arts & life

music

(Un)

Sisters and brother

trio Ariel, Zoey & Eli,

Too perform in their

hometown.

Suzanne Chessler

Contributing Writer

The twins at the launch of

their TV show in 2010

details

Ariel & Zoey & Eli, Too will
entertain at 1:30 p.m. Saturday,
Dec. 12, at the Michigan Theater
in Ann Arbor. $10-$12. (734) 668-
8397, ext. 21; michtheater.org .

A

nn Arbor teens Ariel, Zoey and Eli
Engelbert make music with a strong
sense of family — their own — while
performing together, as well as the one that
keeps growing as they attract an enthusiastic
following.
Seven years of devoted work on stage, record-
ings and TV has resulted in an international
Facebook fan base exceeding 630,000 and vid-
eos viewed more than 35 million times.
Dad Matthew Engelbert, who had hoped
to be a performer but wound up as a business
consultant, manages the trio and produces their
recordings and TV shows — the entertainment-
focused Ariel & Zoey & Eli, Too and the behind-
the-scenes-capturing Steal the Show.
Both programs, aired Saturday mornings on
the COZI network, had early financing help
through Michigan film incentives.
Ariel and Zoey, 17-year-old identical twins
who launched as a duo, morphed into the trio
Ariel & Zoey & Eli, Too when the youngest
member, now 14, revealed his own musical tal-
ents after a brief stint as his sisters' announcer.
While all three enjoy composing, singing and
web communicating with fans, they differ on
their instrumental preferences — a piano for
Ariel, a ukulele for Zoey and a guitar for Eli.
Private lessons advanced their skills.
Their newest song ("365 Days 'Til
Christmas"), written with coach and collabora-
tor Jim Peterik (Grammy winner and writer
of the songs "Eye of the Tiger; "The Search Is
Over" and "Vehicle"), will be presented in a holi-
day concert Saturday afternoon, Dec. 12, at the
Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor to extend the
Not Just for Kids series.
"We'll be doing seasonal songs, some original
and some that people know well:' Zoey says. "It
will be part of having fun with what we do:'
She explains that the new, lighthearted song
is about a youngster disappointed with Santa's
gifts. He writes a letter reminding Santa of what
he wants and then begins counting the days
until the next set of reindeer-driven deliveries.
The trio, who get their Jewish heritage
through their father, approach the holidays with
a diverse outlook Performance encouragement
comes from mom, Caroline, an entertain-
ment enthusiast who studied theater at Albion
College.
The teens' professional path started after
Engelbert heard his daughters sing "Rainbow

Left to right: Zoey, Eli and Ariel Engelbert

Connection" at school and suggested they
make a CD just for fun. After the recording was
played, he decided it should be marketed and
made plans to showcase the girls' talents.
Success, which had them traveling to distant
venues, led to homeschooling through the
Clonlara School, a private educational institu-
tion. Grandmother Lynn Engelbert, who earns
TV wardrobe credits, helps with instruction.
"It's a lot of fun to be with my sister and
brother because we get along really weir says
Ariel, who defines herself as "the quiet one'
Zoey thinks of herself as "the bossiest" and Eli
says he's "the tall one who does what they tell

While the trio experiences work as fun, even
when they use music to address serious subjects,
they make time to bring their talents to places
where others could use some fun. The siblings
support military families with special shows and
visits.
The three have entertained children of
wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Washington, D.C., and were invited
to headline the 2011 Celebration of Our
Military Kids' Star Power event at the U.S. Navy
Memorial, also in Washington.
"Members of the U.S. military are our heroes,"
Eli says. "They protect our liberties:'
The trio have found that communicating with
fans can be very serious with reactions to issues
covered in their music. They joined with Peterik
in 2012, when he introduced them to his song
"Hey Bully!" and asked them to record it.
After a Canadian fan emailed that she was
going to commit suicide, Ariel and Zoey kept
the girl engaged in email exchanges while Dad
contacted policing authorities able to reach the
desperate teen while she was still online.
Alex Johnson, owner and director of the
Ann Arbor Music Center, has been important
to helping the siblings develop the rock talents
seen on the TV shows. The entertainment pro-

gram is filmed in Ann Arbor, and the reality
series is done in Chicago, where Peterik is based.
The four music makers received a 2015
Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding
Original Song.
"The song was 'Just Keep Swimming:"
explains Zoey, who originated the idea for
the number recorded on their label, Soup J, a
name that picks up on dad's nickname when a
University of Michigan student
"The song is about a makeup artist with
terminal cancer. We saw her on television and
heard her say that in tough times, people should
`just keep swimming.."'
The Engelbert siblings attribute their success
to loving each other and sharing strong musi-
cal interests. While there is not much time or
opportunity to establish deep peer friendships,
they have developed individual interests for free
moments.
Ariel likes knitting and crafting. Zoey prefers
crocheting and comic books. Eli takes to video
games and creating electronic music.
"I have followed the lead of the kids — what
they love and the ways they're evolving; says
Engelbert, who helped them launch by initiating
contacts for special appearances and establish-
ing a website (arielandzoey.com ) to showcase
his children's abilities.
Before Eli joined his sisters, the twins gained
attention by singing the national anthem for a
Pistons' game in Michigan and a Mets' game in
New York They sang "Hatikvah" at a program
that raised funds to address hunger issues in
Israel.
Dad wants to make sure the trio understands
the importance of branding, licensing, mar-
keting and merchandising, involving them in
business necessities. Still, the siblings consider
themselves "awkward," one of the issues fans
bring up through the web.
"We're one big online family:' Zoey says.
"We're all here for each other" *

JIM

December 10 2015

45

