Tess and Carson Henley don’t want ‘Idol’-style fame
Carson and Tess Henley don’t need “American Idol” judges Simon Cowell or Paula Abdul to tell them they’re talented.
The siblings, born and raised in the Covington-Kent area, have taken matters into their own hands, each recently releasing a debut album and booking shows around the Puget Sound area to jump-start their musical careers. And the soulful, piano-playing singer-songwriters plan on distinguishing themselves from any typical “Idol.”
“We want our music to stand out from all the stuff you hear on the radio,” Carson said. “We want it to be better than that.”
Carson, 22, and Tess, 20, worked in the studio for the past year and a half on Carson’s “Green Eyed Soul” and Tess’ “Easy to Love.” Now that the albums are out, the singers have been booking and playing gigs, including Cutters Point in Covington (Aug. 16, 22 and 30 at 16739 SE. 272nd St.), hoping to build a fan base and sell albums.
They’ve been immersed in music since before they were born. Their mother, Theresa Carnovale, was onstage with her dance cover band, Theresa Carnovale and City Life, while each of them was still in the womb.
“These are great young people, great students and talented musicians and songwriters who are now pursuing their dreams,” said the proud mom.
Their mother “got us started in music really early,” Carson said. “She started us taking piano lessons at the age of 3.”
Trained on piano at the Pacific Northwest School of Music, the siblings grew up performing in recitals. They and their younger sister, Maggie, each won an “Idol”-style talent contest at Kentlake High School the past five years.
They slowly blended their classical piano skills with their own styles over the years and became interested in creating their own music. “My mom would always tell us that’s where the money’s at,” Tess said.
They found Edmonds-based studio Soul Sound Audio and began recording with David Thomson, a young producer. Maggie co-wrote and offered advice on many of the songs.
“It went from being a few songs for a demo to becoming a whole album,” Carson said. “It just kind of snowballed and got more professional.”
Though the siblings share common rhythm-and-blues influences like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, they differ in other ways. Carson’s style tends to reflect rock, pop and blues artists like the Beatles, Elton John, Gavin DeGraw and Marc Broussard. Tess, on the other hand, has developed more of a soulful sound from listening to Alicia Keys and Music Soulchild.
They split sets at shows, often performing duets with each other. They said typical brother-sister bickering has sometimes broken out during long studio sessions, but they enjoy sharing the stage.
Though passionate about playing music for a living, they both have a backup plan. Carson recently graduated from the University of Washington with a marketing degree (“Hopefully, I’ll get to use it to market myself”), and Tess, who is studying communications, will be a UW junior next year.
“I’m not really the kind of person to do a 9-to-5. That’s why I like music,” Carson said. “Even if the singing thing doesn’t work, it would be awesome to stay in the industry.”
Tess is more set on making it as a performer. “I don’t really know what else I would do besides music,” she said. “I’m just hoping this works out.”
Their albums can be purchased at their shows and online at www.cdbaby.com, www.itunes.com and www.rhapsody.com. Also, songs are posted at www.myspace.com/carsonhenley and www.myspace.com/tesshenley.
