46 folks packed the cozy confines and the potluck was a most delicious “pregame” as always! The identical twins, Amy and April, are Texan natives hailing from Portland, who also saw time in Longview, Midland and attended Texas A&M.

The girls have 2 EP’s to their resume with ‘Headaches and Heartbreaks’ (2010) having the title single score some publicity on the Texas Country Charts (reached #41) and the follow-up EP, ‘Silver Lining’ (2011) helping the girls climb the ranks of the country industry. The first full length album came out in 2013, ‘Moonshine & Maybes’, and features the likes of David Grissom on guitars and that was enough to grab our attention.

The ladies stated early on that their joint motto in life and music is to be positive which made for a nice start. “You Make It Good”, “You Can’t Have It All”, “Rockin’ with the Rhythm” (a Judds cover) and “Wake Up” all had a country fused pleasant feel featuring strong vocals.

The ladies have a self-proclaimed competitive nature and their sister shuck ‘n jive act was playful and entertaining. “Headaches and Heartbreaks” was killer and found the girls telling how it all got started for them in 2009. “Over You Train” was a new one and made you yearn for how good the jam would be with a full band on this one.

“Rain” was a touching number about those you’ve lost in life or do not see anymore, along with the edgey “Jezebel” about drinking and ‘other’ stuff. More tidbits of goodness were “Wreckin’ It”, “As the Music Plays” and a cover of Little Big Town’s “Tornado”. The duo admire The Judds and did lots of Dixie Chicks covers in their early playing days which work as a good model for success.

The Rankins live in Austin full time now. They made the change to be more centrally located geographically. With family all over the state and the hotbed for players that Austin is, it makes good sense.

At this gig you could tell they were a tad nervous in the first time surroundings and tended to carry on talking too much. This is understandable and with an entire band it would move along with a lot less of that for sure. They sure have the spunky cuteness and lots of down to earth enthusiasm that cannot hurt their chances in the competitive and crowded country music biz. Here’s wishing them the best and hope to see them again! God Bless all who support live music!