I had an opportunity to interview two unique students of mine this year, Chad and Trevor Pentecost.  As twins in the military and architects, their dynamic partnership in music-making reflects a seamless collaboration born from shared experiences and a deep familial bond. Their journey, marked by tragedy, resilience, and the guidance of their eccentric father, underscores the power of authenticity, creativity, and the enduring joy of making music together.

First question. Which one or of you has Android instead of iPhone? The green text string is hurting my eyes.

Chad: I do, it's the refurbished Walmart special. Haha!

Okay, one twin on iPhone, another on Android. Cool dynamic. Mac and PC too? Who is the artsy one and who’s the techie?  And do twins have a collaborative edge over the rest of us in the art of music making?

Chad: Great questions. We both use both Mac and PC. Architecture and U.S. Army stuff are best on PC. Music and personal hobbies are better on Mac!

I would say Trevor is much more musically gifted. He’s classically trained on flute, French horn, drums to some degree, songwriting, etc. He also has a huge edge in music technology. My strengths are more limited to classical math and sciences. I think twins collaborating with similar core values and high trust is huge. It's easy to express what we want or what’s missing because we just "get" each other right away. We are both super encouraging of each other and don't really compete against each other unless it's something simple like Army PT scores.

I had to google what Army PT scores are. Ah, physical fitness scoring. Since you mention it, who is ahead right now?

Chad: Yeah specifically the Army Combat Fitness Test. Trevor has me beat right now which is cool, because I was the reigning champ for a couple of years and now it's his time to shine. I will get it back though!

This whole creative partnership is something I'm a bit jealous of. You guys have this whole other level of collaboration. I look at bands like U2 who have built this magical yet real relationship as a creative team. But even those rock gods had their verges of breakup. You guys are pretty much stuck with each other though! It seems you both excel with the creative, unique, and innovative (as opposed to being just technically capable but without artistic expression). Are you guys aware of this strength of yours?  And if so, how or why do you think this developed? How much was intentional on your part or even your parents’ part?

Trevor: We honestly don't have too much exposure to other musicians to get a read on how our collaborative style works differently, but I do think our partnership is a huge strength. Sometimes in the creative process, you hit a brick wall or you lose hope in an idea, but we've helped leapfrog each other through the creative process. For example, if I'm feeling at a dead end, Chad will pick it up and run with it a little bit farther. Then when he stalls out I'll take it further down the road. In the army, we call it "shoot, move, and communicate." When one guy is pinned down the other pushes up and makes a way for the other to advance and then you switch off. But it takes mutual deference and submission to each others' thoughts and feedback.

I love that military reference with the "shoot, move, communicate." This appeals to the type-A part of me. My first introduction to you guys was learning that you were twins and both in the Army. I tend to stereotype military people as being more type-A, obsessed with things like order, discipline, rigidity, and efficiency; definitely not strong in creativity, individualism, and self-expression. But as soon as I heard your music I was put in my place for stereotyping the military twins! You both bring a creative expression to music that breaks the barrier of musical conventions. Your music inspires me.

People often think I am heavily a creative type, but that's only because of the creative output of my music. What they don't see is the part of me that relies on discipline, organization, and all of the other type-A things that drive me. I resonate with the whole military "shoot, move, communicate" thing because there is a big side of me that has operated that way to move forward in the creative process.

Chad Pentecost: Man! This is some rich feedback, we will treasure those words.

Of course!  So I want to head straight to a life-shaping circumstance you mentioned last time we talked. You shared that your mom passed away at a young age. How old were you when your mom died? And who are you guys today as a result of that tragedy?

Chad: Trev and I were 11 years old and had that devastating experience at an age when a kid normally knows their mom well and still really needs her. 💔 We were wounded by that in ways that we didn't even fully understand until after we became Christians while attending ASU.  I would say we had to learn to see God as Father who can also supply the more motherly needs as well. I've learned that God wants us to have a "squishy" heart, not of stone but of flesh (Ezekiel 36), vulnerable to Him, and compassionate to others even if it means it can be hurt.  However, a soft heart can also pump blood and give you strength to fight! So, a lot of the heart-to-hearts that I wish I could have had with my mom I got to have directly with the Lord even as a 20 or 30-something-year-old man after I met Him in college, which is an honor and a privilege. I think children who are missing parents are maybe given an extra grace to relate to the Father because that is how God fills that void.

What a tragic loss at only 11 years old. It makes sense that would influence your perspective on God. I had a pretty solid upbringing with parents who are still together after many decades. Yet I’ve known so many others with divorced, deceased, or absent parents who have such a unique relationship with God. It’s almost as if the need or void pushes them to a deeper place of love. It's quite beautiful.

Had you started playing music by the time your mom died? What was your music journey from there and what role did music play in your life?

