NOISEMAKERS
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Austin and Holton Huffaker are in sync in ways most bandmates aren’t. Not only are they brothers, who both attend the University of Georgia in Athens, they’re also majoring in the same field — mechanical engineering. That’s pretty in-step, for sure. But factor in the fact that these Brunswick natives are identical twins, and their connection moves to the next level. It’s likely not lost on audiences who’ve seen them play. Their rustic harmonies and mirrored movements — the synchronicity of it all — is a bit mind blowing. Of course, it’s simply been a part of their lives, even before they were serenading crowds. Music was something that they ventured into together, when they were just 10 years old.
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G O L D E N I S LES
THE HUFFAKER BROTHERS WORDS BY LINDSEY ADKISON
“I started with drum lessons and Holton started with guitar at City Music in Brunswick,” Austin says. “I really wasn’t enjoying music back then ... and the drums really weren’t my passion, so I quit for a few years. But Holton taught me a few guitar chords when we got into high school.” That re-lit the dormant spark. Austin started focusing on the guitar and added in some vocal work. It was also around this time that the two started to gravitate toward country music. “I really wanted to learn how to sing and write songs,” Austin recalls. Unsurprisingly, Holton followed a similar path — a waning interest followed by a return to full focus. “I didn’t play as often until we got into
high school. Austin started singing and I started probably a year after him, working on harmonies and blending the sound,” Holton says. The two focused first on covering some of their favorite songs, sharing them with small groups of family and friends. Over time, their skills and confidence grew. They started billing themselves as the Huffaker Brothers, a moniker both simple and true, just like their South Georgia roots. “All our friends and parents have been really supportive. We put our first song out our sophomore year, ‘What I Am,’” Austin said. “That was more Southern rock, I’d say.” The songwriting angle became a major part of their vision. The brothers focused
