Loves It

The twangs the thang on this natural, earnest, straightforward love letter to folksy, rural, honky tonkin' Americana that manages to somehow simultaneously coexist as a burlesque of the same music. This magic trick is pulled off, in part, by clever, thrilling songwriting, and clear-voiced, confident singing by both the dude and lady. Love it, indeed! - Rocktober

The twangs the thang on this natural, earnest, straightforward love letter to folksy, rural, honky tonkin' Americana that manages to somehow simultaneously coexist as a burlesque of the same music. This magic trick is pulled off, in part, by clever, thrilling songwriting, and clear-voiced, confident singing by both the dude and lady. Love it, indeed! - Rocktober

Austin-based duo Loves It releases sophomore album All We Are
Single 'The Angels Sing' is available now
News · NyW · November 2nd, 2013 · 504 Views
Last Edited by: Chris MUG5 Maguire November 7th, 2013.

“The Angels Sing” is a Sam Cooke-inspired tune written on a screen porch in Smithville, Missouri by Jenny Parrott, half of the Austin-based duo Loves It. For a band that is on tour most of the time, songs tend to arrive on the fly and are influenced by the ever-changing surroundings. As Parrott explains, “We were at a festival bonding with other musicians, and I was overcome by the experience. I really felt just how much I wanted music to be my life, and how these longings can be a forbidden desire. Hence, the angels are singing to me, and giving me advice to be cautious. It’s a reminder to stop looking ahead so much and enjoy the day.”

WATCH | Loves It - 'The Angels Sing'



Born in Austin in 2010, this duo of dual songwriters (Jenny Parrott and Vaughn Walters) has already performed hundreds of shows in the US, Europe and Asia since that time. The harmony driven pair plays with veneration for tradition, and a determination to bring a modern voice to their favorite folk, country, gospel and punk sounds. It’s welcoming music that has already drawn the attention of Rolling Stone and Austin’s NPR-affiliate KUTX, which have both featured the duo’s tune 'Wild,' the first single from the band’s sophomore album All We Are.

WATCH | Loves It - 'Wild'



Of the monster trucks seen in the video for 'Wild,' Walters explains, “They’re right next to my folk’s house in Macomber, so we asked if we could use them in the shoot and they were cool with it. It’s gotta be one of the greatest video props going!” The entire production was completed by director Geoff Hoskinson with a budget of $300, some food and a keg of beer. As Parrott recalls, “By the time the keg ran out, Geoff’s battery was about done as well!” When they aren’t making homespun music videos, Loves It is touring, a subject the band recently discussed as part of an in-depth interview with touring bible Pollstar.

“We played 200 shows in 2011 supporting our first album,” says Walters. “It would have been 220 shows, but we had to cancel a month of shows because we got plowed by a beer truck.” Fully functioning again, the band is out on the road through the end of the year.

Read more at http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/162602-austin-based-duo-loves-releases-sophomore-album.html#iiRMM9rvtmLa3xzp.99 - Alt Sounds

Austin-based duo Loves It releases sophomore album All We Are
Single 'The Angels Sing' is available now
News · NyW · November 2nd, 2013 · 504 Views
Last Edited by: Chris MUG5 Maguire November 7th, 2013.

“The Angels Sing” is a Sam Cooke-inspired tune written on a screen porch in Smithville, Missouri by Jenny Parrott, half of the Austin-based duo Loves It. For a band that is on tour most of the time, songs tend to arrive on the fly and are influenced by the ever-changing surroundings. As Parrott explains, “We were at a festival bonding with other musicians, and I was overcome by the experience. I really felt just how much I wanted music to be my life, and how these longings can be a forbidden desire. Hence, the angels are singing to me, and giving me advice to be cautious. It’s a reminder to stop looking ahead so much and enjoy the day.”

WATCH | Loves It - 'The Angels Sing'



Born in Austin in 2010, this duo of dual songwriters (Jenny Parrott and Vaughn Walters) has already performed hundreds of shows in the US, Europe and Asia since that time. The harmony driven pair plays with veneration for tradition, and a determination to bring a modern voice to their favorite folk, country, gospel and punk sounds. It’s welcoming music that has already drawn the attention of Rolling Stone and Austin’s NPR-affiliate KUTX, which have both featured the duo’s tune 'Wild,' the first single from the band’s sophomore album All We Are.

WATCH | Loves It - 'Wild'



Of the monster trucks seen in the video for 'Wild,' Walters explains, “They’re right next to my folk’s house in Macomber, so we asked if we could use them in the shoot and they were cool with it. It’s gotta be one of the greatest video props going!” The entire production was completed by director Geoff Hoskinson with a budget of $300, some food and a keg of beer. As Parrott recalls, “By the time the keg ran out, Geoff’s battery was about done as well!” When they aren’t making homespun music videos, Loves It is touring, a subject the band recently discussed as part of an in-depth interview with touring bible Pollstar.

“We played 200 shows in 2011 supporting our first album,” says Walters. “It would have been 220 shows, but we had to cancel a month of shows because we got plowed by a beer truck.” Fully functioning again, the band is out on the road through the end of the year.

