Sibling rivalry is pretty typical for any family – especially one with twins. But throw into the mix talented twin musicians, the realm of typical is left far, far behind. “He’s two minutes older, but it doesn’t mean squat,” said Luke Fontaine of brother Ike, who claims slight superiority by two minutes. The twin brothers had a typical small-town upbringing, filled with sailing and watching their father perform in a bluegrass band, from the small town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. “I think Duxbury kept us humble, very humble, and now that we’re getting out there and meeting tons of new people, traveling thousands of miles, that’s the big contributing factor for our music right now,” Ike said of his hometown.
The two brothers of the band, The Fontaine Brothers, have since sailed far from typical lives of 20-year-olds. After picking up the guitar at the ripe age of 7, Ike and Luke have mastered new instruments since, and songwriting along the way as well. With their single, “Maybe,” performed along with X-Factor contestant Jillian Jensen, The Fontaine Brothers are beginning to take the music world by storm, pairing up with well-known, prestigious producers, such as Warren Huart, and fellow musicians, such as State Radio. But the music world isn’t the only one they want to make a difference in.
“The one thing we always strive to find in music, the one thing that we enjoy to the max, is to be able to use the money we make and the proceeds to give back, to give to charities and help support other people,” said Ike. And give they have – with their now good friend Jensen, Luke and Ike have reached out to countless charities and foundations, even creating the “Our Two Cents” program. “It’s something that everyone got together to create, and just a great way to give back to charities and any causes that we support and want to be behind,” Luke said of the program.
Their single with Jensen, “Maybe,” has a portion of the proceeds going towards anti-bullying causes, and the brothers refuse to stop here with the giving. They have already paired up with State Radio and put on a concert in which all proceeds went towards Hope For Haiti and Invisible Children, and continue to gear up for whatever other opportunities they face. “Whenever a story starts, ‘We have this great idea to help this charity…’ we’re like, ‘Alright! We’re doing it!’” said Luke.
But, at the end of the day, The Fontaine Brothers are ultimately appreciative of their gifts, their fans, and all the things their music has made possible for them. “To go out on stage and get in front of people, and do that you really love to do, and then have people appreciate it – it really is the best gift of all, I think,” said Ike, when asked about his favorite part of being a musician.
Capturing audiences everywhere with instrumental, vocal, and goodwill gifts, Ike and Luke Fontaine have nothing stopping them from continuing to rise to their opportunities and take full advantage of everything they can. The grounded brothers face only what the rest of typical twins across America experience: slight sibling rivalry.
“He always gets the firsts of everything,” said Luke.
“That’s just the jealousy talking,” said Ike.