Dave's Dream and the Strength it Takes

     

By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer and Author

         It’s funny how life goes. We grow up with all of these plans, but somehow plans change, and we end up all too often getting frozen in time in some little town. The idea of change is exciting, but usually just seems impossible. Even though we know there is more for us just beyond the horizon, most of the time we just settle for the hand we were dealt and live through it until our heart finally stops beating. Until that day finally arrives, we watch the news, read the paper, and allow the moss to grow over our hopes and dreams. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be this way for most of us. We all have a rip -cord, but it only works if it’s pulled with attitude.

     I have a friend named Dave that, just like me, grew up on the same road nearly all of his life in a little town in Indiana. I think his communities only real claim to fame may be James Whitcomb Reilly hanging around there about one hundred years or so ago. (Since then, not a lot of big news from that part of the world.) Dave was a good kid growing up. He minded his mom and dad, he only went where he was supposed to go, and did what he was supposed to. And he was slowly losing his mind to boredom. The problem was, I think, Dave was the youngest kid in the family and after all of his siblings were gone, his parents needed him around the house. He was frozen. It wasn’t his parent’s fault, it wasn’t Dave’s fault either, but that’s pretty much the way it was.

     Dave’s mother had progressively gotten in worse and worse health until one day she couldn’t hang on any longer. His family drew together and dealt with it like most solid families in the area and those storm clouds slowly went away. The pain subsided, but there was still a big hole in Dave’s life. He had to make a move.

     I was with him when he made up his mind. He and I were walking in downtown Ft. Meyers, Florida one night when he decided to leave the little farm town and try for something different. He knew if he didn’t jump soon, the window would pretty much be closed to him forever. About a month or so later, he got in his car and moved to Florida.

(Scott Coner singing REO Speedways Son of a Poor Man)

          I tell this story for a simple reason. This is just one example of a man that saw fit to change his life around. He decided it would be better to take a chance on something new rather than to stay locked in one position for the rest of his days. Where are you at today? Are you happy with your world? Do you stand at the sink sometimes and wish you were a million miles away from where you stand? Do you feel like your days are wasting away along with your own soul? As I have said many times, there are different versions of our original dreams. No doubt these dreams change a bit, as we get a little older. But they are still our God -given dreams. I hope you will be like my friend Dave and get in your car and drive towards the sun. You only have one life and God Himself put that dream in your heart.

     Dave needed a change of scenery. His heart belonged in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals. I know your purpose is probably different. It doesn’t matter at all. My dream was music and writing. I made some changes, and here I am. Don’t waste too many heartbeats. The one’s you love will understand and support your decision. It may be a bit of a shock to them, but they will come around. It will do their hearts good to see you happily perusing your dreams. It’s all up to you so be sure to set a good example. 

(Beach view of Sanibel Island. Courtesy of Cynnamae Productions)

         You know, I don’t know if there is a formula that we all get to use to reduce the risks involved when chasing our purpose. If there is, I sure didn’t know about it. I think maybe instead, we just have to walk out on the wire and do our best. These dreams we’re talking about usually only come together if we are willing to put some serious skin in the game. We have to allow ourselves to be hurt. We have to accept the potential failures that will surely come our way as we take this new path that is far less traveled by the pack. I for one, have been beaten, battered, stolen from, lied to, and embarrassed by the lovely “managers” around Nashville, Tennessee. The thing is, you just have to wipe the blood off and figure out what lesson was learned. You don’t quit. Ever. If you can hang in there, you will eventually find your footing. Just remember your dream. It’s not about financial rewards. It’s about doing what was put in your heart while you were still in the womb. The passion that this kind of dream brings can’t be bought. It’s in your DNA, and that’s all that there is to it. Go out there and do your best. We are waiting to hear your story!   

  

We are waiting to hear your story!    

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    Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at his music page. 

We Have It All... Just Like Bogie and Bacall

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

         A painful childhood does not create talent, and neither do mistakes that we make along the way. An artist may develop cynicism, a mistrust of authority, or an allergy towards phonies, but the development of art begins I think in the heart. Humphrey Bogart happened to be one of those children that came from a broken home. He grew up on the fashionable side of Manhattan and even summered in his family’s Victorian “cottage” in upstate New York. To the rest of the world, the Bogart family was upper middle class people enjoying the American dream. But to Humphrey and his sisters, they had an existence that included marital screaming, neglect, and abusive servants, complicated by the drinking and morphine addiction of both parents.

