The Clements Brothers return to Baker City
Published 3:00 am Monday, January 13, 2025
- Carolyn Kendrick joins The Clements Brothers on Jan. 19 in Baker City.
BAKER CITY — The Clements Brothers — identical twins Charles and George Clements — are returning to Baker City to play almost exactly a year after their first show at Churchill School.
“We had a ton of fun last time,” Charles said. “You can feel the love, spirit and energy they are putting into that space.”
They’ll be joined by Carolyn Kendrick on fiddle and Pele Greenberg on drums.
The concert is Sunday, Jan. 19 at Churchill, 3451 Broadway St. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance at churchillbaker.com or $28 at the door. Those ages 15 and younger can attend for free with a paid adult.
George and Charles Clements are identical twins who grew up listening to The Beatles, as well as Jimi Hendrix, REM and Pearl Jam.
Both brothers went to school for music. Charles took the orchestra path, while George focused on bluegrass, and played in “The Lonely Heartstrings Band.”
Then George asked Charles to join the band. The group released “Deep Waters” in 2016 and “Smoke & Ashes” in 2019.
In 2020, the brothers joined as a duo — The Clements Brothers — with George on guitar and Charles on upright bass to focus on bluegrass.
They’ve been touring since 2021. They now live just 15 minutes apart in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and are focused on building a recording studio.
This month, they are playing 10 shows in two weeks in Washington, Oregon and California.
They released “Dandelion Breeze” in 2023, and are now working on songs for a second album. They’ll have CDs and vinyl at the show, or the album can be found at plowmanrecords.com, Tidal and Bandcamp.
“I think people miss physical mediums,” George said of the choice to offer vinyl. “It slows you down in our fast-paced world.”
Carolyn Kendrick
Carolyn Kendrick started playing the violin at 4, following in the musical footsteps of her parents and grandparents.
“There’s never been a time in my life when I didn’t want to be a musician,” she said.
After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she toured with The Page Turners. She went solo in 2019 and released her debut EP, “Tear Things Apart,” in 2020.
When the pandemic canceled shows and tours, Kendrick turned to producing docu-series projects and documentary podcasts.
“It was a total left turn for me — a very fun and eye-opening experience,” she said.
That’s when she learned about the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and her research inspired songs for her new album “Each Machine.”
This album is, she said, is an “absolute complete departure” from her typical music.
And yet, she said, the sound is still deeply rooted in traditional string band music that has influenced her career through folk, classic country, bluegrass and old-time music.