For aspiring musicians out there, life is tough, we know. Countless hours of rehearsal, demos rejected and your fan base just doesn't seem to be getting any bigger. Great. But you've set your mind to it, and decided hitting the lounge circuit and every open mic night is your ticket to the top. It's just that those open mic nights aren't really what you expected — no one's jumping up and down or handing you a contract at the end of your set. Well, you're not alone.

Here are a few tips from our friends Isaac and Thorry Koren of The Kin to help along the way. Two experts in wowing the most apathetic and heartless crowds out there. Follow their advice and you're sure to land a contract, or at least a free drink from the bar at the end of your song. Go get 'em, tiger.

1. Get there early so you don't go on at three in the morning, especially in New York City.

2. Come up with a really bad and annoying band name. We just did that the other day by complete accident. We were recording in New Jersey and went with a friend to have a beer and he has a band name called Slushcup, which means the cup on the end of a trombone. We played a couple of love songs under the name Slushcup and no one really understood what we were doing or why we were called that, but it got their attention.

3. Wear clothing that arouses sympathy, maybe a hoodie. Don't go too far into dressing up.

4. Don't suck. Well, suck a little bit, but don't suck totally. Being too good is pointless, so sound a little bit bad.

5. And don't lose heart. Remember, you're playing to other musicians. Your dealing with all their fears and hopes and insecurities. Open mic is how you come across to other artists, it's not full of people that will become your fans. All they want to do is play themselves...

Brothers Thorry and Isaac Koren are a long way from singing harmonies in the backseat of the car on family trips in their hometown of Adelaide, Australia. The brothers, known simply as The Kin, were following different musical paths until they united to create a song as a wedding present for their father in 2003. Instantly, the brothers knew they'd stumbled upon something amazing. As Isaac said, "After we played together we realized that we couldn't not do this."

Pursuing separate endeavors that led them both to U.S. soil via New York City, The Kin went in search of the true human experience in America. They hopped into an old VW bus, left New York, and drove across the country, making friends, making fans and writing the songs that would soon become Rise and Fall. The brothers fell in love with America. They were struck by the beauty and the struggle that permeates daily life. "We were able to get a true insight into what it's like to be human," said Isaac.

In autumn 2006, the band rented a 200-year-old farm house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to record Rise and Fall. Thorry said the brothers were, "convinced the house was haunted." Still, it was there that their vision began to coalesce into an album, sparking the passions of producer Nic Hard (The Bravery, Jesse Malin, Aberdeen City), and executive producer Philip Stephano. The Kin collaborated with Stephano to build Aletheia Entertainment, an innovatively-structured, independent record label capable of sustaining their unique musical concept. Together, Hard, Stephano and The Kin set out to create an original, artistic record that was an organic expression of their experiences. As Thorry said, "We wanted to stay away from homogeny. We did not want to make a commercial record."

With the exception of strings, The Kin played every instrument on the record, including bass and drums, themselves. The brothers utilized every inch of the forty-acre property to record an unflinching, uncompromising effort that included the sounds of automobiles driving past, a hunter's bullet wizzing by, late night drunken conversations, fingers running around the rims of wine glasses and a myriad of other quirky, eccentric noises and sounds, all of which give Rise and Fall a feel and sound entirely its own.

Thorry and Isaac delved deep and expressed themselves in ways that seemed to contradict everything they thought they knew about recording. The song, "Photographs" has no recognizable words except, Photographs, as it was recorded at 3am without their knowledge while they effortlessly jammed throughout the wee hours of the night. "Desert Rose" was written and recorded on the spot. "Abraham," a song of two brothers who shared the same father that was inspired by the story of the biblical Abraham, was captured on the first take. Thorry, (the more classically trained of the two) let down his guard while playing an 18th century Steinway piano on the vulnerable interlude, "Waiting."

There, in that cold, dark house, amidst three monstrous fireplaces, a vacuous library and amongst any number of specters and apparitions, Rise and Fall was born — and in many ways, The Kin was born as well. What started out as an experimental, personal record turned into an accessible homage to the human experience, featuring 14 tracks of ambient, melodic songs, poignant lyrics and haunting harmonies. "At first the songs felt like they were only for us," said Isaac, "but soon they became songs for everybody."

After the release of Rise and Fall, the brothers worked their way into the New York music scene where their live show elicited a stirring response from all those who witnessed it. Billboard Magazine wrote, "The Australian siblings have a radiant gift for songwriting and performing that infuses their live shows and is winning believers in clubs across the United States. The Koren brothers' trump cards are their vocals and dual harmonies-unaffected and quietly passionate. Hearing their partnership is a humbling experience."

Describing themselves as "road dogs," The Kin's live show inspires swarms of new "kinfolk" to discover the band with each performance and has compelled Good Day New York (FOX) to dub them, "the most promising independent rock band in New York." Since October 2007, they have logged over 35,000 miles on their van's odometer including a full U.S. tour with Josh Kelly and the Pat McGee Band where they showcased Rise and Fall's music for eager audiences in every city and reminisced about the great land that inspired the record. They soon followed with a triumphant return to their homeland where they thrilled seas of old and new fans at the Woodford Folk Festival in Australia.

The Kin's music has been featured on radio including Q104.3 NY, 104.7 MA, WZBC Boston, WMMR and XM Radio. They've made several notable TV appearances, including FOX's Good Day New York and Fearless Music TV, Backstage with Barry Nolan on Comcast and CBS Saturday Morning's Second Cup Cafe. Their print credits include Billboard, New York Times, BMI, Time Out New York, YRB, Foam and more. Recently, the duo had three of Rise and Fall's songs featured on Lifetime TV's critically acclaimed series, Army Wives and one on CBS's hit show Moonlight.

Besides creating music that spans the globe, the brothers Koren are devoted to creating a better world. They recently began working with, and promoting the efforts of, charity:water (charityis.org), a non-profit initiative bringing clean water and basic sanitation into impoverished communities throughout Africa and the world. The band raises money through awareness and outreach via their website as well as by performing at organization sponsored events. As of March '08, they have raised over $35,000. The band also works closely with Save Darfur (savedarfur.org), an organization aimed at fighting for human rights in the Sudan region.

The Kin plan to spend the bulk of 2008 touring across the U.S., with the end of the year finding them back in the studio to record their next full length to be released in Spring 2009. As Rise and Fall was born out of admiration for the human experience in America, its follow up will pay reverence to the humanity and the experiences that make up their Australian homeland.

For more information on The Kin, be sure to visit their official Web site — TheKin.com.