         Because of this darkness, Humphrey didn’t do well in any of the private schools he attended. His relationships were always on the rails because of his own trust issues. But in the midst of his problems, he found a sense of duty that characterized his personal life and motivated his greatest characters. In other words, I suppose, “Bogie” didn’t just become an actor. He used that emotional combination of pain, mistrust and anger to paint a portrait on the silver screen that the entire world would eventually attach itself to. Mr. Bogart never fully understood the interest that the rest of the world showed him. He was quoted as saying, “The higher a monkey climbs, the more you can see his tail."

         As with any artist or any other life, Bogart had his share of high points and low points. Classic movies and completely forgettable flops came and went. Marriages and divorces, embarrassing tabloids, regrets and joyous occasions all colored his life into one unforgettable legend.

Scott Coner on his farm in Indiana (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

         Maybe in the end, after all of these years, we see a man that the world identified with. Maybe the key to his legend was he was just enough hero to admire from afar, and just enough of a regular guy to recognize up close, Because of his imperfections, his generation identified with him. They counted on his character to do the right thing. They loved him simply because he was just a regular guy.

         I look around at our society these days, and I see a world that has come a long way since “Casablanca”. In a way, we have come such a distance that we are about to repeat ourselves. The speed at which we run, the coldness that we all endure from this technological state, and the lack of morality that our culture has, may have painted us all into a corner. Even though we live in a complex world, when you bring it back to basics, we are in need of a hero. We need a new direction to take. We need something to save us from ourselves. This world we live in has become too confusing due to political correctness and the complete lack of core values in our culture.

         Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to somehow get back to the basics. Wouldn’t it be nice to find yourself in a world that still had some class? A world where it was common again to hold the door open for women, to pray before our meals, to pledge our allegiance to our country that has offered so much to each of us. Humphrey Bogart shined the brightest during some of our country's darkest hours. Our world was at war. American soldiers were dying by the thousands, and our country prayerfully and quietly did the right things in order to be certain our soldiers had what was needed to win the war. We stood behind our troops, we trusted our country's leaders, and we were willing to lay certain opinions aside in order to be in compliance with what was just and needed.

 Scott Coner wrote Indiana Rain with his friend 

Steve Rogowski about an Indiana soldier   

         During those challenging years, those who stayed behind in the United States to support our troops and meet whatever challenges came up, found moments of escape in the “Silver Screen”. Then, like now, there was something special that happened when Hollywood brought us her best. Humphrey Bogart was an actor, but at the same time, he was also an artist. His artistry, his appeal, gave the greatest generation a moment of badly needed hope. This regular, short, little man was a giant among his peers. His art simply put, allowed Americans to escape from the worry and sadness that seemed to blanket the globe at the time.

         These days, although we aren’t in the midst of a world war, we are certainly at war. There are those out there who want to see us brought to our knees. They want us to be punished because we are great, and good, and powerful, and Christian. Through my eyes, I see a country that is in need of direction. We need to find ourselves again. We need to find a way to pull together and leave certain differences in the dust. We need to see the things we have in common rather than the things that tear us apart. We need to pray more and talk out loud a little bit less. We need to find our muscle and leave our weakness on the porch. We need to turn our music up and turn those that oppose us off. We need to learn to love each other again and fight like a junkyard dog when someone else opposes one of us. We are still one, we have just forgotten. We are still under the shadow of the Cross, we have only lost our focus.

         If you are an artist, I recommend that you allow your art to promote these things. We need purity instead of filth. We thirst for winning instead of constantly losing. We need heroes these days. We need men and women who stand for what is solidly right. The art of this moment should lift your country and her character up. If you are an actor, a photographer, a singer or a songwriter, a painter or a model, an actress or a director, the world needs you right now. Stand up with what you have and be a hero. Be like Mr. Bogart. Just don’t "Bogart" that… What was that my friend?  I must have lost my focus.  

     

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

Behind the Pale

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

(Note: Scott Coner will be releasing a new music video of the rock classic "Whiter Shade of Pale" on May 17. In this blog article, he tells us why he recorded the song for his forthcoming EP.)

 

         So many things attach themselves to us when we are young. If you have read my blog articles, I have told you several of the stories about why I have chosen certain songs that I have recorded “cover” versions of. I don’t do many, but when I do one, it’s a song that matters to me quite a bit.

         A couple months ago, I took three songs that I wrote to Nashville along with one song that I did not write. The song is called “Whiter Shade of Pale”, and it is one of those songs that matter to me more than I can say. Originally, the song was released in May 1967, but in my world it made its debut around 1983 on a soundtrack for a movie called “The Big Chill”. I have never seen the whole movie, but the music sure caught my attention. I had a cassette of the soundtrack and drove around in my truck listening to it over and over again. 