Read more at http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/162602-austin-based-duo-loves-releases-sophomore-album.html#iiRMM9rvtmLa3xzp.99 - Alt Sounds

Austin duo Loves It! took the show to another level. In the same vein as Ellis, they were able to connect the traditional with the modern, playing their blend of folk with hints of indie pop. At times, the interplay between Jenny Parrott and Vaughn Walters was lighthearted and whimsical, evoking stomping feet and bobbing heads. The duo's cover of NOFX's "Linoleum" stood up to Ellis's Clash cover with its boldness and quirkiness without the schtick. Other songs were heartbreaking stories with tragically gorgeous vocal harmonies, hearkening The Avett Brothers with the sincerity and intimacy of The Civil Wars. - The Deli - Kansas City

Austin duo Loves It! took the show to another level. In the same vein as Ellis, they were able to connect the traditional with the modern, playing their blend of folk with hints of indie pop. At times, the interplay between Jenny Parrott and Vaughn Walters was lighthearted and whimsical, evoking stomping feet and bobbing heads. The duo's cover of NOFX's "Linoleum" stood up to Ellis's Clash cover with its boldness and quirkiness without the schtick. Other songs were heartbreaking stories with tragically gorgeous vocal harmonies, hearkening The Avett Brothers with the sincerity and intimacy of The Civil Wars. - The Deli - Kansas City

When Jenny Parrott put down her guitar Wednesday night for an a cappella rendition of Johnny Rodgers’ “Jerusalem,” the Cafe Nine audience couldn’t help but feel that the song was her elegy to the city where she grew up.

Parrott, who grew up in Morris Cove, came back to New Haven after years in Texas and hundreds of shows around the world. She couldn’t help but feel that her hometown was no longer home.

Parrott and bandmate Vaughn Waters comprise Loves It!, an indie-folk-country-blues duo formerly based in Austin. They now operate out of a van just large enough to fit a mattress and a couple of guitars. They sang their version of “Jerusalem” Wednesday night at Cafe Nine on Crown Street for a intimate audience consisting mostly of friends and family. (Click on the play arrow above to watch a sample.)

“It always makes me nervous to play for friends,” Parrott said. “Strangers don’t know the meaning of your songs, but friends know exactly what you are talking about in your lyrics.”

None of that nervousness came up during the hour-and-a-half show, which besides the Rodgers cover included a healthy dose of the duo’s original music. Throughout, Parrott and Walters sounded like what they are—veteran traveling minstrels.

“I think we played two hundred shows last year,” said Walters (pictured below), who originally hails from Macomber, a town in West Virginia that he said has 51inhabitants.


Vaughn Walters

Americana
The duo’s travels certainly inflect their lyrics, which are full of place names. They sang of America in close harmony, taking the audience on a tour of farms in West Virginia, streets in Texas, liberals arts colleges in upstate New York, and the grave of Graham Parsons by the Joshua Tree.

The show felt like the contemporary version of whatever it was that the Rolling Thunder Revue was trying to recreate.

Some of the lyrics were charmingly naïve: “I’m just a boy from the farm / and I ain’t no big city light.” Others were more serious: “By ones and twos / people we loose / what do we do / when the loss becomes of no use?”

Parrott and Walters produced a wide range of sounds with a just a couple of instruments. At different points, they were able to make an acoustic guitar sound like an electric bass, a drum kit, a harp, and a washboard.

Their set list went all the way from the bluesy soul of “The Angels Sing” to the almost-pop-punk of “My So-Called Life” and to “Dixieland”—a heartbreaking lament for the tragedies of war and the lost soul of the South. (Click on the arrow to watch a clip).

Homeward Bound
Parrott hasn’t lived in New Haven since she left her Morris Cove home at age 18 to go to college out of state.

“It doesn’t feel like home anymore. Texas doesn’t feel like home either. I don’t think I’ve settled that part of myself yet—but I do have a lot of great memories of this town,” she said.

Among those memories are long walks on the beach at Lighthouse Point, sitting on the exhaust vents of Yale’s Beinecke Library to keep warm late at night in the winter, and climbing one of the oil tanks at the Q Bridge and talking there with a friend until dawn.

She spoke so passionately about this town that on her lips Rodgers’ lyrics took on a whole new meaning:

“Jerusalem is filled with holy people . . .
Jerusalem is filled with crazy people . . .
I think we all want truth.” - New Haven Independent

When Jenny Parrott put down her guitar Wednesday night for an a cappella rendition of Johnny Rodgers’ “Jerusalem,” the Cafe Nine audience couldn’t help but feel that the song was her elegy to the city where she grew up.

Parrott, who grew up in Morris Cove, came back to New Haven after years in Texas and hundreds of shows around the world. She couldn’t help but feel that her hometown was no longer home.

Parrott and bandmate Vaughn Waters comprise Loves It!, an indie-folk-country-blues duo formerly based in Austin. They now operate out of a van just large enough to fit a mattress and a couple of guitars. They sang their version of “Jerusalem” Wednesday night at Cafe Nine on Crown Street for a intimate audience consisting mostly of friends and family. (Click on the play arrow above to watch a sample.)

“It always makes me nervous to play for friends,” Parrott said. “Strangers don’t know the meaning of your songs, but friends know exactly what you are talking about in your lyrics.”

None of that nervousness came up during the hour-and-a-half show, which besides the Rodgers cover included a healthy dose of the duo’s original music. Throughout, Parrott and Walters sounded like what they are—veteran traveling minstrels.

“I think we played two hundred shows last year,” said Walters (pictured below), who originally hails from Macomber, a town in West Virginia that he said has 51inhabitants.


