It is hard enough for the average high schooler to balance friends, academics and sleep, as many Palo Alto High School students can attest. However, two Paly students manage to do just that, in addition to spending almost every afternoon together practicing music. The duo recently performed at its first paying gig, and is now planning to continue performing at local open mic nights.

Juniors Remi Wolf and Chloe Zilliac make up the aptly named band Remi and Chloe.

“She [Wolf] comes over almost every day after school, and we do homework and practice,” Zilliac said. “We’re best friends, which is what makes us so special.”

The singer-songwriter duo began performing together last year at local open mic nights, and were elated to play a paid gig, a sold-out show at Angelica’s Bell Theatre in Redwood City, according to Wolf and Zilliac. The girls were excited for the new opportunity, but also a bit nervous.

“This concert was our first paid gig,” Zilliac said. “We had to work really hard to put together sufficient material to play for two hours.”

Another new aspect of this concert was the full band of other local high schoolers, which backed the usually acoustic duo. While Wolf and Zilliac chose to perform half of the concert with just their voices and guitars, the second half was supplemented with drums, a bass and an electric guitar while the girls set their own acoustic guitars aside to focus on the vocals.

“I love all of our guys [in the band],” Wolf said. “They are some of the best musicians I have ever played with, and are also great friends. We were really lucky to have the opportunity to play with them.”

Zilliac agrees.

“I thought it was a great experience, being able to play with such awesome musicians,” Zilliac agreed. “Our band did a fantastic job of helping us put together all of the material.”

All their hard practice payed off, according to Paly junior Noam Shemtov, who attended the concert.

“Remi and Chloe’s concert was one of the best live music events I’ve ever attended,” Shemtov said. “I’d heard the two sing before, but never in the context of a formal performance, and I was absolutely floored from the first note to the last.”

Shemtov also commented on the energy the duo projected while onstage.

“Remi and Chloe’s stage presence was not that of a novice band,” he said. “The audience really fed off their energy, and everybody was up dancing.”

Wolf and Zilliac also embraced the energy of the concert.

“The place was full of awesome vibes and the setting allowed us to express ourselves,” Wolf said.

The duo has already been booked for a second paying gig at Angelica’s this coming January. Until then, Remi and Chloe will continue performing in open mics at local coffee shops. The band will play a feature at Mountain View’s Red Rock Coffee this coming Monday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m, according to Wolf and Zilliac. They also spend time in recording studios, where they work to record their original songs.  Their first single, Carousel, is already available on iTunes for 99 cents.

You can check out past stories about Remi and Chloe’s performance at Teens on the Green, as well as the preview to their Concert at Angelica’s.

To stay updated on Remi and Chloe’s upcoming gigs, visit their Facebook page and subscribe to their youtube channel.