‘An evolving journey into Americana music’: Aunt in PT urged The Clements Brothers to play the Palindrome

By Kirk Boxleitner
Posted 1/15/25

 

 

The suggestion to play the Palindrome came from the aunt of the twins that anchor The Clements Brothers band.

“Our Aunt Francie told us, ‘You have to play the …

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‘An evolving journey into Americana music’: Aunt in PT urged The Clements Brothers to play the Palindrome

Posted

 

 

The suggestion to play the Palindrome came from the aunt of the twins that anchor The Clements Brothers band.

“Our Aunt Francie told us, ‘You have to play the Palindrome,’” said George Clements. “We already knew Port Townsend was a community full of avid music-lovers.”

George and his identical twin Charles Clements are from New England. They will be joined at the Palindrome on Thursday, Jan. 16, by Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Carolyn Kendrick, plus Brooklyn drummer Pele Greenberg.

It’s part of their self-described “ever-evolving journey into Americana music,” during which the brothers will offer what they describe as “a unique blended voice, at once enthralling and intimate, groovy and serene.”

George Clements noted that Kendrick, who has some acquaintances in the Olympic Peninsula, suggested adding the Palindrome to their itinerary during their West Coast tour last year, but the twins were already familiar with the area, thanks to the aunt whom they’ve visited for years.

Guitarist George Clements and bass player Charles Clements cited roots, rock, bluegrass, jazz and classical among their singing and songwriting influences. As could be guessed, they’ve been playing and writing music together for as long as they can remember.

At one point, both were part of the internationally touring grass-roots Lonely Heartstring Band.

George Clements characterized their band’s sound as offering “lush arrangements of harmony,” as well as enough “sonic atmosphere” to fill even a larger venue than the Palindrome.

Their music is not designed to get audiences “jumping out of their chairs,” said Clements. “We’ve been told that we have a peaceful, soothing sound.”

As much pride as George takes in his and Charles’ “instrumental virtuosity,” he noted that they take care to ensure their lyrics are “heartfelt,” so that they might connect with their audiences emotionally, just as they themselves enjoy making new connections through their touring performances.

“Touring can be hard on the body and the mind,” George said. “But playing our older songs for new audiences allows us to rediscover our own emotional connections to that material. It’s almost like a form of time travel. It puts us back into the headspace we occupied back then, and reacquaints us with who we used to be.”

Charles Clements concurred, calling every old song they were able to play for new audiences “a time capsule of our own emotional reactions to what was going on in the world at the time we first composed it.”

Regardless of which time periods spawned their songs, Charles sees common themes of “redemption, reconciliation and wonder” in their works.

“Past a certain point, if the music comes from an authentic place, you just have to let it do its work and get out of its way,” Charles Clements said. “Sometimes, we do covers in addition to our original material, but those also tend toward acoustic sounds of serenity.”