Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke perform together as a 2-piece folk duo called Penny and Sparrow. The two met in Austin while sharing a room in a bohemian, “giant, old 5-bedroom (think Animal House)” that they shared with up to 11 other roommates at a time. The crowded house made for close quarters and also allowed for creative endeavors to germinate among the house’s artsy residents. “We all considered each other brothers,” says Baxter, “we all did Younglife one way or another, and we all went to school in Austin.”

Andy and Kyle were influenced by some of the best in underground folk, such as The Swell Season, and by some of folk’s mainstream luminaries, Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons. However, they didn’t really congeal into a performance outfit until, ironically, both were out of the house and Andy was married. “The days in that house were incredible though,” reflects Baxter, “and in the event that you need proof of how close all the fellas who came in and outta that house were, both Kyle and myself had over a dozen groomsmen.”