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Band of brothers: 11-year-old Portageville twins rock music world
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. - The guitar begins the song. The drummer picks up the beat. The crowd moves with the music.
It could be a summer concert anywhere but for one thing: the duo behind the sounds are 11 years old.
Southeast Missouri has produced break-out musicians over the years. The 11-year-old Stinnett twins may well be the next generation.
Music has always been a part of Wyatt and Will Stinnett’s lives. Their parents, Amy and Chris Stinnett of Portageville, noted by age 3 Will was playing a toy drum and Wyatt would shake the tambourine along to the beat. When they turned 5, each asked their parents for music lessons; Wyatt wanted a piano and Will was ready for a real drum set.
Maybe it’s genetic.
“I grew up around a band,” said Chris Stinnett. “My dad, Bob Stinnett, played bass for the Marvin Arsta band at Sikeston. He had me on stage singing when I was 5. Around our house, I played guitar. They just seem to have a natural love for music.”
And a talent for it.
Wyatt plays ukulele, guitar and mandolin along with the piano. Will has picked up bass guitar, guitar and harmonica in addition to playing drums.
Mastering a new instrument has become easy, said Will with the confidence of an 11-year-old. “Instruments that we know we can usually pick up and play,” he said.
As for practicing, Wyatt said that depends. Typically the twins spend an hour a day with their instruments. When they returned from church camp with a performance set for the upcoming weekend, Will and Wyatt rehearsed the entire day.
As for their choice in songs, the twins said their preference is pop with a little bit of country. Although neither has a favorite artist, they agreed their favorite song is “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. “That is the first one we ever learned,” said Will.
Wyatt added, “I love all the songs that I sing. I pick (the songs) and learn how to play them.”
“I will pick up the beat on bass or guitar on it,” said Will.
The twins easily finish each others sentences as they talk. Sometimes they speak in unison.
But there is an occasional brotherly disagreement.
Wyatt noted Will is the lead singer for their duo adding, “But I’m the natural leader.”
Prompting Will to frown slightly. “He thinks he is the boss of me just because he is one minute older than me,” he grumbled.
In the past year, the twins began moving their musical career forward. At Portageville’s Soybean Festival last fall, they won the local talent contest.
“They did one song and there was probably 150 people downtown that night and they just went nuts,” recalled Chris Stinnett. “I think that was the driving force. That and they got paid for winning the contest.”
“The money was great,” acknowledged Wyatt.
“But we just actually started gigging - as we call it - a couple of months ago,” noted Will.
Dubbing their duo, Double Take, because so many people have to look twice when meeting the identical twins, the two continued to play at their church and were invited to play at the Methodist Church prior to Easter.
On Father’s Day weekend, Wyatt and Will joined their dad and grandfather in a performance at Anna, Ill. According to Chris Stinnett, the boys were invited to play at the Shawnee Hills Opry by owner Steve Hornbeak after learning about their talents from Sikeston resident Danny Tetley. Stinnett recalled the room was filled with music lovers and music professionals, some who had toured with such notables as Lee Greenwood, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
“Just the look on their faces when the boys started singing and playing then their interactions with the boys after the show was just really, really neat,” said Chris Stinnett. “To see 20- and 30- and 40-year professional musicians talking to two 11-year-old boys like they were one of the gang was really a neat deal.”
Closer to home, the duo performed at an annual shrimp boil attended by more than 200 people. The twins set up a tip jar at the front of the stage raising more than $700 for a very personal cause, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
According to Wyatt, each of them has Type 1 diabetes. He explained they were diagnosed young - when he was 4 and Will at age 5.
But they have it in control, Will said. “We are in the groove. We are professionals at diabetes,” he grinned.
Amy Stinnett said she is proud of how well they manage their diabetes. “They take that all in stride and they just keep going,” she said.
Whether playing for family, friends or strangers, the twins agreed typically they aren’t nervous.
“I think about pleasing the crowd. Hopefully they will like it,” said Wyatt about the beginning of their performances.
“I’m usually thinking about what song we will be playing next,” said Will, adding the hardest part is talking to the audience in between songs, which falls primarily to him.
Amy Stinnett said with each performance she has watched their stage presence improve.
As for what’s ahead, Double Take is already set to perform as the opening group for Immaculate Conception Church’s Riverfest on Aug. 17. Later that evening they will join other professional musicians in performing at a fundraiser at Jeremiah’s in Sikeston.
Wyatt has also taken up songwriting. He has received the copyright for his first song “Believe,” which he described as a song about believing in yourself.
The twins said there are still some instruments they would like to master. Will would like to learn how to fiddle and to pick leads on the electric guitar.
“I want to learn to play some more instruments but right now I’m working on mastering the ones I have, then we will see,” said Wyatt.
Chris Stinnett said with each instrument they have purchased, the twins have earned half the money and he picks up the other half.
“That is just my deal,” said Chris Stinnett. “It is so much better, in my opinion, than sitting in front of a gaming station or being on an iPhone or iPad all the time. This is something they are going to be able to do together for the rest of their lives.”
Will said while he doesn’t know where the music will take them, he hopes it takes them somewhere, maybe Nashville.
“Some people say it is like a job but to us when you are having fun it isn’t work, it is fun,” he explained.
“Because it comes natural, I guess it is just so much fun,” agreed Wyatt.
When not having fun with their music, the twins said they enjoy riding their bikes and hanging out with their friends. They tick off the list of favorite sports including baseball, football, basketball, soccer and even golf.
This fall they will be sixth graders at St. Eustachius School in Portageville.
Their grades, said Will, have to be good adding with a grin, “If it is under a B minus, Mom goes crazy on us.”
With a matching mischievous smile at his mom Wyatt joked, “If not, we are out on the street.”
Laughing Amy Stinnett acknowledged she is amazed by her sons’ talents. She said she hopes they will continue to play and perform.
“As long as they do that, I think it is a pretty neat bond between brothers,” she said.
“It really doesn’t matter to me if they take it to a professional level,” added Chris Stinnett. “I just want them to always be able to enjoy it.”