Vaughn Walters

Americana
The duo’s travels certainly inflect their lyrics, which are full of place names. They sang of America in close harmony, taking the audience on a tour of farms in West Virginia, streets in Texas, liberals arts colleges in upstate New York, and the grave of Graham Parsons by the Joshua Tree.

The show felt like the contemporary version of whatever it was that the Rolling Thunder Revue was trying to recreate.

Some of the lyrics were charmingly naïve: “I’m just a boy from the farm / and I ain’t no big city light.” Others were more serious: “By ones and twos / people we loose / what do we do / when the loss becomes of no use?”

Parrott and Walters produced a wide range of sounds with a just a couple of instruments. At different points, they were able to make an acoustic guitar sound like an electric bass, a drum kit, a harp, and a washboard.

Their set list went all the way from the bluesy soul of “The Angels Sing” to the almost-pop-punk of “My So-Called Life” and to “Dixieland”—a heartbreaking lament for the tragedies of war and the lost soul of the South. (Click on the arrow to watch a clip).

Homeward Bound
Parrott hasn’t lived in New Haven since she left her Morris Cove home at age 18 to go to college out of state.

“It doesn’t feel like home anymore. Texas doesn’t feel like home either. I don’t think I’ve settled that part of myself yet—but I do have a lot of great memories of this town,” she said.

Among those memories are long walks on the beach at Lighthouse Point, sitting on the exhaust vents of Yale’s Beinecke Library to keep warm late at night in the winter, and climbing one of the oil tanks at the Q Bridge and talking there with a friend until dawn.

She spoke so passionately about this town that on her lips Rodgers’ lyrics took on a whole new meaning:

“Jerusalem is filled with holy people . . .
Jerusalem is filled with crazy people . . .
I think we all want truth.” - New Haven Independent

When you’re in a band, you gotta be ready for a bit of travel. “I know just about every Sprinter mechanic in the country,” said Vaughn Walters of his band’s mode of transport in a September interview with Pollstar. He, along with musical partner Jenny Parrott, make up the local, hard-tourin’, folk-rock duo Loves It.

Walters was a punk-rocking West Virginian with a taste for country and Parrott loved gospel and folk growin’ up. The pair came together as Loves It in Austin back in 2010. According to the band, in their first year together “played 197 shows, 8 countries, had a terrible car wreck with an 18-wheeler, learned fiddle, made experimental recordings in Berlin with Boris Hauf,” and plenty more. Not to stress it too much, again, that was just year one.

On Tuesday, October 29, the band releases their sophomore record All We Are. To celebrate, they’re playin’ a show Wednesday (Oct. 30) at the White Horse. Rolling Stone recently picked up what they’re puttin’ down, and featured a track off the new record called “Wild.” If you couldn’t tell by the name, there’s freedom in this tune. It’s got a delightfully mischievous swing. Parrott injects some good-natured country sass into her vocals, and Walters’ punk past shows a bit in his. But when they come together, it’s natural, welcoming. It’s a fun tune, fit for a long road trip. - KUTX

When you’re in a band, you gotta be ready for a bit of travel. “I know just about every Sprinter mechanic in the country,” said Vaughn Walters of his band’s mode of transport in a September interview with Pollstar. He, along with musical partner Jenny Parrott, make up the local, hard-tourin’, folk-rock duo Loves It.

Walters was a punk-rocking West Virginian with a taste for country and Parrott loved gospel and folk growin’ up. The pair came together as Loves It in Austin back in 2010. According to the band, in their first year together “played 197 shows, 8 countries, had a terrible car wreck with an 18-wheeler, learned fiddle, made experimental recordings in Berlin with Boris Hauf,” and plenty more. Not to stress it too much, again, that was just year one.

On Tuesday, October 29, the band releases their sophomore record All We Are. To celebrate, they’re playin’ a show Wednesday (Oct. 30) at the White Horse. Rolling Stone recently picked up what they’re puttin’ down, and featured a track off the new record called “Wild.” If you couldn’t tell by the name, there’s freedom in this tune. It’s got a delightfully mischievous swing. Parrott injects some good-natured country sass into her vocals, and Walters’ punk past shows a bit in his. But when they come together, it’s natural, welcoming. It’s a fun tune, fit for a long road trip. - KUTX

Loves It are a Texas duo who understand the roots of rock’n'roll by weaving it with everything from R&B to country and pop, before the music became something else and more mainstream. All We Are is a 13-track album (their second) that goes back to a time when there was a ruthlessness about everything from sex, lust, love, and just mere passion for anything and everything, even the non-sexual. Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott both play and sing with a passion, and even that would have lead to arrests decades ago, and they do it with the kind of sensibility that has nothing to do with sensibilities. Or if something like a sensibility didn’t exist. “Dancin’”, “Western Swing Murder”, “Appalachian Ballad”, and “The Angels Sing” all sound like songs that would not fit together, but they fit perfectly here because of how they write and sing their songs, and how they’re each performed. “(Would You Like To Be) My First Divorce” hurts when it should but feels loving because it is. “Scab”? Peel it and find out much of a relief it is. Real country music? Hear the heartbreak of “Flag”. You don’t have to live in a town with a population of less than 500 to feel this, Loves It know how to pull all of the right strings because they truly love what they do, and what they do is with a passion. Fear it, or embrace and love it forever. They are a forever type of group. - This Is Book's Music

