Photo by Sydney Cromwell.
Will and Anna Ayers practice together on their Hoover front porch. The 16-year-old twins have been playing together since elementary school.
The harmonies of a fiddle and a guitar can often be heard from the Ayers’ Hoover front porch. It’s a favorite practice spot for 16-year-old Will and Anna Ayers, whose music is a unique sibling bond.
Both Will and Anna attribute their musical interests to their childhood, particularly their father, Yuri Ayers, who played guitar and drums.
“I wanted to play guitar because I saw him playing,” Will said.
“I’m lousy on guitar, and it shocks me that he would want to play because I was playing,” Yuri Ayers said.
For both twins, though, it seemed to be a childhood talent.
“William was interested in guitar from the time he could walk and hold one in his hand,” his mother, Angela Ayers, said.
Their musical interests took them in different directions: Will plays guitar and is in the Hoover High jazz band, along with playing with friends; Anna plays the violin and mandolin and is also learning tenor guitar, but primarily competes in Texas old-style fiddle competition.
They first brought their talents together for a first-grade talent show. Now, they practice together nearly every day, primarily playing fiddle tunes or covers.
“It blends better when there’s somebody backing you up,” Will said.
They have played together at friends’ parties, and Will has also played backup for Anna in her fiddle competitions. The duo had a major performance in late August, when they were invited to play with Ricky j Taylor & the Live Roots Ensemble at Moonlight on the Mountain in Bluff Park.
Will and Anna said it’s pretty easy to play together, and living in the same house means less trouble scheduling practice time. But there’s another side to that coin.
“We both don’t like to admit we’re wrong,” Anna said.
“If we’re playing somewhere and we mess up and we’re mad, it’s not like a regular band where you go off separate ways. We have to see each other after it,” Will said.
Playing as a duo isn’t the Ayers’ primary goal, but even though their music tastes are different, both see their future paths going down similar lines. Will and Anna both expressed an interest in becoming music therapists or studying music in some way in college so they can potentially teach lessons.
“Even if I go into something other than music, I can still be able to play music when I want to relax,” Will said.
Yuri Ayers recalled that when he first started Will and Anna in music lessons, he told them that he wanted to be able to enjoy their music throughout the house. That wish has become a reality.
“It echoes really well through the house. I love hearing the violin in the foyer,” Yuri Ayers said.
