Words by Sean Moeller//Illustration by Derek Ballard
There’s a pattern to the songs that make up Chandra and Leigh Watson’s first short-playing record of their own material—Southern Manners. It’s one that cuts through the surroundings with the ease of a melting ice cube, not all at once and hardly at all perceptively. The pattern is a relaxant cool that only comes from years of practice. Those manners that they speak of – the same ones that offer a piece of pie to a cast away lover in the title track – curiously stir a body up just enough, like the current at the very bottom of a babbling brook, that’s lost all of its noisy, purposeless babble. What it makes is a beautiful sound that if it could also plant the seeds and summon up showers, would be able to raise a garden – roses, vegetables or otherwise. It’s nurturing on so many levels that you’d think the identical twins from Louisville, Ky., could possibly be two of the world’s best baby soothers, without being boring or derivative. If they were indeed gifted with the magical touch of tranquility, it wouldn’t be for any conventional ways. They’d know a million ways to bring comfort, none the same as the last one. They’ve nurtured Jenny Lewis to one of the truly amazing records of 2006: Rabbit Fur Coat. It’s without a doubt one of the best recent examples of how the sum of the parts is the most valuable thing to consider when hearing an album. Lewis hasn’t had any trouble giving credit where it’s due when talking of the contributions the two taller than small nesting tree lovelies lent to the secular album that was groomed to be played on stage at the Ryman Auditorium. They themselves were meant for that stage and for conducting crisp autumn sunsets (pulling the curtain strings down on them until they blackened at the ground) and for convincing the pink clovers to make nectar worth dragging on, should the activity be something that might be in the cards.

A note from the Watson Twins:
“Well, we thought long and hard on this list and then read the e-mail again and realized that it was supposed to be within the last week. Let’s put it this way: the last month of our lives might as well have been a week in the grand scheme of thangs. So here it goes…” – Leigh and Chandra Watson

HOT SPOTS
1. Lexington Coffee Shop, Lexington, VA. Possibly one of the best cup a joes around. Also, they have open mic 24-7 which, up in those hills, brings a lot of bluegrass players. dope.

2. Thunderbird Hotel, Marfa, TX. Well, let’s just put it this way, at the front desk they’ll loan you an old portable record player and records, so you can have tunes in your rooms.

3. Cog & Pearl, Inc., Brooklyn, NY. Happily stumbled upon this place. It’s a cute joint with lots of local artist’s goods and reasonably priced original art.

4. McFosters Natural Kind Cafe, Omaha, NE. Delicious vegetarian eats and service with a smile.

5. The Boat, Toronto Canada. They have a great night at this bar called “Goin’ Steady”! It’s all 50s music, all night long so you can get your “sock hop on”!!!

The Watson Twins
The Watson Twins