“Before you put music out there, you have to love it – and then hopefully the fans will. There has to be an emotional connection or it won’t touch people,” says Mi Casa trumpeter Mo-T. “There’s a whole lot of love connection attached to music”.

That emotional connection to music is part of his DNA, rooted in the work of his grandfather Henry Kgasoane, who founded the Alexandra Brass Band and Henry’s Big Band, in which he played with his own son – and Mo-T’s father – Banza, himself a formidable trumpeter who was an integral part of the sound of crossover soulsters Mango Groove. Young Mo-T – then ‘just’ Moshe Kgasoane – used to steal moments on his father’s trumpet when his parents left the house, before Banza eventually decided he was old enough to be inducted into the world of big brass.

The biggest musical lesson he learned from Banza was that he should be himself and not try to mimic any other musicians. “Other things followed – staying away from drink, drugs and all that sort of stuff,” he says. “He also taught me to practice, practice and practice some more – there’s a relationship one creates with an instrument, and that only happens through practice. You can’t just play when you’re on stage – you’ll embarrass yourself”. He still practices every day – whether on his own, or as part of the group. “Sometimes it’s good to get away from being in a rehearsal room because it gives you time to experiment and learn – but on the other hand, the collaborative aspect of rehearsing together is where the big ideas are born when music is shared”.

Play By Feel

Despite his musical upbringing and being in one of the country’s biggest bands, he doesn’t read a single note of music, preferring instead to play by feel. “A lot of musicians will tell you you’re useless if you can’t read music – but if it’s in your blood, you play from the heart – and that’s far more important in delivering that emotional connection that draws people to your sound,” he says.

Fostering that emotional connection to his music is something that feeds the growth of Mi Casa as a band, too. The trio famously formed in 2011 after meeting each other for the first time at a rooftop party and jamming together on stage right away. The immediate chemistry was nurtured into an album that delivered the iconic hit These Streets, which catapulted the group to five Metro FM Music Award nominations in their first year and another five South African Music Awards nominations in their second – three of which, they scooped.

Pumping the Brakes

Success came literally overnight, with international tours, endorsements and opportunities beyond music and for years, the only way was up. Then in 2017, the whirlwind started to take its toll and the group considered splitting on the back of what Mo-T describes as ‘petty stuff’. “You have to remember that we didn’t know each other at all when we got together – and things got so busy that we never really got time to understand each other,” he says. “We’ve always considered Mi Casa as a marriage – couples fight and make up, there are good times and bad. The dips forced us to learn to communicate better and brought us closer as brothers – we know each other far better now and we’ve learnt that, just like a marriage, communication is the key”. Out of that struggle came their fourth album, Familia, which came out in August 2018 – a homage to the close-knit nature of the group, without appearances by any guest performers or producers.

His own marriage to Lovegocia in 2013 has grown him into a family man, with daughters Botlhale and Tlhalefang arriving as well. Being part of one of the continent’s most successful groups and juggling a family life hasn’t been easy, but Mo-T says it has taught him to focus more on the bigger picture. “Life has changed – now I finish a show and I can’t wait to just get home to my wife and kids,” he says. “It’s important to grow up and not stagnate and my family has really helped me do that”. His daughters are well on their way to becoming the fourth musical generation in the family. “They love singing and one is already in love with the guitar and trumpet,” he says. “They want to rehearse with me and they bring their dummy trumpets along and we play together – the support for my career starts at home and it means the world to me”.

Staying Sharp

The lessons he learned from his father about staying away from the party lifestyle have stood him in good stead – he’s a fitness fanatic who watches what he eats so he can stay physically and mentally sharp in the maelstrom of his crazy schedule. “When you’re touring, you’re not just playing – there’s all the travel, the meetings, the rehearsals, interviews and meeting our fans, so it’s very important to maintain your focus,” he says. His pursuit of his healthy lifestyle at home is single-minded, too: “I always practice and I have to train – even if it means an argument with my wife – but she knows how important it is to me”.

One of the hallmarks of Mi Casa’s music is their ability to cross all manner of boundaries, from generational through to cultural – even across borders. Mo-T says that it was never a conscious decision to create a specific sound – they’ve just continued to work together as they did on that rooftop, the first night they met. “It’s just a blessing that we have. When music comes out of love, those things happen automatically,” he says. “People always come up to us and tell us songs like Heavenly Sent have changed the way they view their partners and that These Streets sums up the way they feel about connections they make out in the world, and that’s very humbling for us”.

Where to, next?

As for the future, he says that while the group isn’t about winning awards, recognition on the scale of something like the Grammys would be a dream. “Being recognized for a song that the world knows, or being able to influence millions of people with our music – that’s the kind of thing that would make us really happy,” he says. As for his personal goals, he says he doesn’t like to mention his plans when they’re “only a quarter to done”, but he does have ambitions to pass down a taste of his life and experiences to younger musicians. “When people feel like they’re famous or they’ve achieved something, they have a tendency to think it’s all theirs and they forget to share,” he says. “My dream is to share my experience with young musicians and give them advice that’ll help them break into the music industry”. The lessons he learned from his father could end up inspiring a whole new generation of musicians…

*A version of this article appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of aha Moments! magazine.