o
$4.99US
92567 II V,V •
$5.99CAN 10090 V’
3
WHERE
MANUFACTURING
0
IS
BY
&
RANA
BACK—BUT
BILL
ARE
iF
SAPORITO
FOROOHAR
THE
JOBS?
I. www.tImecom The Culture Music
Twoof Hearts. Tegan and Sara take the long road to the stars ByJesse Dorris
IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, THE DIOSCURI stantly recorded themselves with a Fisher- ments alongside radio-ready gems like were twin sons of Zeus who, upon death, Price microphone. “Wewere also obsessed “Backin YourHead.”But sales remained transformed into the Gemini constella with recording TV shows on our portable moderate. Tegan and Sara had stalled as tion, a navigational tool for sailors. They stereo,”Sara says,“just the audio,and then a critically respected opening act, filling also appeared as St.Elmo’sfire, scram we would lie in bed and listen to them.” small venues in collegetowns, waiting bling compasses. They showed the way They began recording songs oftheir own, for the stars to align. “There have been yet often confused travelers. Either way, written separately but played together. so many points,” Tegan says,“when you no one could look away from them. “Wewould make our own demo tapes”— think, Should we just accept that we’rean The pop-rock duo Tegan and Sara offers two albums’ worth, recorded at their high underground, cult-status-type band and a similar combination ofdirection and school’sstudio—”make artwork forthem just be happy with it? Dowhat we love dazzle.At 32, the twin sisters have spent and sell them at school,”Sara says. and something else on the side?Open a half their lives in the music industry. They strummed acoustic guitars to convenience store? I don’tknow.” Their career has built slowly and steadily, start, fashioning self-mocking epigrams They did none ofthe above.Instead, buoyed by endless touring and marked by like “Takemy heart! Why don’t you they went all in on branding. They put flash points of exposure that should have sign me up to sell me out?” Neil Young’s their logo on pencil casesand sweatpants. brought them superstardom on the order manager called their bluff, signing them They partnered with Macbeth Footwear, ofLadyGaga—orat least Ke$ha.Their when they were i8 and putting them on run by Blink-182’sTom DeLonge,to sell seventh and most recent studio album, a 2000 tour, opening for Young and the vegan sneakers. ForHeartthrob,they the euphoric Heartthrob,debuted at No.3 Pretenders. Another milestone was the wrote superpolished, made-for-the- on the Billboardalbum charts; they’ve accomplished 2004 album, SoJealous, dance-club-or-the-elliptical anthems performed its lead single, a fizzy wonder which shined up their close harmonies (“Goodbye,Goodbye,”“DroveMe Wild”) ofa come-on called “Closer,”on Ellenand with a coat of New Wave gloss;the and some deceptively simple sing-along seen it covered on Glee.This summer, haunting single “Walking With a Ghost” accounts of heartbreak (“NowI’mAll they are touring 23 North American cities was covered by the not-yet-but-almost Messed Up,”“How Come YouDon’tWant as the opening act for Grammy winner legends the White Stripes. Me”).Each one sounds equally at home in Fun. They are stylishly earnest—out and “It was the perfect description of a food courts and locavore coffeeshops. proud lesbians since their teens, tirelessly love I had lost in my life then,” says Jack The change worked. Tegan shakes her supportive ofLGBTcauses, their closets White. “Iwished I’dwritten it myself. head in wonder as she describes playing used only forskinny jeans—and earnest Those gals have beautiful voices—nice “Closer”to a deliriously receptive crowd ly stylish, with razor-sharp haircuts and enough that sometimes it makes me at a huge outdoor theater in California— gorgeous slouchy tailoring. want to kiss them. But I don’t want to albeit still as an opening act, this time Somehow, strangely, they are still not bother them with my problems.” for fellow indie heroes the Shins. “When household names—not quite, not yet. But They had problems oftheir own. The someone asks if we feel like we’reselling they’ve never sounded happier. next few years brought opening spots for out, I just say yes!”Tegan says merrily. Teganand Sara Quin grew up outside indie rockers the Killers, dates at mega “BecauseI want to change the way the Calgary,Alberta,” ‘8osfeminist kids raised festival Coachella and their most success pop mainstream looks. I want a girl like by a feminist social worker,”asTeganputs ful album to date, 2007’s TheCon,which me there.” In other words, they’re mak it, over coffeeat their record label’soffice showcased skittering electronic beats and ing their own mythology, winning true in New YorkCity.At home, the girls con- increasingly complicated vocal arrange- believers one summer at a time.
Abrief history of Tegan and Sara. Teen success, Twitter wars and tireless touring
1997At 16, they 2000They’re 200lTheytour 2004They up- 2009Afterthe 2011 Sara 2013A main- make dozens of signed and and a extensively behind date their sound somber Sainthood, criticizes the use stream milestone demos at their spot opening for their first Vapor (and win Jack they aim for a of bigoted lyrics in for a cult band: high school’s NeilYoungand album, ThisBusi- White’s fandom) more accessible the music industry, their fizzysingle recording studio the Pretenders ness of Art, open- with So Jealous sound and image sparking angry Closer’ is covered ingfor the likes of tweetsTYeJrr from rapper on Glee
52 PORTRAIT: lINDSEY BARNES—WARNER BROS. RECORDS; 1997: COURTESY TEGAN AND SARA: 2000: TIM MOGENFELIIER—SETTY IMAGES: 2004, 2009: WARNER BROS. RECORDS; 2013: ADAM ROSE—FOX 1;/j