Love At First Chord: An Interview With Savannah’s Husband And Wife Americana Roots Duo Lyn Avenue
Here at Music Mecca, we find a genuine intrigue in the geography of artists, and how that geography influences and affects an artist’s musical path. This time we take a trip down to The Hostess City of the South where the Spanish moss is a staple in Savannah, Georgia, for husband and wife Americana duo Lyn Avenue.
CC Witt and Patrick Ellington, aka Lyn Avenue, have a writing style rooted in lush lyricism and memorable melodies, with elements of Americana and classic country. These Savannah romantics bring catchy, compelling stories with genuine southern charm. “Driven by rich vocals, electrifying leads, and boot-stomping rhythms”, you can always count on Lyn Avenue to bring a song that will surely reach your heart.
Their most recent work, an all-original EP titled Sophisticated, highlights five breathtakingly beautiful tunes loaded with traditional country personality. It incorporates the eagerly awaited tune, “Hurricane Bride,” which dropped in April, and has been publicized on global radio playlists abound. “Hurricane Bride” tells the common story of “looking on the brighter side,” if you will, and in this case, that brighter side is finding positivity and optimism in a cancelled wedding.
Lyn Avenue’s mix of catchy choruses, unique electric guitar solos, and wholesome harmonies create a musically charming story tethered by their love for another. The duo has developed a devoted fan base that far exceeds their deep south roots, and they only seem to be rising in the public eye.
We got a chance to chat with the duo about their latest single, where their journey started, the EP, and more.
Could you talk about the inception and formation of Lyn Avenue?
Pat: We met really young- CC was 14 and I was 16. From day one it’s always been music. She had written an impressive amount of songs, and I just did my best to try and play along. Soon after, we began writing together and playing out together. The name Lyn Avenue came from a street near where we would have weekly rehearsals and where we formed our band; the place where we grew up together musically as well as grew together as a couple. CC does get called “Lyn” a lot though!
Did you always know you wanted to pursue music?
Pat: No, I didn’t start playing until I was around 14 or 15. I had an interest in music at a young age though. But I also had an interest in science and other things as a child. I can honestly remember debating with myself in grade school about whether I wanted to be a meteorologist or a chef. Tough decisions had to be made. But once I started playing guitar, the desire to do anything other than that went away.
CC: For me, it feels like there really hasn’t been anything else. Music has always felt like such a huge part of my life. I’ve been singing since as far back as I can remember. I used to make up songs in my head long before I knew how to really play any instrument. The older I got, the more evident my dream and my passion was. But like Pat, once I picked up the guitar, I never put it back down.
How did you two find your love for music as individuals and then as a duo?
CC: Music was always around me growing up. Multiple members of my family sing and play guitar and/or piano. When everyone would get together, my dad would pick up his guitar and sing a few songs with my Aunt Nancy who is a seasoned pianist/vocalist in the gigging world. I remember being too small to see the top of the piano and listening to the old country tunes they would sing. When I was 13 I picked up the guitar and my dad taught me how to play a few chords. After 3 months, I had written my first song. About a year or so later, I met Pat and we started playing together.
Pat: I watched my father play guitar and sing when I was young. He definitely got me started. He gave me a Willie Nelson songbook that had a chord chart in the back. After a couple weeks, I had it memorized. Flash forward a couple years to when I met CC, and from day one she blew me away with her ability to craft a song and deliver it with so much emotion.
What is the song writing process like between the two of you?
Pat: We don’t have a tried and true method. We rarely sit down together and actively try to write a song. For the most part, we write separately and come to each other for help when the writer’s block hits. For me personally, a song idea usually hits me when my mind calms down enough to tune out the world around me. Honestly, it happens most often when I’m riding in a car or taking a shower – mundane stuff like that. It’s like a flash of lightning and I have to write it down fast before life starts happening again and I forget. I usually can get 60% of a song before I present it to CC before I can get her to help me finish it.
CC: We definitely have very different writing styles that compliment one another. I tend to write from a different place than he does. But I too need to tune out the world before my inspiration escapes me. In most cases, I get a song pretty much 90% there, and then I show it to Pat and he helps me clean it up and make it feel finished – guitar solo and all!
What is it like working so closely to your significant other in the music industry?
CC: We’ve been working together since we were kids so we have been fortunate enough to share our most formidable years growing around each other. We have learned how to approach one another, give constructive criticism as well as draw from each other’s strengths. It definitely has had its challenging moments at times, but it’s been much more so a blessing having someone so close to share such important moments with.
Where do you usually draw your inspiration for your songs?
CC: I usually draw inspiration from the people in my life around me, sometimes it’s the things they say that maybe I write down and save for later, or emotionally what I might be going through, or maybe I want to write someone else’s story. It really all is subject to whatever inspires me. Pat tends to write from less of an emotional standpoint but more from a humorous or quirky perspective. I’m always so blown away by the clever lyrics he comes up with and how fast he can put together a song idea.
With everything going on in the world, how might that affect your songwriting process or perhaps influence?
It definitely makes us want to write more songs about love. The world clearly needs more of it!
In your latest single “Hurricane Bride”, you express making the best out of a bad situation and accepting the bad and moving on to the good. Where did the inspiration for this song come from?
CC: “Hurricane Bride” is a true story! We were supposed to be getting married at a beautiful outdoor location in Guyton, Georgia. But due to Hurricane Irma, we had to postpone our wedding at the last moment, on the day before. I was so upset that the day we both had long waited for seemed basically ruined. But then, I started thinking about what we would do with all the stuff we had bought for the wedding… We had all these cases of beer stacked up to the ceiling, a room full of decorations, the dress, the rings, etc. It was at that moment, when I picked up my guitar and wrote this song. We ended up actually having a little “hurricane party” in our house that night.
And is this single part of the new EP?
Yes! This song is part of our latest EP titled Sophisticated, which we released April 10, 2020.
Where was it recorded and who was involved in the production?
The EP was mixed and produced by Peter Mavrogeorgis. Mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk. Recorded at Low Watt Recording in Savannah, GA and we tracked one song, “Burn Out” at Dollhouse in Atlanta, GA.
What can we anticipate from Lyn Avenue in the future?
We have so many things in the works right now! We will hopefully be releasing a new single later this summer followed by more touring this Fall. We also are working on some new video content that we are extremely excited about! We don’t want to want to give away any specifics just yet, but definitely stay tuned!
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