About Rowdy Love
Stina Lynn and Aaron Jernigan are the heart of Rowdy Love. They perform as a duo and with their full band that features a new cast of characters and the occasional Flat Jackson member drop-in.
Both Stina and Aaron co-create and write original tunes, influenced by rockabilly, folk, ska and blues.
Aaron Jernigan
Aaron Jernigan sprang up from the muddy pine swamps of Northern Florida steeped in the musical flavors of the South. Country, Bluegrass, Gospel, and Oldies provided most of the soundtrack to his childhood, but his youth spent rifling through his older sister’s cassette tapes would reveal a world of variety and a true passion for musical discovery.
At the age of fifteen his mother’s dusty old guitar, hiding quietly in the closet, began to call out for him. He started off learning Blues scales and chords, and before long he took a trip to Mississippi to sell his soul to the Devil at the Crossroads, only at mid-day, as opposed to the more common suggestion of mid-night. His love of music kept him digging through crates at record shops and going to Punk Rock shows.
Photo Credit: Stephen Holding
When he shipped out for a career in the armed forces Aaron took his mother’s old guitar with him. As he traveled around the world he collected scraps of ideas and stories from the things he saw. As more of a party trick than anything else, he would entertain his friends with, what some may consider, funny songs that he would improvise on the spot. Eventually, with a more developed sense of patience, he sat down with a pen, paper, and an eight-track recorder to dabble in the alchemy of songwriting.
After his time in the military Aaron moved to the Island of Maui for a change of lifestyle and to work on a farm. On a little farm in Haiku, he began taking his music more seriously and with the introduction of ‘Stina Lynn into his life, he became prolific, filling notebooks with scribbled lyrics and chord arrangements. Before long he was in the band Flat Jackson singing and playing his songs around the island. His time in Flat Jackson multiplied his growth as a songwriter and performer, and through their seven years together Aaron found his voice as a confident singer and guitar player.
Aaron and ‘Stina began collaborating as Rowdy Love initially to fill the void of Flat Jackson after the band broke up, but as they have grown together, as a couple and a duo, Rowdy Love has become a way of life for them, in music and in life.
Photo Credit: Stephen Holding
Stina Lynn
Stina Lynn was born in Miami and raised in Arkansas. She grew up as a Southern Baptist, with her father as a music minister and her mother in the church choir. She learned old gospel tunes at a very young age and sang in front of the church congregation starting at the age of 6. In high school, she was in her church band as one of the lead singers and sang in her high school choir. At the age of 18, she picked up her first guitar in desperation to be able to sing her own original songs.
After high school, Stina moved to Austin Texas, where she became even more inspired by the big stage. She then started writing more original tunes and learning classics by John Prine, Johnny Cash, and Gillian Welch. For the next 8 years, she traveled the United States, South America, and the open seas with her trusty guitar, playing music on street corners, around campfires, and at house parties.
On the island of Maui Stina met Aaron Jernigan, Russell Halverson, Jonas Troxell, and Steve Taylor. They formed the band Flat Jackson and during their 7-year run, they released two albums and toured the West Coast twice. They became the one and only Slam-grass band on Maui, with quite a boot stompin’ following. During the era of Flat Jackson Aaron Jernigan and Stina Lynn fell deeply in love. Once Flat Jackson came to a close, with the banjo player moving to the Mainland, Aaron and Stina decided to start their duo Rowdy Love.
Stina continues to write music and perform with Rowdy Love while creating designs for her bandana company, Stick ‘n Bindle. She believes wholeheartedly in the creative process as a way to spread love, healing, connection, and joy. And will forever live the saying “Til death we do art!”