At the age of 14, Dana and Lauren started their professional music career in their bluegrass band the Shankman Twins and released their debut album, Duality, a captivating mix of bluegrass, country and cajun. Duality featured their hit song “Waterbound,” which stayed on the national bluegrass charts for a remarkable 15 months. The Shankman Twins were nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year by Bluegrass Now Magazine. An early supporter and fan was bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, who was so impressed by their vocals, and spirited picking and bowing style that Stanley invited Dana and Lauren to perform as his special guest on many performances.

The Shankman Twins critically acclaimed performance of the song “Winter Wonderland” appeared on the Rounder Records “O’ Christmas Tree” compilation album. The Shankman Twins toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe performing at all the top bluegrass festivals such as Grey Fox, RockyGrass and many others.