Loves It are a Texas duo who understand the roots of rock’n'roll by weaving it with everything from R&B to country and pop, before the music became something else and more mainstream. All We Are is a 13-track album (their second) that goes back to a time when there was a ruthlessness about everything from sex, lust, love, and just mere passion for anything and everything, even the non-sexual. Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott both play and sing with a passion, and even that would have lead to arrests decades ago, and they do it with the kind of sensibility that has nothing to do with sensibilities. Or if something like a sensibility didn’t exist. “Dancin’”, “Western Swing Murder”, “Appalachian Ballad”, and “The Angels Sing” all sound like songs that would not fit together, but they fit perfectly here because of how they write and sing their songs, and how they’re each performed. “(Would You Like To Be) My First Divorce” hurts when it should but feels loving because it is. “Scab”? Peel it and find out much of a relief it is. Real country music? Hear the heartbreak of “Flag”. You don’t have to live in a town with a population of less than 500 to feel this, Loves It know how to pull all of the right strings because they truly love what they do, and what they do is with a passion. Fear it, or embrace and love it forever. They are a forever type of group. - This Is Book's Music

Loves It
All We Are
Team Austin
Street: 10.29
Loves It = She and Him + Chapin Sisters + Dave Edmunds
When the first track on a record is an a cappella duet and you actually don’t get sick in the middle, you know you’re in for something special. Loves It is the creation of Austinites Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott, who tread into folk, soul, rock and many other territories with what seems like effortless talent to adapt and bring out the best of each genre. “Western Swing Murder” is a jaunty little tune about a murder that masterfully pays homage to the genre referenced in the song’s title. “Rocket ship” is a quick rocker that showcases Walters’ Springsteen-like charisma. So often, we want to easily define an act with just a few words, but when the talent is of this caliber, I just throw my hands in the air and yell, “Who cares—it’s damn good!” –James Orme
- SLUG Magazine

Loves It
All We Are
Team Austin
Street: 10.29
Loves It = She and Him + Chapin Sisters + Dave Edmunds
When the first track on a record is an a cappella duet and you actually don’t get sick in the middle, you know you’re in for something special. Loves It is the creation of Austinites Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott, who tread into folk, soul, rock and many other territories with what seems like effortless talent to adapt and bring out the best of each genre. “Western Swing Murder” is a jaunty little tune about a murder that masterfully pays homage to the genre referenced in the song’s title. “Rocket ship” is a quick rocker that showcases Walters’ Springsteen-like charisma. So often, we want to easily define an act with just a few words, but when the talent is of this caliber, I just throw my hands in the air and yell, “Who cares—it’s damn good!” –James Orme
- SLUG Magazine

Artist: Loves It
Song: "Wild"
Album: All We Are

"The song is about fighting with a lover who is distant and freedom seeking, and just saying to them 'The heck with this fighting crap, let's just take off and conquer the world together as a team,'" Loves It's Jenny Parrott tells Rolling Stone.



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/wild-by-loves-it-free-mp3-20130821#ixzz2jwLj0bLY
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook - Rolling Stone

The song is about fighting with a lover who is distant and freedom seeking, and just saying to them ;The heck with this fighting crap, let's just take off and conquer the world together as a team, Loves It's Jenny Parrott tells Rolling Stone.



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/wild-by-loves-it-free-mp3-20130821#ixzz2jwLj0bLY
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook - Rolling Stone

Weaving a hyper-melodic style of Americana also perfectly suited for fans of indie-pop, Loves It write tunes that get stuck inside your head from the very first spin. On Oct. 29, the duo will be releasing ‘All We Are,’ their sophomore album, and Diffuser.fm is honored to bring you the exclusive video premiere for their summery new single, ‘Wild.’

“I started writing this song at a time when I was mad at Vaughn,” says Jenny Parrott of Loves It about band mate Vaughn Walters. “So, I exaggerated some of the things he does. Then I needed his help to finish it, so he wrote some exaggerated stuff about me. Ultimately, the song is about fighting with a lover who is distant and freedom seeking, and just saying to them ‘The heck with this fighting crap, let’s just take off and conquer the world together as a team.”

The track recently premiered via Rolling Stone, and now the pair has completed a music video for the tune. “I grew up in West Virginia and was stoked to be able to make this video there,” says Walters. “We were at the White Room Ballroom in Thomas, just honky tonkin’ late-night after a gig. It was a great scene – people were riding bikes and skating and just getting down.”

Walters and Parrott loved it so much that they put up flyers, got a bunch of their buds to come down, got Walters’ sister Sarah to work up a dance routine, and just had a little party with the cameras rolling. Next came the monster trucks. “They’re right next to my folks house in Macomber,” Walters explains. “We asked if we could use their trucks in the shoot and they were cool with it. It’s gotta be one of the greatest video props going!”

The entire production was completed with a budget of $300, some food and a keg of beer. As Parrott recalls, “By the time the keg ran out, (Director) Geoff (Hoskinson)’s battery was about done as well!” - Diffuser FM

Weaving a hyper-melodic style of Americana also perfectly suited for fans of indie-pop, Loves It write tunes that get stuck inside your head from the very first spin. On Oct. 29, the duo will be releasing ‘All We Are,’ their sophomore album, and Diffuser.fm is honored to bring you the exclusive video premiere for their summery new single, ‘Wild.’

“I started writing this song at a time when I was mad at Vaughn,” says Jenny Parrott of Loves It about band mate Vaughn Walters. “So, I exaggerated some of the things he does. Then I needed his help to finish it, so he wrote some exaggerated stuff about me. Ultimately, the song is about fighting with a lover who is distant and freedom seeking, and just saying to them ‘The heck with this fighting crap, let’s just take off and conquer the world together as a team.”

