Family harmony
Sister trio GWYNN records in Nashville, performs locally
Having recorded three of their original songs in Nashville last summer, a young sister trio in Yuma that sings mostly pop, folk and country songs performs locally as well.
Known as “GWYNN,” the three sisters — Mia, 16; Kylie, 14 and Lila, 11 – whose last names are Gwynn, have performed for Yuma’s non-profit events such as Kids at Hope and Bridget’s Gift, as well as at the Somerton Tamale Festival and the lighting of the Friendship Tower for the recent holiday season.
Their mother, Gretchen Gwynn, said somewhat jokingly that the group chose its name because “It’s our last name ... We didn’t want to go with a crazy name that they might get sick of.”
To say that these ladies are busy is an understatement.
Besides composing their own songs, the Gwynn sisters keep up their school work, take guitar and voice lessons, and prepare for whatever singing opportunities come their way.
One of these activities will include Cibola High School’s musical production of “Grease” to occur March 12-14, in which Kylie, a Cibola freshman, will star in its lead role. Mia, a Cibola junior, will also have a major role in the cast.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” said Mia. “The musicals at Cibola are always really good, and they’re super fun to do.”
The girls’ musical versatility is evident both in performances and in the instruments they play, whether it is piano, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, violin or bass.
“I’ve always kind of been into music,” said Mia. “I started performing and singing when I was in second grade like for school talent shows and stuff, and I did theater. And then Kylie started doing this stuff.”
“We all started around first and second grade,” Kylie added.
Mia said that they all began taking lessons on instruments such as piano in the third or fourth grade. She started guitar in middle school. Both Kylie and Lila began lessons in second grade, they said.
“And then we just kind of picked up random instruments like ukulele,” said Lila. “I know that Kylie does mandolin, and she’s trying to learn the violin as well as the bass. She likes learning that kind of stuff.”
“And I play a bit of harmonica (on) a few songs, and so that’s my crowning achievement,” said Mia.
For the Nashville performances though, they took only their guitars, despite being nervous that their instruments might be damaged or lost at the airports during flight changes. Except for missing one of their flights, however, all went well, they said, and the Nashville experience enlightened and enthralled them to see professional musicians’ opportunities.
“First of all, it was super nice, and I want to go back again,” said Lila. “On the first day, we went to the Grand Ol’ Opry, which was amazing to see like other singer/songwriters on a huge stage. On the second day, we recorded three of our original songs. And then we performed at Tequila Cowboy on the third day,” she said, referring to a large bar in Nashville.
“It was huge, and it was jam packed,” Lila said. “And after it, these kids who were probably like teenagers or maybe tweens were coming up to us and saying, ‘Can we get a picture?’ So that was really cool.”
“We all did the same thing, but it was just a really good experience overall,” added Kylie. “Before that, we had only done performances here in Yuma. And so it was really good to go to Nashville, which is like the music city and be able to perform and get exposure there.”
“The big thing for me,” said Mia, “was just being able to have the experience of being in a recording studio like that. Like those things like you see in movies, and you have an impression of what it will be like. And it’s sort of like that, but it’s really not.
It’s just so cool to be like, ‘Oh, I’m actually doing this now.’ And I get to watch it all come together and the end product and listen to it. It’s just kind of surreal and cool.”
GWYNN’s Arizona backup players accompanied them on the trip: Jason Arviso of Yuma, lead guitar; Dylan Arviso of Phoenix, bass guitar, and Aaron Richter, drums. They accompany GWYNN for some of their local events, too.
The trio’s three original songs recorded in Nashville were “Natural Disaster,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” and “Superman.”
Not yet recorded are their original songs “Drown in My Thoughts,” “Mama Said,” “Take a Chance” and “Broken Road.” At their events, they sing them all. Those that they recorded in Nashville can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, I-Tunes, and Google Play. Their songs have been spotlighted locally previously on Monster Media 93.
While the girls hope someday to return to Nashville, they said that the cost of such recording trips makes it impractical. Meanwhile, they practice their instruments or write their original songs at home, where a piano in the living room aids their creativity.
