Date: 2000 Author: Paquin Entertainment Publication: paquinentertainment.com Headline: Tegan and Sara

Tegan and Sara "When it’s all said and done, I’m still gonna be young, and I’m still gonna be a twin… people are either gonna like the music or not." –Tegan Quin Two girls with attitude and fierce independence – such is Universal Music’s newest recording artists, Tegan and Sara, who will soon release their debut album, "This Business of Art. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Tegan and Sara are one of the most appealing live acts you’ll ever see. Armed with acoustic guitars and two distinctly different voices, they deliver music that is rhythmic, melodic, and powerful. On stage they are charming and charismatic, exchanging rapid-fire banter with each other and the audience in-between songs that thrill with both their musicality and delivery. This Business of Art captures all of this and more. At a time when people are beginning to feel almost everything has been said and done before, Tegan and Sara are refreshingly wise without seeming jaded or weary. As the title suggests, the album is a portrait of complexities. Tegan and Sara’s lyrics are simultaneously smart and full of youthful naiveté, while the music ranges from fast and furious to tastefully understated. The CD, which was recorded in two weeks, builds upon a skeleton of driving but spare instrumentation, with additional drums, bass, and creative effects, that provide fullness and maturity to the duo’s emerging sound. From the punching chords of the opening track, appropriately called "The First," it is apparent the girls have something to say. The tone of the album is set in the first few lines: "By definition from grade school to English 30 / We quietly become strong so early." There is no defeat in these realizations, however, but rather a sense of determination. "Wasting time in the fast food line / I decide to walk the fine line and / celebrate life, celebrate death / I choose to celebrate the first." Throughout the album, Tegan and Sara address life’s disturbing realities without succumbing to a sense of despair. Tegan and Sara first appeared on the Canadian music scene back in the spring of 1998, when they won Calgary’s Garage Warz contest with the highest score in the event’s history. This quickly sparked intense coverage by local and national media, and within two years Tegan and Sara had played shows with Hayden, Paula Cole, Juliana Hatfield, Kinnie Starr, and the Lilith Fair. They signed with Neil Young’s Vapor Records this past April for their US release. But truth be told, Tegan and Sara have spent the better part of the last 10 years playing together and developing a sound. Growing up in Calgary, these sisters were originally inspired by their parents’ love of music. At age 8, they began playing the piano. By their mid-teens they were hashing it out in punk bands. Eventually, Tegan says, "we grew out of our teen angst stage and began writing and performing acoustically." In the end, these talented newcomers have successfully transferred the energy and charisma of their live performance to their debut album. And with This Business of Art, Tegan and Sara are sure to turn a lot of heads.