By Jim Newell
Review Staff Writer
Quirky and upbeat is how they describe their music style, and they have the youthful exuberance to back it, but there’s no mistaking that sisters Cayenne and Ginger Johnson already have the stage presence of seasoned performers.
The sisters played at the Michigan State Fair Superstar competition in Detroit last weekend, placing third against 11 other performers.
Then they had to get ready to go back to Lake Orion High School this week, where Cayenne, 17, is a senior and Ginger, 15, is a sophomore.
They’ve also performed at the Dragon on the Lake and Wildwood Music festivals in Lake Orion this summer, and at the Detroit Zoo Aug. 24.
For Cayenne and Ginger, music is a family trait, in their blood so to speak, and the sisters began developing their musical talent at an early age.
“Our parents met in a band, so when we showed an interest in music, they said “Let’s do this,’” Cayenne said.
They each began playing the guitar when they reached sixth grade. “It didn’t take me long at all. As soon as I was on the guitar I took off,” Cayenne said.
Both sisters play the guitar and piano/keyboards. Cayenne also plays the bass and ukulele and Ginger plays the Cajón. “Piano tends to lose people’s interest in live music,” Ginger said. “I like the Cajón a lot.”
While they play covers of popular songs during their performances, Cayenne and Ginger have each written their own original music, inserting a couple originals into their shows.
“We’re trying to write more of our own music,” said Cayenne, who has written about 10 original songs.
They performed one of Cayenne’s songs, an untitled original, at the Wildwood Music Festival in August. “It’s quirky. It’s about being in love; the cute stuff,” Cayenne said.
“It’s the epitome of her style,” Ginger said.
Either as a duo, or in their band, The Euphorics, the sisters cover pop and country music from such artists as Taylor Swift, the Goo Goo Dolls, Blind Melon and Shania Twain in order to attract an audience.
After their performance at Wildwood, several young girls (and a couple of boys) ran to the sisters for hugs and photos. Cayenne and Ginger couldn’t help smiling. “We love it,” they said.

The sisters say they both love “old songs” and that their music is often “oldies-inspired” so audiences often recognize what they are playing.
“When you want people to notice you, you want them to notice the songs,” Cayenne said, adding that their ultimate goal is to develop their original music for a demo tape.
Ginger describes Cayenne’s songwriting as “quirky, funny, and emotional” and admits that her own musical forte is still a work-in-progress: “I’m trying to find my style; she’s already found hers.”
But the one chord that resonates throughout all of their performances is the rapport they establish with the audience.

“I really do love just singing so much, I’m always singing around the house,” Ginger said. “I really do like sharing a message with people.”
“I love just getting up and singing and playing,” Cayenne said. “Doing it in front of an audience that is really receptive is just awesome … the feeling and connection you can make.”
“I’m selfish,” Ginger says shrugging her shoulders, smiling. “I always like applause.”
While they may be musically multi-talented, the sisters also have other interests in their lives.
“Our roots are in the theater,” Ginger said.
Ginger played Maria in a production of West Side Story at Lake Orion, and has been in productions in Warren and Rochester theaters. “I love acting so much, acting and singing. It’s like, which do I love more,” Ginger says, weighing the artistic scales between the two.
Cayenne wants to continue with music – writing and performing – but if she doesn’t become a professional musician she wants to study special education and minor in music therapy in college.
“This is my dream. If I could do anything it would be to do this the rest of my life,” Cayenne said.
Besides the music and the fans, the sisters say what they love most about performing at festivals is traveling and seeing new sites around Michigan. “And seeing the world through a musician’s eyes,” Cayenne said.
The majority of their performances are at festivals, such as Arts and Apples, and the Arts, Beats and Eats festivals in Rochester; Winterfest; River Days. They also perform at farmers’ markets and coffee houses, such as ABeanToGo in downtown Lake Orion.
And their youth and enthusiasm – and humor – comes through during their performances, often including talking to their audience.
During their set at the Wildwood festival they paused between songs to fix an amplifier problem. While waiting, Ginger stepped to the mic to address the audience: “I wish I knew a good joke,” she said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
“It’s always nice to see people from the town because a lot of the places we play we don’t know a lot of people,” the sisters said.
Like most siblings they admit to moments of sibling rivalry, or even bickering, but say the music has changed the way they interact with one another.
“It’s definitely brought us together. It’s pretty collaborative,” Cayenne said.
“We’re good at compromise,” Ginger said, “And then she’ll just settle (any disagreements).”
Their band The Euphorics consists of their brother, Bodi, 14, on the drums and Cayenne’s best friend Erica Mourad on keys and rhythm. Although, anyone who watched their performance at the Dragon on the Lake festival saw Cayenne, Ginger and Erica swap instruments, switch places on the stage and take turns singing lead vocals – a game of musical instruments.
“In The Euphorics we like to play all the instruments, so we switch a lot,” Cayenne told the audience.
But with the good times comes the practices, the vexation of writing and the time spent reviewing film of themselves.
Their father, George, makes sure that along with the fun of performing in front of receptive audiences, Cayenne and Ginger also treat their shows as learning experiences. He records each concert so they can review what they liked and where they need to improve.
“Our parents are very supportive,” the sisters said. “They drive us everywhere to play.”
For more information on upcoming performance dates, Cayenne and Ginger have a fan page at Facebook.com/cayenneandginger, as well as a YouTube page with music video samples under the search tag Cayenne and Ginger.