Youngsters, 11 and 12
Release Their own CD
By Martha Slater

Aidan Ryan (Left) and Abe Doughty wowed their audience at Seasoned Books and Bakery in Rochester last Friday night. (Herald / Jeff Mather)

Known as Gemini, Aidan Ryan of Rochester and his friend and musical partner, Abe Doughty of Stockbridge, are celebrating the release of their first CD, "One Day Soon." What’s particularly unusual about this is that Aidan is just 11 years old and Abe is 12.

The pair debuted their new work at a well-attended public party last Friday night, Jan. 19 at Seasoned Books & Bakery in Rochester. Showing the poise and musical expertise of adult performers, Abe and Aidan entertained an audience that ranged in age from kids younger than they are to parents and grandparents. The crowd was squeezed into a relatively small space, but nobody seemed to mind. Everyone had a smile on their face and the boys were obviously enjoying themselves as much as their listeners were.

"One Day Soon" was recorded in early December at Bedroom Studios in Hinesburg by Aidan’s dad, Greg Ryan, and Greg’s brother, Doug. Aidan notes that his uncle absorbed the cost of recording, and the parents paid for manufacturing copies of the CD.

Recording the album seemed like a natural progression for Aidan and Abe, who have been friends for seven years, a fact celebrated in the title of one of the songs on their CD. They have been playing and writing music together for the past four years and wrote all of the 10 songs on the CD. They chose the name for their duo because there are two of them and Gemini is Aidan’s birth sign.

Not surprisingly, since both of Aidan’s parents are musicians, he began playing acoustic guitar at age six and added piano, melodica, electric guitar and drums to his repertoire along the way. This is actually his second album, since he recorded a solo CD of his own original material, "The Seven Seas," when he was eight years old.

"I started writing music when I was seven and got my Squire guitar," Aidan explained. "I mostly write music by myself, but when Abe and I get together, we each play ideas that we’ve had and then we improvise and lots of times we come up with something we like."

Abe, who began playing the violin at age six and added guitar two years later, concurs, noting, "A lot of the music we write comes from chord progressions we do when we get together to play. When we get something we really like, we start adding lyrics to fit them." Like Aidan, he is largely self-taught.

The boys say they like to write songs that tell a story. The music on their CD ranges in style from the rocking "Yellow Lighting" to the lilting "The Irishman," which features Aidan playing melodica riffs meant to mimic bagpipes.

"I kept adding a low note as a drone to make that sound," he explains.

There are also songs like "Gemini Blues," which Aidan describes as "fun and dancy;" and the aforementioned "Seven Years," which he uses to illustrate how the two perform together.

"We really split things up pretty evenly," Aidan says. "We take turns singing the verses and then sing together on the choruses. Also, in ‘Seven Years,’ the first time I sing harmony and the second time, Abe does."

Both of the boys said they really enjoy performing live for an audience.

"When you’re recording, it can take hours to do a single song," Abe said. "The quality of live music sounds better to me than recordings do, and I like talking and interacting with the audience between numbers."

"One Day Soon" is available for purchase at Seasoned Books & Bakery on Main St. in Rochester.

____________