No single thing makes a festival the “best festival ever.” Sure, one great band can make it really good. Or maybe the campground scene was where it was at. But it’s really when you group those moments with the ones of unbearable laughter, silly dancing, and inspirational people that a festival becomes the “best ever.” And you know what? The Northwest String Summit consistently brings the best.

Hailing from the indie music mecca of Portland, OR, the Shook Twins have enlisted Grammy Award-nominated producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Fleet Foxes, Brandi Carlile) for their third full-length studio album, What We Do, scheduled to be independently released on April 8, 2014; What We Do is mastered by Gavin Lurssen (Loretta Lynn, Tom Waits).

Hailing from the indie music mecca of Portland, OR, the Shook Twins have enlisted Grammy Award-nominated producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Fleet Foxes, Brandi Carlile) for their third full-length studio album, What We Do, scheduled to be independently released on April 8, 2014; What We Do is mastered by Gavin Lurssen (Loretta Lynn, Tom Waits).

Portland Oregon-based Indie-folk pop band Shook Twins have just announced a five show New Years Run that will kick off with good friends and fellow indie folk band Elephant Revival at The State Room in Salt Lake City. Shook Twins will join musical forces with Elephant Revival for two shows in Salt Lake City, on Dec. 30th and New Years Eve Dec. 31st celebrating and welcoming in 2014. Shook Twins then head off to Crested Butte for a solo gig on Jan.

Our final day on the mountain broke with the most gorgeous fall morning – the smell of camp stoves firing up simple breakfasts, the sound of distant birds giddy with the extravagant catch afforded them by the night’s rain, and the sweater-weather wake-up nip of a crisp autumn breeze tousling wet grass and sleepy-head hair all seemed like the sweet morning song of mother nature calling us forward and into the bright world to dance our joy into the soft, wet earth.

Saturday was a wonderful day! It started with sunshine, birds and bluegrass and ended with stars, hippies and bluegrass. The day promised to be a great one just because of the fact it was the last day of the festival. The lineup was just as good as the other days, leaving nobody disappointed. I think the only person who was sad about Saturday was the nearly-legally-blind dude I met this morning who lost his glasses. Bummer.

Sometimes I find it truly incredible how different each festival is. Sure, when you poke around in different genres you’re going to have a different vibe, but even within the realm of strings and grass, you’ll find the good and you’ll find the bad. Northwest String Summit at Horning’s Hideout in Oregon doesn’t exactly make it into either category. I think it stands alone in the “this is the most amazing, beautiful, compelling, warming, etc.

Right in the midst of a fabulous summer festival season, Portland Oregon-based Shook Twins have just announced the addition of late summer and early fall tour dates to their already stacked calendar and a new song/video premiere. A first time tour to the Midwest and South in late September and for the entire month of October, will bring the groups trademark “eclectic mix of  folks, roots, pop and fun” to a whole new audience.

Portland Oregon-based Shook Twins enter June with a completed recording project, successfully funded Kickstarter, vinyl release, and announcement of their upcoming full summer festival season calendar. In May the group headed into the studio with Grammy nominated producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Milo Greene) and in concert launched a successfully fan supported Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.

Portland Oregon-based festival favorites Shook Twins kicked off 2013 with a successful Colorado tour, newly released digital, announcement of a vinyl release, and a buzzworthy trip to SXSW.