got a standing ovation." Stephen Smith, Victoria Symphony
Orchestra
"When I saw their tape I said they must be
on the telethon….They both brought wonderful musical enjoyment to the
telethon and the viewing audience." Eddie Foy III, Jerry Lewis MDA
Labor Day Telethon
"They displayed an amazing level of skill
and showmanship and, from the cheers and applause throughout their
performance, I know everyone enjoyed them very much." Steve Blythe,
Canadian Pacific Hotels
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In their 8 years of performing, The Carsons have
performed as official Canadian Ambassadors in Japan, performed as official
Canadian Ambassadors in Thailand, performed on the Jerry Lewis Telethon in
Hollywood, headlined the annual Cultural Festival in the Cayman Islands,
Performed at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia,
Canada, performed at the Vancouver, Seattle, Mission and Vancouver Island
Folk Festivals, Merritt Mountain Music Festival, International Children's
Festival, Calgary Stampede and many more, performed as featured guest
artists with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra for numerous concerts playing
fiddle and classical music and produced two CDs: Fiddle Fire and .CA