The track recently premiered via Rolling Stone, and now the pair has completed a music video for the tune. “I grew up in West Virginia and was stoked to be able to make this video there,” says Walters. “We were at the White Room Ballroom in Thomas, just honky tonkin’ late-night after a gig. It was a great scene – people were riding bikes and skating and just getting down.”

Walters and Parrott loved it so much that they put up flyers, got a bunch of their buds to come down, got Walters’ sister Sarah to work up a dance routine, and just had a little party with the cameras rolling. Next came the monster trucks. “They’re right next to my folks house in Macomber,” Walters explains. “We asked if we could use their trucks in the shoot and they were cool with it. It’s gotta be one of the greatest video props going!”

The entire production was completed with a budget of $300, some food and a keg of beer. As Parrott recalls, “By the time the keg ran out, (Director) Geoff (Hoskinson)’s battery was about done as well!” - Diffuser FM

By Blurt Staff

“The Angels Sing” is a Sam Cooke-inspired tune written by Loves It’s Jenny Parrott on a screen porch in Smithville, Missouri. Check out our premiere of the tune:



For a band that is on tour most of the time, songs tend to arrive on the fly and are influenced by the ever-changing surroundings. As Parrott explains, “We were at a festival bonding with other musicians, and I was overcome by the experience. I really felt just how much I wanted music to be my life, and how these longings can be a forbidden desire. Hence, the angels are singing to me, and giving me advice to be cautious. It’s a reminder to stop looking ahead so much and enjoy the day.”

Born in Austin, Texas in 2010, Loves It is the duo comprised of songwriters of Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott that has already played hundreds of shows in the US, Europe and Asia in that short time. The harmony driven pair play with a veneration for tradition, and a determination to bring a modern voice to their favorite folk, country, gospel and punk sounds.

O

All We Are, the second album by the Austin-based duo will be released on October 29th via collective label Team Austin Records. The album’s first single “Wild” recently premiered via Rolling Stone and the video is now streaming via Diffuser.fm. Look for Loves It on tour forever. - Blurt

By Blurt Staff

“The Angels Sing” is a Sam Cooke-inspired tune written by Loves It’s Jenny Parrott on a screen porch in Smithville, Missouri. Check out our premiere of the tune:



For a band that is on tour most of the time, songs tend to arrive on the fly and are influenced by the ever-changing surroundings. As Parrott explains, “We were at a festival bonding with other musicians, and I was overcome by the experience. I really felt just how much I wanted music to be my life, and how these longings can be a forbidden desire. Hence, the angels are singing to me, and giving me advice to be cautious. It’s a reminder to stop looking ahead so much and enjoy the day.”

Born in Austin, Texas in 2010, Loves It is the duo comprised of songwriters of Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott that has already played hundreds of shows in the US, Europe and Asia in that short time. The harmony driven pair play with a veneration for tradition, and a determination to bring a modern voice to their favorite folk, country, gospel and punk sounds.

O

All We Are, the second album by the Austin-based duo will be released on October 29th via collective label Team Austin Records. The album’s first single “Wild” recently premiered via Rolling Stone and the video is now streaming via Diffuser.fm. Look for Loves It on tour forever. - Blurt

Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott of the indie duo Loves It talk with Pollstar about their lives as constantly touring musicians and how their individual musical differences combine to create a sound built upon folk, R&B, rock and other influences.
Walters and Parrott also talked about their new album. All We Are arrives Oct. 29 on Team Austin Records.
Brand new bands considering their first tour could learn a thing or two from Loves It. The duo fully embraces the DIY work ethic as they drive across the country with their dog Boxie, visiting town after town and playing gig after gig. They’ve learned how to keep costs down while playing to as many people as possible as they chase the dream. Although Loves It doesn’t live the glamorous life of hotels, fancy restaurants and parties, Walters and Parrott are their own bosses, calling the shots when it comes to their records, gigs and, of course, touring.

Loves It

(Laura Partain)
0 | 0
Loves It reflects old-fashioned folk as well as R&B, straight-ahead rock songs and other influences. In a world where people try to describe bands using five words or less, how do you characterize your sound?
Vaughn: I’m not really sure. I grew up listening to punk and playing in punk and rock bands. … The R&B influence is all [Jenny’s]. She’s really into soul. … I think it’s basically for people into roots music. It’s a little harder, as far as a genre, to figure out. I think if we say “roots music” or “Americana,” which basically means nothing, I think it kind of fits into that category.
Do you see the “Americana” label as kind of a catch-all for the music that can’t be categorized?
Vaughn: Jenny said, “funkry western” and we had some guy call it “hippie western” but I don’t even know if that does it.
While touring, is it strictly the two of you or do you have backing musicians?
Vaughn: We do most of our touring in America with just me and Jenny. On the East Coast we tour with this guy Kurt Johnson, an upright bass player. When we did Europe we toured with him and we had a sax player for part of it, too.
For the songs that have a bit more instrumentation, such as the R&B influenced songs or the rockers, how do you present that on stage when it’s just the two, or sometimes three people?
Vaughn: The guy on the record and the guy we have live are just crazy good so they can pretty much fill a soundscape really well. We wrote these songs just as a duo. … But after having a band it is kind of difficult to strip these songs back down to playing with a duo. We miss that drum sound or that bass sound. By the time this album comes out next year we’ll probably have a bass player with us, but for now it’s just us two on this West Coast leg.

