Huntsville Living Winter 2021 | Page 13

The main thing that I like about making music is being able to process certain things that I ’ ve been through or that other people are going through in front of me and getting to dissect the way that I see the world through my music .
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | WINTER 2021 | 13

The main thing that I like about making music is being able to process certain things that I ’ ve been through or that other people are going through in front of me and getting to dissect the way that I see the world through my music .

Toland ’ s passion and tenacity is inspiring to Peveto and pushes her to realize her potential every day .
After meeting her partner , Peveto was inspired to try writing music just over a year ago , and within five months of writing her first song , found her voice as a country and folk singer-songwriter with her first full album , Little Town , released last year . Now , Peveto has a new single set to be released this month with a second solo album in the works .
“ The main thing that I like about making music is being able to process certain things that I ’ ve been through or that other people are going through in front of me and getting to dissect the way that I see the world through my music ,” Peveto said .
Born and raised in Madisonville , small town America plays a large inspiration for the song-writer , covering whimsical songs about chickens to her mother leaving when she was younger and growing up under her father ’ s wing . For Peveto , it ’ s a therapeutic practice for her to write about those experiences and enables her to let them go .
As a couple , business partners and now collaborating musicians , working together on something as emotionally raw as their music has its ups and downs , but ultimately , it brings them closer together and lets them explore new sounds .
“ Her music gives me a creative outlet ,” Toland said . “ I ’ ve never really felt good in writing really country stuff , it just didn ’ t fit my personality as a writer as well , so I ’ ve never really written real country songs .”
The last few years for Toland have been focused on producing work for other artists like Peveto , after his previous jazz-funk-soul trio went on hiatus a few years ago . Now , Toland is working on his own solo project , making his mark in soul and southern rock with projects set to be released this year .
Inspired by Vince Gill , Stevie Wonder , The Eagles , Ryan Adams and D ’ Angelo , Toland ’ s sound draws influence from a broad spectrum of sounds , settling on the Americana genre .
“ Country music , radio rock , to hip-hop to soul to R & B , it ’ s all in the same thing , so that ’ s why the Americana genre is pretty appealing to me , especially because I draw from a large pool of inspiration ,” Toland said . “ Sometimes you wouldn ’ t think particular elements might fit together , but

when you can find a way to make them , that ’ s when something ’ s really unique or really great .”
“ That ’ s what I like about my music , is finding a way to put some of those things together , different elements that I really like , and making them work ,” Toland added .
Peveto looks to classics like Patsy Cline , Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn , as well as more modern Americana artists her own age for her inspiration .
“ She ’ s more of like a country folk artist with some jazzy undertones and stuff like that , but she was also really into different styles of pop music , like she ’ s a big Michael Jackson fan , so she has a really musical ear . She ’ ll take something that you wouldn ’ t think would necessarily be a country sounding melody or what she drew the inspiration from , and then she ’ ll turn it into this really cool , folky , country sounding song ,” Toland added .
“ It ’ s kind of built a really cool complimentary vibe between the two of us and it all kind of falls under that Americana umbrella ,” Toland said .
“ It ’ s fun because he has different ideas that I can bounce off of ,” Peveto said . “ Sometimes we can get a little protective of our ideas because we want to realize it and finish it by ourselves , but usually the best work that we have is when we join forces .”
The couple releases music separately and performs together , building up to them having a full band together . However , the ongoing pandemic has made it difficult for them to find opportunities to perform .
“ I miss playing live because I miss connecting with people , and when someone comes up to me and they ’ re like , ‘ hey , that song really meant a lot to me and I went through that exact same thing ,’” Peveto said . “ How people interpret your music is so fun because you don ’ t realize some of the stuff you ’ re saying when it ’ s so personal and it applies to your life , someone else hears it and they ’ re thinking about something completely different .”
However , while booking gigs have been slim for the time being , their home away from home at Half Avenue Coffee has provided them a space to share their music with friends , family and the community .
— Half Avenue Coffee and Mercantile is located at 1213 University Avenue in Huntsville .
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | WINTER 2021 | 13