Also at home they have a room devoted to enhancing the quality of their musical presentations. The room is equipped with microphones, instrument stands and speakers aligned in front of black draperies that cover two walls. Two fulllength mirrors enable the girls to acquire feedback on how an audience might perceive them. The draperies serve as a photo backdrop.
“We’re kind of all over the house, but this is our main place where we go,” said Mia.
So how do their classmates react to these young ladies’ rise in the musical spotlight?
“Most of the people I go to school with have known me long enough to where they knew me before we started performing together,” said Kylie. “So then when we did start performing, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s happening.’ Or like they don’t know about it at all. So (when) they do find out about it, they act like we’re like world-renowned musicians, and they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh! Really?’ They’re like two different people; so there are different reactions. But like overall, they’re like impressed, I think.”
Mia said that she feels really lucky that a lot of her friends are very supportive of what she does, and they take their own time to see the performances.
“They might get mad at me if I don’t tell them,” Mia laughed, referring to informing them about upcoming events. “And even people that I don’t really know that well – like this one time in math class this kid behind me was like, ‘Hey, I heard your song on the radio.’ “And I’m like, ‘Oh, cool.’ Then the classmate asked, ‘And also, now how do I do this equation?’”
Lila, a sixth-grader at Pueblo Elementary School, said with a grin that usually her classmates don’t even know of her musical prowess.
“But when they find out, they’re like, ‘Whoa, I’m going to search you up on the Internet, and I’m going to listen to all of them (songs).’ Then brushing aside her hair, she added, “I’m like, ‘Okaaay. Well, we’re not that famous, but OK, sure.’ And then some other people are like, ‘OK, yeah, that’s cool.’”
Besides their music, the most striking feature about the girls is perhaps their flowing naturally curly hair that extends well beyond their waists. That has become an identifying trademark for the group. Occasionally audience members question whether the hair is real.
“It’s definitely a conversation piece,” Gretchen added. “Even after their gigs end, people come up to them, and they’re always like, ‘OK, I have a question’ – and (the girls) know it’s going to come – ‘Is that your real hair?’”
Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that Mia’s favorite movie is “Tangled,” an animated tale of a girl with excessively long hair, which Mia admits having seen numerous times.
“At the Tamale Festival,” Lila said, “this guy came up, and he was like, ‘I wanted to pull your hair to make sure it wasn’t an extension or something,’ but he decided not to.” Lila added that his wife apparently wasn’t convinced.
Although the group often performs locally without their backup, they all agree that they sound different and better when their Arizona backup partners accompany them.
“It brings the songs together,” Lila said, with Mia adding, “Yeah, like a complete tone change, and that’s in a good way.”
Their music experiences have enabled GWYNN to feel comfortable enough on stage to support one another during their performances. For instance, Lila recalled getting the hiccups during one of her solo songs.
“So Kylie came in on harmony to try to like cover it up,” Lila said, as Mia laughed and added, “That was great!”
Their mutual support doesn’t end on stage either. They support one another in composing songs and in other musical endeavors. Family support also comes from Gretchen, who helps come up with ideas for new songs, too.
“We write our songs together,” said Lila. “And also our mom helps us because she’s also good on the piano, and she’s learning guitar. Kylie’s mostly helping teaching her. So us three and our mom kind of like come together and write songs.”
The girls are determined that their mutual support will continue beyond their school years, too.
“I think no matter what, we’ll always be together — whether we’re performing or not,” said Mia. “We’re always going to be sisters and be really close. And I think that’s what’s most important because in the end, what we all want to do is like be really close.” Her sisters nodded in agreement.
“And we might be able to perform for a career,” Mia continued. “Because we’re all into so many things. And the fact that we support each other and help each other grow as people and musicians is, I think, what’s going to keep us together as a family and as a group. Whatever happens, whatever career path we go on to – whether it’s separately or together – family is important to us. And we’re always going to be really close.”
Among their upcoming local performances, GWYNN will open the Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo on Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. by singing the National Anthem. They are slated also to open up for Big Mountain and another band for the Kids at Hope in the fall. Gretchen said that the group hopes to perform again this year for a cancer nonprofit event – Bridget’s Gift.”