How about long-range plans extending beyond next year? Are you hoping to have a complete band?
Vaughn: Oh, yeah, totally. We’ll have a bass player and a drummer. I’d love to have a keyboard player. And if we can get this saxophone player, he lives in Berlin but he’s Viennese, when we tour with him, I really love the sound he brings.
Do musicians ever approach you after shows and say something like, “You need a drummer? I can play drums.”
Vaughn: No, but if they did, we’d probably be like, “OK. Great.”
So you’re not seen as a source of possible employment by out-of-work musicians?
Vaughn: No. If we lived somewhere and toured out of there, we could probably find [someone]. … “Hey, do you want to go on this tour? Do you want to basically live in a van for two years straight and play like a million gigs?” I think it’s kind of a hard sell.
We got the van last August. Then we were in Europe for two months and didn’t put any miles on it. In about 11 months [we’ve logged] 80,000 miles.
How many people are traveling with you? Do you have a road manager or someone to share the driving?
Vaughn: Just me, Jenny and Boxie right now. Jenny is the daytime driver and I’m the overnight driver.
How did you land on the name “Loves It?”
Jenny: He [Vaughn] doesn’t like our band name so I’ll tell you the story. When I met Vaughn and we became best friends, I also really liked the show, “The Simple Life,” with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I had blonde hair, so I was Paris and he was Nicole. They always say on that show, “Loves It” or “Love you, bitch,” anytime they like anything. So I used to say that to Vaughn all the time and he was like, “If we ever have a band we should call it, ‘Loves It.’” Then I got really excited and started making a website and homemade T-shirts for our band “Loves it.” And he was like, “I’m just kidding. I don’t like that name.” When you joke with the feelings of a young woman …

When choosing the band name, was there any consideration regarding Google or social media searches?
Jenny: There was definitely no consideration for that. It took, probably, 12 months before you could Google us and get us right away.
Any tricks of the road you can pass on to other musicians, say, which - Pollstar

Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott of the indie duo Loves It talk with Pollstar about their lives as constantly touring musicians and how their individual musical differences combine to create a sound built upon folk, R&B, rock and other influences.
Walters and Parrott also talked about their new album. All We Are arrives Oct. 29 on Team Austin Records.
Brand new bands considering their first tour could learn a thing or two from Loves It. The duo fully embraces the DIY work ethic as they drive across the country with their dog Boxie, visiting town after town and playing gig after gig. They’ve learned how to keep costs down while playing to as many people as possible as they chase the dream. Although Loves It doesn’t live the glamorous life of hotels, fancy restaurants and parties, Walters and Parrott are their own bosses, calling the shots when it comes to their records, gigs and, of course, touring.

Loves It

(Laura Partain)
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Loves It reflects old-fashioned folk as well as R&B, straight-ahead rock songs and other influences. In a world where people try to describe bands using five words or less, how do you characterize your sound?
Vaughn: I’m not really sure. I grew up listening to punk and playing in punk and rock bands. … The R&B influence is all [Jenny’s]. She’s really into soul. … I think it’s basically for people into roots music. It’s a little harder, as far as a genre, to figure out. I think if we say “roots music” or “Americana,” which basically means nothing, I think it kind of fits into that category.
Do you see the “Americana” label as kind of a catch-all for the music that can’t be categorized?
Vaughn: Jenny said, “funkry western” and we had some guy call it “hippie western” but I don’t even know if that does it.
While touring, is it strictly the two of you or do you have backing musicians?
Vaughn: We do most of our touring in America with just me and Jenny. On the East Coast we tour with this guy Kurt Johnson, an upright bass player. When we did Europe we toured with him and we had a sax player for part of it, too.
For the songs that have a bit more instrumentation, such as the R&B influenced songs or the rockers, how do you present that on stage when it’s just the two, or sometimes three people?
Vaughn: The guy on the record and the guy we have live are just crazy good so they can pretty much fill a soundscape really well. We wrote these songs just as a duo. … But after having a band it is kind of difficult to strip these songs back down to playing with a duo. We miss that drum sound or that bass sound. By the time this album comes out next year we’ll probably have a bass player with us, but for now it’s just us two on this West Coast leg.

How about long-range plans extending beyond next year? Are you hoping to have a complete band?
Vaughn: Oh, yeah, totally. We’ll have a bass player and a drummer. I’d love to have a keyboard player. And if we can get this saxophone player, he lives in Berlin but he’s Viennese, when we tour with him, I really love the sound he brings.
Do musicians ever approach you after shows and say something like, “You need a drummer? I can play drums.”
Vaughn: No, but if they did, we’d probably be like, “OK. Great.”
So you’re not seen as a source of possible employment by out-of-work musicians?
Vaughn: No. If we lived somewhere and toured out of there, we could probably find [someone]. … “Hey, do you want to go on this tour? Do you want to basically live in a van for two years straight and play like a million gigs?” I think it’s kind of a hard sell.
We got the van last August. Then we were in Europe for two months and didn’t put any miles on it. In about 11 months [we’ve logged] 80,000 miles.
How many people are traveling with you? Do you have a road manager or someone to share the driving?
Vaughn: Just me, Jenny and Boxie right now. Jenny is the daytime driver and I’m the overnight driver.
How did you land on the name “Loves It?”
Jenny: He [Vaughn] doesn’t like our band name so I’ll tell you the story. When I met Vaughn and we became best friends, I also really liked the show, “The Simple Life,” with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I had blonde hair, so I was Paris and he was Nicole. They always say on that show, “Loves It” or “Love you, bitch,” anytime they like anything. So I used to say that to Vaughn all the time and he was like, “If we ever have a band we should call it, ‘Loves It.’” Then I got really excited and started making a website and homemade T-shirts for our band “Loves it.” And he was like, “I’m just kidding. I don’t like that name.” When you joke with the feelings of a young woman …

