Brothers and sisters are doing it for themselves

Making music with your family can be traumatic and tension-ridden- just look at the Beach Boys, the Gallaghers and the Everly Brothers. But it doesn't have to be this way. Katie Toms talked to a new generation of sibling duos about the drawbacks and joys of working together.

Smoosh > Seattle sisters Chloe, 14, who drums, and Asya, 16, who sings and plays the piano (they have never disclosed their surnames), formed energetic pop band Smoosh eight years ago. Younger sister Maia, 12, recently joined as bass player. They also have a four-year-old sister, Scout. Their father Mike, a medical researcher, is the band's tour manager; their mother Maria is a paediatrician. Their third album is due out next spring.

Chloe

No one else in our family does music. We always had a piano but no one played it. Asya taught herself to stand using the piano to pull herself up and she's played it ever since. She started writing songs and I got a drum kit when I was six. Jason McGerr, the drummer for Death Cab for Cutie, worked in the music store where we bought our drum kit and he said he'd give us lessons. Then he suggested we record something, so we did a demo CD and I made up little drum parts.

Because we live in an apartment, we can't practise at home, so we go to a studio. We don't really need a schedule, because we're sisters and we live together. We just go whenever we have time or feel like it. We make up songs as we go along. I don't know if I could do that with someone else, but since she's my sister, we just jam as we go along.

When Shrek came out, we were obsessed with it. We loved the 'All Star' song, by Smash Mouth. We were trying to find a band name like Smash, so we thought of Smush. Then people pronounced it Smoosh. When I hear that song, it reminds me of back then. We didn't know anything about music, but that's how we got started. I'm not into fake Disney acts. People want to make us into that, but we're trying to do the opposite. A lot of kid bands are controlled by their parents. That's why it's working better for us, because it's all our choices and we love the music.

We're not incredibly young anymore. There are lots of bands that are our age. I don't like it when people get us to do that cute sister thing and try to take your picture as if it's a family photo. It's cool that we're sisters, and I like my sister, but it's hard to deal with sometimes. We get in fights, but it's always about stupid stuff, it's never about anything serious and it's never physical.

Asya

Chloe annoys me by becoming obsessed with one line or a specific detail of a song. Every time it gets to that part of the song, she rewinds it again and again. I'll be like: 'Chloe, I think we've heard that bit enough; can we just listen to the whole song?'

I usually write the piano or keyboard parts, then the vocal parts, then her background vocals. Then I show it to her and she'll write drum parts. There's no jealousy between us, but she sometimes gets mad at how the songwriter is the person who writes the melody. She wishes that drummers who write their own parts could have part of the songwriting credit. There are a lot of things you wouldn't do with your friends that you can do with your sisters. You can laugh and go crazy and have a lot of fun. I would be so sad if we broke up the band because it's totally part of us.

Angus & Julia Stone> Australian siblings Angus, 21, and Julia, 24, write their own songs and collaborate as Angus & Julia Stone. Their debut album of whimsical folk, A Book Like This, was released in March. They lived briefly in Notting Hill, west London, but have now returned to Australia. They have one older sister.

Julia

Ours was such a full-on family unit. At birthdays and Christmas, granny would be singing opera and grandpa would be on the piano and everyone would be talking loudly. I was always dancing and jumping around but Angus was so quiet. At mealtimes he would sit there not saying a thing, just eating. He was real small when he was young, so my sister Catherine and I would put him on the back of the bike and ride him around. I think we were pretty tough on him. In primary school we all played in the band two mornings a week with dad [a music teacher] conducting. We would scream at him, begging him to let us quit the band. He would say, 'One day you're going to thank me.'

Mum's an amazing singer. She'd be in the supermarket singing at the top of her lungs. Everyone would be looking at her and we would be real embarrassed with our heads down. She was always saying to us, 'Just sing. Don't worry what people think.'

I was always writing songs as a kid; about what I had for breakfast and how hard it was being a six-year-old. When I first heard Angus sing his own song in school assembly I couldn't believe it. He had this beautiful voice and he was singing about love and the world. I was just blown away. I didn't expect it because he was such a quiet kid. I did one year at university but I hated it, so I went travelling. Angus met up with me in Chile and we spent two months in South America. I bought a guitar in Bolivia. Angus was already playing guitar so he showed me how to play a few songs. When I got back to Australia we started playing gigs.

As adults we probably would have seen each other only at Christmas and birthdays and said G'Day and still loved each other but we've been given this opportunity to really know each other, and I think that's now for ever. It's such a wonderful gift to have been given.

Angus

Julia and I never played music together or even talked as kids. We had this arrangement that Julia was my sister and I was her brother and we just walked past each other, and that was it. She listened to lots of embarrassing stuff. She poisoned my brain with the Spice Girls and Mariah Carey. It was only later that we found a reason to be friends and start playing music together because we had the same likes.

When I hear Julia's songs it's a big inspiration. I like her music more than a lot of the music I listen to. The way she writes is so real, and something I haven't heard before. We're not rivals. We're not in a battle for anything. The worst aspect of being in a band with your sibling is that you are so alike. Because you understand each other so well you can always hear that undercurrent of sarcasm and pick up on stuff that others can't. It can get pretty tedious and frustrating. I'm sure there'll be a day when one of us wants to quit, and it'll be fine. If I wanted to quit I'd be straight up, I'd just say it. You've got to be real and honest with everything, otherwise things won't flow.

Tegan and Sara > Identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin, 27, were born and raised in Alberta, Canada. They have no other siblings. They began making music together at 14 and won a battle of the bands competition in their hometown at 17. They signed to Neil Young's Vapor Records a year later. They share vocals, writing and instrumental responsibilities and have released five albums of intelligent indie pop. They play the Shepherds Bush Empire, London, on Tuesday and Glasgow ABC on Wednesday.

Tegan

I can remember as early as six or seven years old lying in bed lip-synching along with tapes imagining I was Phil Collins. We were raised with such a love and passion for music and that, combined with seeing people playing music live in the scene, really excited us and made us think that we could do it ourselves. Our relationship when we were kids was pretty good. It was just the two of us and, as we came from a single parent family and moved a lot, we really had to rely on one another. When we were around 14, we started to battle, which was funny because it was right around then that we started playing music. We chose the most tumultuous, troubled time to start collaborating.

The worst issues we've had are because people see twins as one entity, even though we don't look that much alike. We've struggled to have our own personalities, to be seen as separate beings. When we were 13 or 14 and starting to strike out on our own, Sara had her first girlfriend and it was this big secret. I was the annoying younger sister who wanted to be around all the time. Sara pushed me away, saying: 'I don't want to be around you.' She just wanted her own life. It's been the same fight our whole lives.

In my eyes, Sara writes some of the most interesting, elaborate and confusing pop songs and when I get to stand on stage with her it's worth it. Sara and I have a very similar sense of humour.

Sara

Beginning to play music together felt really natural. To turn it into a business is something different. Tegan was way more confident about doing it. That was a point of contention for a long time. I think Tegan thought I was saying I didn't want to be in a band with her, but actually I just didn't know if I wanted to be in a band.

We write songs separately. It's understood that I write my song and when Tegan wants to contribute she does. If I don't like a song of Tegan's, I'll tell her and, for the most part, we really listen to each other. I want her support, I believe in her.

Questions and Tasks:

1. Why is it difficult to run a business with your family members?

2. Are there any advantages to this?

3. How many successful family groups/ companies do you know?

4. Who should be a leader in this kind of enterprise?

5. If you chose a partner whom would you pick up? Why?

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