Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Loken Parcel.
Hi Hunter Loken , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m from a small farm town in north central North Dakota, called Rugby. Growing up there shaped me immensely in so many ways. It’s a completely different world from life in Nashville. The winters are brutal and long and the summers are amazing but short. The overall culture of farming and ranching, for many families starting only about 4 or 5 generations ago. There is something about standing out looking across the prairie at the grass flowing from the wind, like an ocean. You can hear the wind humming and just take in all the history of the land from the Indians, to the settlers, to my grandparents generation, and then to mine. You can see and hear it all.
I grew up around music, with many family members who sing, play a variety of instruments, or both. From church on Sundays to bars on Friday nights. From country/western, polka, and gospel, that my grandparents raised me on, to pop, rap, and rock bands of the 2000s that my sister introduced me to and that I grew up hearing on the radio. My parent introduced me to many rock and blues bands and a piano teacher in high school gave me a massive collection of CDs, most importantly, Bob Dylan. After hearing Bob, I realized I only had one goal and that was to write songs.
After high school I went back and forth from Minneapolis to Phoenix several times. I tried regular college but ended up quitting, I played in some bands, spent some time in jail for a DUI, got to see the country, and experienced as much of life as I could. The good, though I had a knack for finding the bad.
I ended up deciding I was gonna move to Nashville for a girl I knew and also due to a close friend telling me about the music scene was really like there. As happens so many times, the girl didn’t work out, but before deciding to pack it in a go back up north, I decided I was gonna go head first into what ever Nashville had to offer. There were so many bands I took influence from coming to cut records in Nashville or that were living here at that time. I had become very influenced by Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers around this time, but struggled to find places to play that traditional country music in Minneapolis and Phoenix when I had lived in each city. In Nashville, I saw people enjoying and wanting to hear that type of country music. I slowly found my way into the East Nashville country scene and into positions where I was able to begin playing, backing others and playing my own music. I had spent every night for years going to every show, jam, bar, bar or writers round I could find! There was something really special about Nashville during this time, I wish now I would have come to Nashville earlier!
Covid set things back and then getting a second DUI turned them upside down. But despite the bad, I landed a job as an electrician, which I still do to this day and finally got myself to quit using cocaine and drinking. Sobriety is the best decision I have ever made for myself and also has shaped me immensely. I had burnt so many bridges and wrecked my life in so many ways due to my drinking and drug use. But, by the grace of god, I have gotten myself straightened out and back on track.
I have my band, that I’ve been lucky enough to have behind me, for years now. I call them “The Highlifes” in reference to a song of mine called “Champagne of Beers” and a nod to what was my favorite beer. They’ve worked extremely hard and backed me up along the way, through all the ups and downs over the years. I’m extremely grateful everyday to have them!
We play locally as often as we can at spots like Star Rover Sound and Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge. I hope to also start getting me and the band out of town this next coming year! This next year may also include releasing some music! As Nashville continues to change, I’ll just keep on playing as much as and where ever I can for those who enjoy and want to support what I do.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No not at all haha. Music is rough cut throat business. I’ve had many shows playing to an empty bar, not getting paid anything, and being told I suck and should probably quit! It is tons of work for very little reward, but I do it because I love it and couldn’t imagine not doing it! The only one that can bring me down is the voice inside my head!
Alcohol and cocaine really got in my way for many years. Spending every night at a bar till close and then going to a jam till sunrise, it will physically and mentally wear you out. The life can put you around a lot of things that can easily get out of hand, if you don’t keep your nose to the grindstone and an eye on it!
Getting gigs is tough in Nashville. You’re competing with thousands of other extremely talented musicians. You learn how to not only book yourself but also just how to be a performer. You learn quickly everyone is better than you, so that means you gotta work your ass off to get as good as you can. You also just learn how to be a professional and interact with a crowd. Thats some of the best lessons Nashville has to offer.
For anyone wanting to persue this, I’d say do it! Better to have the experience than always wonder, “what if?” I will say be prepared to work harder than you ever have, be prepared to pay your dues, and to have thick skin and don’t let doubt start calling the shots!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a singer/songwriter as well as a guitar and banjo player. I play music heavily influenced by traditional country and western, rock, bluegrass, funk, and gospel.
My favorite memories of my career are my first time headlining Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, getting in The Blue Plate Soecial radio show in Knoxville, and getting the opportunity to play a song with my band in the Ryman stage. Also every once in a while there’s one of those magic shows where everyone is just dead on, with zero mistakes, those are the shows that make this addictive!
I strive to write and show the world I grew up in, in North Dakota. What a small blue collar town known for farming and cattle and what those people living there are truly like. I’m very proud of being from Rugby and being a North Dakotan. I had spent many years in high school dreaming of something bigger and getting out, and now I dream of getting back to it all!
Overall I want to show the world what life where I was from is actually like, not what tv shows portray and I wanna show my life and experiences through my music. The good parts and the bad ones shown with brutal honesty.
What matters most to you?
Being my authentic self. To share my life and experiences through my music without any filter between me and the listener. Even when I write songs that are stories, not related to me, to still just write the song I want and not be influenced by what I think others might think.
I strive to work hard and stay disciplined. Whether it be my music or my job as an electrician, I wanna be the best I possibly can be. It’s something I’ve always had, this drive to always be getting better and trying to be the best.
To keep trying to help those and support those around me when I can. I want to keep learning and growing with my sobriety, my personal self, my music, and my connection with god.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunterlokenparcel?igsh=azNvcW5wdDhuemUz&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FnLXs7tfs/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@hunterlokenparcel?si=tR3fEnsO2yVFlKRE