When choosing the band name, was there any consideration regarding Google or social media searches?
Jenny: There was definitely no consideration for that. It took, probably, 12 months before you could Google us and get us right away.
Any tricks of the road you can pass on to other musicians, say, which - Pollstar

Imagine you believe in your dream so much you put your life on hold, your belongings into storage and go out there to live that dream. Loves It did just that in 2012 and have played their music all over the USA, living out of a van.

Jenny Parrott and Vaughn Walters have been on the road since April 2012, booking their shows as they go. This makes for some crazy cross-country driving and plenty of inspiration for the duo’s music. Cross country travel has coloured Loves It’s songs. Where their first album ‘Yay!’ from December 2011 was an intimate affair full of naive wonder, the duo’s new material is more flinty and a good deal darker after endless nights spent in road houses, dive bars, and all-night diners.

Loves It’s second album ‘All We Are’ collects songs of love and loss sung with the weary edge of someone who has witnessed a million dramas in a million bars across the country. Travelling as a couple living from hand to mouth has changed the character of Jenny and Vaughn’s relationship songs. Gone is the playful getting-to-know-each-other of ‘Yay!’ in favour of the delirious clinging-to-each-other-in-hard-times romp of ‘Dancin”.

At the same time, Jenny and Vaughn have taken onboard musical influences from the disparate regions they journeyed through. From Texas style Western Swing to Appalachian ballads, Loves It’s second album ‘All We Are’ contains musical postcards from the most diverse corners of the US of A. Jenny and Vaughn treat these regional styles with respect yet manage to put their own unique stamp on them. Take Loves It’s ‘Appalachian Ballad’, for instance, a lovingly put together hommage to old time mountain songs carrying a simple but moving tale of loss.

All I can say is, If there are any budding Harry Smiths out there dreaming of collecting an updated ‘Anthology Of American Folk Music’ for the 21st century, start digging for material on ‘All We Are’!

True to their travelling life, Loves It recorded their new album ‘All We Are’ during a three-day stop in Austin, Texas. As soon as the tracks were laid down with the help of some crack guest musicians, Jenny and Vaughn high-tailed it out of town in their van.

The first mixes were e-mailed to them while the duo was playing in Salt Lake City and Jenny and Vaughn promptly killed their van’s battery by listening to them over and over and over again. Our two heroes agreed on the final mix driving in deepest, rural Iowa and listened attentively to the master while in New Haven, Connecticut.

Loves It are not ‘just a band’, Jenny and Vaughn live their music 24-7. Listening to ‘All We Are’ is like listening to a broadcast from a different world. Loves It are picking up the traditions of the travelling Blues musician and the medieval balladeer, living outside the regular 9 to 5 world, holding up a mirror to their audience’s ways as only an outsider can.

Not surprisingly, both Jenny and Vaughn listen a lot to Sam Cooke on the road. Cooke, a travelling gospel singer in the 1940s and early 50s, found fame as a pioneering Soul singer in the late 1950s. His performances often transcended the here and now, brimming with a primeval religious fervour. Folks who travel a lot, often get religious - not in a churchey, organised fashion but in a raw and intimate way. Call it ‘two lane blacktop meditation’, it makes for pretty strong, emotional music.

‘All We Are’ is out now on indie label Team Austin. The album is available on CD, on a 180g vinyl record and as a MP3 download via bandcamp.com and iTunes. You can get in touch with Jenny and Vaughn here. Loves It do house concerts, too! - Tuneraker

Imagine you believe in your dream so much you put your life on hold, your belongings into storage and go out there to live that dream. Loves It did just that in 2012 and have played their music all over the USA, living out of a van.

Jenny Parrott and Vaughn Walters have been on the road since April 2012, booking their shows as they go. This makes for some crazy cross-country driving and plenty of inspiration for the duo’s music. Cross country travel has coloured Loves It’s songs. Where their first album ‘Yay!’ from December 2011 was an intimate affair full of naive wonder, the duo’s new material is more flinty and a good deal darker after endless nights spent in road houses, dive bars, and all-night diners.

Loves It’s second album ‘All We Are’ collects songs of love and loss sung with the weary edge of someone who has witnessed a million dramas in a million bars across the country. Travelling as a couple living from hand to mouth has changed the character of Jenny and Vaughn’s relationship songs. Gone is the playful getting-to-know-each-other of ‘Yay!’ in favour of the delirious clinging-to-each-other-in-hard-times romp of ‘Dancin”.

At the same time, Jenny and Vaughn have taken onboard musical influences from the disparate regions they journeyed through. From Texas style Western Swing to Appalachian ballads, Loves It’s second album ‘All We Are’ contains musical postcards from the most diverse corners of the US of A. Jenny and Vaughn treat these regional styles with respect yet manage to put their own unique stamp on them. Take Loves It’s ‘Appalachian Ballad’, for instance, a lovingly put together hommage to old time mountain songs carrying a simple but moving tale of loss.

