Siblings flavor
rock and pop
with the sweet
sound of folk.
= TH E DETRO IT JE WIS H NEWS
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RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
Carrie Chugar (above)
knew she wanted to be a
singer at age 11.
Eddie Chugar (right)
returned to guitar playing
after a stint on stage.
hen inspiration strikes Carrie
Chugar during a workday, she
runs to the nearest phone, dials
her home number and sings to
her answering machine.
"I never actually learned to
write music, so recording
melodies when they hit me real-
ly helps," she says.
Carrie, 23, and her brother,
Eddie, 26, have used the tools of
their talents — vocal chords and
guitar chords — to create more
than 40 original songs.
She sings. He strums. Togeth-
er, they've performed at a variety
of local venues, including Gotham
City Cafe in Ferndale, Alvin's in
Detroit and Meadowbrook Mall
in Rochester. They have done
benefit shows and their music
has been heard over radio air-
waves, including 89X and college
stations.
Over the past three years, Car-
rie and Eddie have appeared on
cable television shows, including
their own, 'The Sweet Sounds of
the Chugars." The siblings say
they don't want to be a bar band,
performing pop
songs on request.
For them, writing
original work is
part of the passion.
"Our songs come
from within. When
we play, it comes
from the soul.
There's more sub-
stance to it," Eddie
says. "I think that's
why people respond
to us. (And) no one's
going to become a
big name singing
somebody else's
songs."
Carrie and Ed-
die's professional rela-
tionship began eight
years ago, when they
took the moniker of their
Latvian ancestors and
formed the Chugars (pro-
nounced: Sugars. Their
real last name is Cohn).
The Oak Park natives
have since produced two
cassette tapes. The lat-
est, released this year, is
a "demo," which they
hope will help boost them
into the big time.
"We're trying to get as
much exposure as possi-
ble," Carrie says.
"Entertaining is our
lives."
Carrie's voice ranges
from a gritty, soulful alto
to a fluid, flirtatious so-
prano. Blended with Ed-
die's acoustic guitar, the
music resonates with
sounds of their diverse
idols: Indigo Girls, the
Beatles, Pat Benatai,
Boston, and Ten Thou-
sand Maniacs.
The duo says its songs
— which combine rock,
pop and folk — appeal to
a broad spectrum of mu-
sic-goers. Top-40 types
"dig 'em." Headbangers
"get stoked." And the
more mellow crowd, well,
they go for the jazzy un-
dertones.
"Young people like us,
and then there's my fa-
ther who's in his 60s,"
Carrie says. (He loves
them, too.)
The Chugar partner-
ship goes a long way back Carrie and Eddie Chugar practice under blue skies in their native Oak Park.
to their childhood in Oak
Park where Carrie and Eddie lessons, but, at 11 years old, she pitches in to help market their
produced the "Kathy Reinstein knew music was for her. A choir talent.
The Chugars are vegetarian
Show." Hovering over the family teacher asked her to sing a solo
recorder, they performed mock during a spring concert at school. and they stress the importance
The performance was met with a of clean living — sans drugs
interviews.
Carrie took the role of Kathy roar of applause which became a and alcohol. "Being drug- and al-
cohol-free has helped us spiritu-
Reinstein, an obnoxious talk- standing ovation.
"It was the most awesome ally and artistically," says Eddie.
show host, and Eddie — always
the comic — played an array of high," she says. "I walked off the "A clear mind helps us be more
wacky guests. `We were hosting stage and knew this is what I creative."
Does sibling rivalry ever get in
talk shows before talk shows even wanted to do."
Since joining forces in 1986, the the way? Of course, but not often.
existed," Eddie says.
He took guitar lessons, but Chugars- have kept a steady Eddie and Carrie have their own
stopped practicing for a while to focus on their lifetime goals. favorite tunes, so they sometimes
take up acting. One memorable Though both hold down jobs, disagree on repertoire, but, says
performance was his lead role in music is their prime pursuit. Carrie: `We really don't argue
a Camp Tamarack production of They are determined to sign a that much."
The Chugars will be perform-
"The Tortoise and the Hare." Ed- contract with a large record corn-
pany sometime in the near fu- ing at the Coyote Club in Pontiac
die played the hare.
Carrie never took formal voice ture. Their brother, Barry Cohn, 9 p.m. to midnight June 9.O