The origin of the band “Nayme Brand” began with Kevin Baker’s adolescent humor and laidback attitude towards the copyright process.

“When I was filling out paperwork for my first band, the form asked for a stage name so I put Kevin Name,” he said. “The rest of the band teased me, but we messed around with the spelling and it stuck.”

Decades later, Nayme Brand has evolved into music, ministry and a shared mission with Kevin’s wife, Kristen.

The couple met in 2007 while Kevin was playing a 10-day gig in Daytona Beach and she was visiting from New Jersey on spring break. “We both felt an instant connection,” Kristen says. “Over the next few weeks, we kept each other company long distance on our flip phones.”

Kristen moved to Florida that summer, just before their first kiss, which occurred out in the woods and inspired by . . . a wild boar. “It just appeared out of nowhere and the next thing I knew she was in my arms,” Kevin says.

They got married in August 2008, and about a year later, Kevin bought her a bass and an amp and began teaching her how to play. “I never saw myself as a musician,” Kristen says. “But it’s part of our journey.”

That journey continued for years as he performed at EPCOT as a guitarist in Disney’s British Revolution, while she worked as a bartender at the Marriott. “We met so many people,” Kristen says. “That whole experience was filled with positive energy.”

In 2020, the pandemic hit and both were let go with barely any notice. “We didn’t know what to do,” Kristen says. “One day we were fully employed living our life and the next day it was over.”

Both were newly sober at the time, and as they neared their one-year sobriety milestone, they decided to mark the occasion with a livestreamed music session. “That first livestream is still on our Facebook page,” Kristen says. “It wasn’t perfect, but it was real and people connected with it.”

The audience grew, with some in recovery and others simply needing to connect. One viewer, watching from a hospital bed due to alcohol poisoning, kept coming back.

“Now he’s five years sober,” Kevin says. “It still gives me chills.”

Kevin, a native Texan, is known for playing his guitar behind his head, the signature move he picked up in high school while emulating his hero Stevie Ray Vaughan.

These days, their faith is the foundation of everything they do. “I grew up believing in God,” Kevin says. “My grandfather was a pastor, but I didn’t feel a true connection until a friend invited me to play guitar at Kensington Church in Windermere, which is now called Crossline.”

He teaches guitar six days a week at Nayme Brand Studios in Leesburg, instructing students age 5 to 85. His teaching approach is personal and often includes mentorship alongside music instruction.

“I’ve worked with students overcoming traumatic brain injuries and all kinds of challenges,” he says.
“I try to meet each one where they are, as I believe the years I spent as a youth leader shaped my mindset into being a teacher and a life coach.”

The couple lives in Leesburg, performing as Nayme Brand and blending covers with original worship music. Their tagline, “Playing name brand hits throughout the decades,” was Kristen’s idea to help people pronounce the quirky name.

They love to walk to work, as Kevin teaches just down the street and Kristen works mornings at Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the center of town. Evenings are spent performing, writing or planning events through WOW Cares, their nonprofit supporting Worship on the Water, a free monthly faith and music event held every third Sunday at Venetian Gardens in Leesburg. 

The Bakers’ faith often shows up in the way they interact with others.

“People who aren’t Christian will say that there is something extra about our vibe and we think what they’re really feeling is just the Jesus in us,” Kevin says.

Together, Kevin and Kristen are six years sober and believe that their marriage, music and ministry are built on grace, purpose and a desire to help others find peace and joy through faith.

“We’re not trying to be famous,” Kevin says. “We’re just trying to love people well, play honest music and use whatever we’ve been given to serve something greater than ourselves.” 

Photos: Nicole Hamel