All I can say is, If there are any budding Harry Smiths out there dreaming of collecting an updated ‘Anthology Of American Folk Music’ for the 21st century, start digging for material on ‘All We Are’!

True to their travelling life, Loves It recorded their new album ‘All We Are’ during a three-day stop in Austin, Texas. As soon as the tracks were laid down with the help of some crack guest musicians, Jenny and Vaughn high-tailed it out of town in their van.

The first mixes were e-mailed to them while the duo was playing in Salt Lake City and Jenny and Vaughn promptly killed their van’s battery by listening to them over and over and over again. Our two heroes agreed on the final mix driving in deepest, rural Iowa and listened attentively to the master while in New Haven, Connecticut.

Loves It are not ‘just a band’, Jenny and Vaughn live their music 24-7. Listening to ‘All We Are’ is like listening to a broadcast from a different world. Loves It are picking up the traditions of the travelling Blues musician and the medieval balladeer, living outside the regular 9 to 5 world, holding up a mirror to their audience’s ways as only an outsider can.

Not surprisingly, both Jenny and Vaughn listen a lot to Sam Cooke on the road. Cooke, a travelling gospel singer in the 1940s and early 50s, found fame as a pioneering Soul singer in the late 1950s. His performances often transcended the here and now, brimming with a primeval religious fervour. Folks who travel a lot, often get religious - not in a churchey, organised fashion but in a raw and intimate way. Call it ‘two lane blacktop meditation’, it makes for pretty strong, emotional music.

‘All We Are’ is out now on indie label Team Austin. The album is available on CD, on a 180g vinyl record and as a MP3 download via bandcamp.com and iTunes. You can get in touch with Jenny and Vaughn here. Loves It do house concerts, too! - Tuneraker

I was pretty darn excited to review Loves It’s sophomore album, being a huge fan of singer/guitarist/fiddler Jenny Parrott’s former band Shotgun Party, and I am pleased to say that I’ll We Are will, in the immortal words of Phil Robertson, make you “happy, happy, happy”.

Founded in Austin, Texas in 2010, Loves It is comprised of songwriters Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott who switch between guitars, fiddle and banjo to create a hell-raising, foot-stomping kitchen party good time and then take it down a few notches with some glorious, melancholy ballads.

The first and last songs on this album, both sung a cappella, act almost as bookends to the stories in between. While “Katydid” is an adorable song about courtship and yes, insects, “Appalachian Ballad” is a heartbreaking story of a couple who spend their entire lives together, separated only, in the end, by death. When I first looked at the liner notes to see who wrote the latter, I expected it to be an old-time traditional song, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was written by Walters and Parrott.

“Wild” is the album’s first single and is a fun, care-free jaunt that really showcases Parrott’s unique style of singing. “Choose” is a beautiful, heartfelt song that I played on repeat because there was just something about it’s simplicity and sincerity that reminded me of Patsy Cline. “Scab” is a fiddle-driven tune filled with fiery passion that I absolutely loved and can’t wait to hear live (hint, hint).

Loves It managed to accomplish the one thing that rarely happens to me: keep a sung stuck in my head for days. The last time that happened it was “The Cup Song” from Pitch Perfect. Now it’s “Katydid”: “He said Katydid, she said Katydid not. It might sound like they’re quarrelin’, but I know they’re not. Six weeks til frost, the old timers say. I know they’re courtnin’ the Katydid way.” And by the way, that song was written by Walters’ grandad who used to sing it around the house all the time. Just when you had begun to think that they don’t write them like they used to, Loves It comes along and proves that they sure as heck do.

Rating: Bad-Ass - That Music Mag

I was pretty darn excited to review Loves It’s sophomore album, being a huge fan of singer/guitarist/fiddler Jenny Parrott’s former band Shotgun Party, and I am pleased to say that I’ll We Are will, in the immortal words of Phil Robertson, make you “happy, happy, happy”.

Founded in Austin, Texas in 2010, Loves It is comprised of songwriters Vaughn Walters and Jenny Parrott who switch between guitars, fiddle and banjo to create a hell-raising, foot-stomping kitchen party good time and then take it down a few notches with some glorious, melancholy ballads.

The first and last songs on this album, both sung a cappella, act almost as bookends to the stories in between. While “Katydid” is an adorable song about courtship and yes, insects, “Appalachian Ballad” is a heartbreaking story of a couple who spend their entire lives together, separated only, in the end, by death. When I first looked at the liner notes to see who wrote the latter, I expected it to be an old-time traditional song, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was written by Walters and Parrott.

“Wild” is the album’s first single and is a fun, care-free jaunt that really showcases Parrott’s unique style of singing. “Choose” is a beautiful, heartfelt song that I played on repeat because there was just something about it’s simplicity and sincerity that reminded me of Patsy Cline. “Scab” is a fiddle-driven tune filled with fiery passion that I absolutely loved and can’t wait to hear live (hint, hint).

Loves It managed to accomplish the one thing that rarely happens to me: keep a sung stuck in my head for days. The last time that happened it was “The Cup Song” from Pitch Perfect. Now it’s “Katydid”: “He said Katydid, she said Katydid not. It might sound like they’re quarrelin’, but I know they’re not. Six weeks til frost, the old timers say. I know they’re courtnin’ the Katydid way.” And by the way, that song was written by Walters’ grandad who used to sing it around the house all the time. Just when you had begun to think that they don’t write them like they used to, Loves It comes along and proves that they sure as heck do.

Rating: Bad-Ass - That Music Mag