Trevor: We were about 10 years old when I started playing a live drum kit. I wanted to play tenor saxophone, but we couldn't afford the $45 monthly payment so we went with the flute (only a $15 monthly payment) in the hopes of leveling up to the saxophone once I got good and started earning some cash mowing lawns. However, I got pretty good at flute so I stuck with it until my sophomore year of high school. It was shortly after our mom's passing that we both started to play guitar and jam together and we also started playing in garage bands with our buddies. In hindsight, our mom's death catalyzed a desire for both of us to be more expressive. Writing songs gave me that, and Chad's electric lead/solo style was his outlet. I did write one song inspired by a cool dream I had about my mom a couple years after she died. My dad helped produce it and even got it on the radio for a couple of plays. It's called “Moon Drive.”

“Moon Drive” is beautiful, whimsical, strange, earthy, and raw. I never met your mom, but I hear a sweet personality in the music that certainly must be her. What a trip and what a gift. Your music reveals unbridled willingness to just create and express, and your family has a certain innocence in music-making that I miss. I can get caught up in this rat race to make music sound "better." But there isn't an end to that race. We need to set different creative goals that focus more on honesty and vulnerability, and you guys are displaying that. Tell me how your relationship with your dad helped shape that. 

Trevor: After our mom passed away, our dad guided us to music as a good outlet for creativity or emoting. So we would often spend Friday and Saturday nights after school with him in his recording studio just jamming covers or original jam songs that we were writing. My dad would be on bass and vocals, I'd be on drums, and Chad would be on guitar.

We would all nerd out over the details in the music of Electric Light Orchestra, Alan Parsons, or Pink Floyd, then we would jam for hours. Eventually we started recording some of our jam sessions. It’s crazy that most of our friends were probably doing sleepovers or partying with their buddies on Friday and Saturday nights, but we were jamming with our dad until the cops were called for noise complaints! Our dad is a super eccentric and enthusiastic, kind of like Doc Brown from Back to the Future! Those times with him taught us to not take ourselves too seriously and just enjoy the collaborative experience of hanging with each other and having a good time. The continual celebration like, "Whoa that was freaking cool bro! How did you do that, you got to do that again!" is what encourages me the most.

Your dad and the environment he created explains a lot. When I saw and heard the creativity I wondered where it was coming from because I knew it wasn't coming from any sort of traditional training. I think people underestimate the importance of “playing around” in the process of making music. Being "pro" as a musician can sometimes be the adversary of creativity. I've often worked with musicians who are technically impeccable, but their sense of adventure is overtaken by the need to play "right." It's crucial we don't lose the childhood "playing in the sandbox" mindset—get rid of the fears, expectations, and conventions we've learned in adulthood. Our ultimate creative state is capturing the innocence of childhood exploration. Somehow your dad not only lived this out, but he raised you guys in it! You both have had a good share of fun and I can see it in the music you make.

Trevor: In high school, I convinced my band teacher that Chad was a French horn player like myself, so he let Chad play in the high school band. He didn’t actually know how to play, so he just hummed the melody of the songs into the horn at first. I was sitting to his right so no one noticed. I think our approach was fake it til you make it, just learn what you need for now so you don't get bogged down and disillusioned in the discipline of education. And just get to being creative as quickly as possible so that you stay motivated and get hooked. Then you can learn the more regimented stuff and better deliver your craft. In the MMP (Music Mentorship Program) we did with you, I appreciated your encouragement to keep producing and keep making new songs and not get bogged down in making something perfect, because new ideas and new creativity are the goal more than one perfectly decent song.

Yeah, it was a treat to have you guys as students. You're both working architects, on active duty in the military, married, and raising kids. Got any tips for the masses out there who want to make music but also have real lives to take care of?         

Trevor: I would just say don't overthink how to make something likable to everyone. Your songs are like journal or diary entries that express your thoughts and feelings at that time. Some of those thoughts and feelings may be hard to look back on or even agree with down the road, but at the time they were real and were honestly where you were at. I prefer to have journals that capture who I was along the way versus a memoir at the end of my time here on earth, and that could be a real gift for my family and friends (and beyond if it goes that way).

It's kind of like how after my mom passed away I started reading her journals, poems, and the notes in the margins of her Bible pages. That helped me understand who she was and how certain things connected with her, and in some ways that was more helpful than the memories I had with her in our short time together. Songwriting has moments where you capture something just to capture it, and then there are others where you work over time to take things the next level with the help of mentors, like you Eric, who will be patient and also enthusiastic about your vision!

Chad and Trevor, you guys have been such a joy to have in the MMP class. Thank you for spending the time and letting me into your lives. Thank you for your military service, and thank you for your music. You have given so much to me and I know others will be touched by your story as well. Keep it up, guys!

Check out Trevor and Chad’s latest music under their artist name Danger & Glory