But, Ben and Chad also believe it is something they have to try. "We'll be starting small, but everyone in this business starts small. You have to take those first steps. We are aiming high, but we know we have to work hard to get there. We're not joking. We're not kidding ourselves. We're excited to see what lies ahead."

Does having a famous father, in fact, add a layer of pressure to prove themselves? "As [Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player] LeBron James says, 'I don't believe in pressure,' " Chad says.

"The only pressure is self-inflicted," Ben says. "We know the opportunity we have. We're confident that good things can happen, that we can make them happen."

They also know they have a lot of family support. "Dad encouraged us to learn music, but he left the doing of it up to us," Ben says. "Mom was the one who made us practice the piano. Dad said, 'Listen to Stevie Wonder.' "

In fact, for a time Ben was more into sports that music. "But after my mission, I found I had a passion for songwriting. In the meantime, Chad had worked really hard on the piano. He's unbelievable; what he does with chord changes, with music theory. He brings out the talents I have in lyrics and melody. We really complement each other. There are times when I'm working on a song, and I know I don't have the guitar skills to do it justice. I take it to Chad, or to Doug, who has great guitar skills, and they bring it to light."

Their songs are mostly about relationships, he says, everything from surface attraction to deep, caring love and life. Musically, "I'm more pop/rock; Chad is more jazz/soul. So it's a good mix. But it's pretty mainstream. We're not indie. We're not grassroots. We like to say Truman is classic, fun and honest."

Their music, he says, "is all about the songs. We don't have any hype, any gimmicks. Just songs. We hope that people fall in love with the songs. When someone comes up to you and says, 'I love your song' or 'that song helped me through a rough time' — that's the best feeling in the world."

It would be great to be a lead act someday, Chad says. It would be great to make a decent living with music. But most musicians, he says, "really want to make music that resonates with people. They want to leave a mark on people's hearts. We want to be among those who do."

E-mail: carma@desnews.com