At tonight’s Fireside Symphony show at Verlie’s Caf, the local duo gets in the spirit of the season by filling the room with peace, love, and harmony. “We’re not loud and in-your-face,” says guitarist Brandon Kocher. “We’re not going to stand up and shout, This is our music! Our message is, Even though we live in a dark and violent world, we can keep hope alive.”
Kocher and fellow guitarist Mike Minnaugh met six years ago, when both were freshmen trying out for John Carroll University’s soccer team. Off the field, they discovered a shared love of music and, specifically, tribal instruments — like the African djembe drum and the percussive didgeridoo from Australia. In August, Kocher and Minnaugh played their first live show of original songs, many of which appear on their upcoming CD, Journey to the Soul — which carries on the whole peace-and-love message in songs like “Addicted.” “I’m not a saint,” says Kocher. “I have my own addictions. We have to realize we live in a material world, but we don’t necessarily have to live destructive lives.”
Fri., Dec. 22, 10 p.m.
This article appears in Dec 20-26, 2006.