Biography
Long before issuing their first album under their own name, the Hanseroth Twins had already sampled the spotlight. Phil Hanseroth and his identical brother Tim began working alongside Brandi Carlile in the 2000s, appearing on her self-titled 2005 debut and remaining her regular studio and touring support ever since. Although their own roots lay in alternative rock, an instinctive flair for vocal harmonies combined with a firm command of folk and country traditions made them ideal additions to Carlile’s ensemble, a partnership that later prompted them to demonstrate their independent strengths on the dynamic 2024 release Vera.
Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Phil and Tim started making music by age fifteen. Their formative sounds came from the grunge acts erupting out of Seattle at the close of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, as well as from the Ramones, whose stripped-down approach persuaded the brothers they could start a group of their own. Tim picked up an inexpensive guitar and learned to play by ear; Phil soon took up the bass. Their initial industry opportunity arrived when a band they assembled evolved into the Fighting Machinists, a robust alternative-rock outfit that maintained a steady touring schedule and issued a seven-song independent EP in 2002. Producer Rick Parashar, already known for his work with Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, and Dinosaur Jr., expressed interest, securing the group a contract with Interscope Records.
The Fighting Machinists disbanded before delivering any material for Interscope, yet their association with Parashar led to an introduction to Brandi Carlile, another emerging Pacific Northwest talent. She quickly became an admirer of the Machinists and, once the band dissolved, invited the brothers to join her group. Phil and Tim accepted, quickly establishing themselves as central contributors who anchored the rhythm section on guitar and bass, supplied harmony vocals, and occasionally assisted with songwriting. They participated in Carlile’s major-label debut, the self-titled 2005 album, and stayed with her through her ascent, performing at such landmark venues as New York’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. Outside that partnership, their compositions found homes with Tanya Tucker, the Highwomen, and the Zac Brown Band. In 2018 they shared a Grammy for co-writing “The Joke” with Carlile and Dave Cobb for the breakthrough album By the Way, I Forgive You. Two years later they played in the backing band when Carlile arranged Joni Mitchell’s surprise set at the Newport Folk Festival in July 2022, an event later captured on the 2023 album Joni Mitchell at Newport.
After the Fighting Machinists ended, the Hanseroth Twins chose to record as a duo for the first time, resulting in the largely acoustic 2024 collection Vera, which foregrounded the more introspective dimension of their writing.
Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Phil and Tim started making music by age fifteen. Their formative sounds came from the grunge acts erupting out of Seattle at the close of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, as well as from the Ramones, whose stripped-down approach persuaded the brothers they could start a group of their own. Tim picked up an inexpensive guitar and learned to play by ear; Phil soon took up the bass. Their initial industry opportunity arrived when a band they assembled evolved into the Fighting Machinists, a robust alternative-rock outfit that maintained a steady touring schedule and issued a seven-song independent EP in 2002. Producer Rick Parashar, already known for his work with Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, and Dinosaur Jr., expressed interest, securing the group a contract with Interscope Records.
The Fighting Machinists disbanded before delivering any material for Interscope, yet their association with Parashar led to an introduction to Brandi Carlile, another emerging Pacific Northwest talent. She quickly became an admirer of the Machinists and, once the band dissolved, invited the brothers to join her group. Phil and Tim accepted, quickly establishing themselves as central contributors who anchored the rhythm section on guitar and bass, supplied harmony vocals, and occasionally assisted with songwriting. They participated in Carlile’s major-label debut, the self-titled 2005 album, and stayed with her through her ascent, performing at such landmark venues as New York’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. Outside that partnership, their compositions found homes with Tanya Tucker, the Highwomen, and the Zac Brown Band. In 2018 they shared a Grammy for co-writing “The Joke” with Carlile and Dave Cobb for the breakthrough album By the Way, I Forgive You. Two years later they played in the backing band when Carlile arranged Joni Mitchell’s surprise set at the Newport Folk Festival in July 2022, an event later captured on the 2023 album Joni Mitchell at Newport.
After the Fighting Machinists ended, the Hanseroth Twins chose to record as a duo for the first time, resulting in the largely acoustic 2024 collection Vera, which foregrounded the more introspective dimension of their writing.
Albums
Singles
