No stagefright for this young, acoustic duo

COEUR d’ALENE — They’ve only been strumming, picking and singing together for six months, but this high school freshman and seventh-grader have already played more gigs than each of their ages.

Colby Acuff, 15, and Justin Sherfey, 13, have performed in public about 20 times since the first time they broke out their instruments and jammed together last September.

“And we have a ton more gigs on the horizon,” Colby said.

The acoustic duo wowed the audience when they performed last month at the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards banquet.

Colby, who attends Lake City High School, plays guitar and sings, while Justin, a student at Spokane’s Chase Middle School, alternates between fiddle, mandolin and guitar while providing vocal harmonies.

The young string musicians met for the first time less than a year ago, in April, at a youth talent competition in Spokane.

After hearing each other’s melodic skills, the boys had a pretty good idea their talents would mesh well.

They were right.

Together, they perform mainly country and classic rock tunes — a little Johnny Cash, some Van Morrison and more.

“They are each extremely talented in different areas that complement each other very well,” said Colby’s mom, Heidi Acuff.

Although they are young, each of the boys has several years of performance experience under his belt.

Colby began performing when he was just 7 years old. He sang, played the drums and eventually, he picked up the guitar.

An impromptu performance three years ago was a life-changing experience for the young musician.

While on a pheasant-hunting trip in Montana, Colby and his dad went into a bar and grill to grab a bite.

“There was this guy playing guitar,"Colby said.

Colby was 12 at the time and had been playing guitar himself for about three months. Father and son began talking with the musician and his brother, and before long, Colby was sitting in with the entertainer.

“I did ‘Folsom Prison,’ and they really liked it,” Colby said.

The guitar-player and his brother looked at Colby’s old beater guitar and before the end of the night, the bar player traded his own guitar, a pricey boutique acoustic, for young Colby’s.

That guitar player turned out to be country superstar Kenny Chesney’s steel guitar player.

Colby still plays that guitar, and stays in touch with its former owner, occasionally traveling to sit in with the professional musician.

Justin began playing fiddle when he was 8 years old. It’s in his blood.

“My grandpa plays fiddle. That’s how I got started,” Justin said.

A third-generation fiddler — his mom plays a bit too — Justin was born in 1998, while his grandfather was performing at the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho.

Justin has since performed for thousands of people and won numerous awards. He is among the top young fiddlers in the nation, a two-time Washington State junior division champion, and a two-time Northwest Regional fiddle and picking champ.

Since Colby and Justin began playing together, performance requests have poured in.

Colby’s mom, Heidi, and Justin’s mother, Lori, do most of the booking and management for their sons.

Many of their performance opportunities arise while they are out playing, Lori said.

Colby and Justin are performing Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at a Viking Field House fundraiser at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Lodge, 209 E. Sherman Ave. The fundraiser is open to members of the public age 21 and up. Renovators will perform from 7 to 11 p.m. Admission is a $5 donation to the field house project.

Maureen Dolan can be reached at www.twitter.com/MaureenDolanCdA or by email, mdolan@cdapress.com