         I can’t tell you exactly what it is about the song that I love so much. It’s a combination of the organ, the melody, and the lyrics I suppose. I have no earthly idea what the song is about, but I know how it speaks to my heart. It instills a feeling that few songs have ever done. 

         As we began the process of putting the song together in the studio, I wanted to hold on to the “signature lick” from the keyboards and keep the song at the same beats per minute. Other than that, I wanted to come at it differently. The original drums remind me of Ringo when the Beatles played live. There was far more splash cymbal than I could use. My direction to the drummer was to attack it like John Bonham on a very simple, stripped-down set. His set was a mix of a 1950s-era kick and a 1970s set of toms that had recently been refinished. The drums themselves were mic'd pretty close to the same way Bonham had his set-up in the studio. Like I have said, if your drums don’t sound huge, you’re already in the weeds before you even begin.

 

         We came at the vocals differently than most would imagine I think. Carol Chase, who sings back-up vocals for Lynyrd Skynrd, opened the verse all the way to the first chorus. I took the second verse, then dropped to a lower harmony on the final two choruses to allow Carol to be on top.  Currently, we have guitar tracks all over the place, and I considered putting a loop deep into the mix. We waited a few weeks before we started mixing. I wanted it to be fresh when we began. Logan Schlegel prepared a rough mix.

(Check back on May 17 to watch the "Whiter Shade of Pale" video featuring Scott Coner with Lynyrd Skynyrd background vocalist Carol Chase.)

         Carol brought a really fresh edge to the song with her raspy, bluesy delivery. She had asked me to listen to Annie Lenox’s cover, and I did. But I am satisfied that Carol is a better singer than Miss Lenox, and a lot of the processed sound she used on her project sounds dated to me. I also briefly studied a version by Willie and Waylon, but sadly, I felt like it was one of the weakest cuts they ever did together. It didn’t matter anyway. We were going to come at the song our way and any other interpretations didn’t matter.

         As I have said in other writings, my intention has never been an attempt to beat the original cut. That would only spell failure. Instead, I come at a classic as if it has never actually been released and nobody has ever heard the song but me. I know that sounds a little bit crazy, but in my mind, I’m visiting an imaginary universe that doesn’t have “Whiter Shade” in it yet. It becomes our job then to play off of the original, but not copy it. We don’t do Karaoke.

         I hope you enjoy our attempt at the song. Believe me when I tell you that doing this song is the highest compliment I could ever pay Procol Harum. This song was a true game-changer for me. As I write this blog article, I must tell you that I can’t wait to release our version of the song.

     

                  Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

Why Worry, Why Wait?

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

Why worry? There should be laughter after pain...

There should be sunshine after rain...

These things have always been the same...

So why worry now?

                                                        -- Dire Straits

            How many times have you silently promised yourself that you would get around to it “one of these days”? Do you have some crystal ball promising you a tomorrow, or are you simply putting off the hard stuff? I spent the first half of my life spending it like pocket change. I had some good times now and then, but I lacked a responsible focus. Instead, I would find a quiet place and dream and promise myself that one day I would finally pursue my own goals and stop wasting my time doing what everyone else expected me to do. Well, by the time I hit my late thirties, I was starting to lose my mind. I felt like the sand in the glass was running out, I was trapped, and it was over for me. The day I finally hit the wall full speed, there were parts of me scattered all around. I was either going to have to make some immediate and very specific changes, or throw myself in a pond holding a rock. There was just not going to be a middle of the road for me.

Scott Coner (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

            There was a lesson there for me, and looking back now, I believe it was worth learning and waiting for, but I definitely waited longer than necessary. I got my own lens into focus. I began to categorize exactly what it was going to take to get a shot at music and take my whole family along for the ride. I want and need for my wife to be with me. She brings with her a massive amount of insight and talent in business and photography. She also calms my spirit. I want both of our daughters to get an insight at the vast amount of possibilities in the business itself, the travel, the people, and the beauty of it all. I wanted both of my parents to be there as well. I want us all to be a part of the journey. I want us to grow together and share memories for the rest of our lives. At the same time of course, I want each of my loved ones to follow their own dreams and develop into who and what they are inclined to be. My wife and I will support our daughters to chase whatever dream God has placed upon their heart. We have actually encouraged them to leave our little town and take the entire world in. There will be no sitting on the ledge waiting to live for anyone in my family as long as I have anything to say about it.

A song about believing... "If The Stars Burn Out"

            The reason I share this part of me with you the reader is this: I want you to follow your heart. I know that you and I aren’t acquainted, but I believe that you may be reading this for a reason. There is something special about you, something that sets you apart from the rest of us. I have met so many truly kind and interesting people through the years, it would be hard to narrow it down to any specific circumstance. But the one commonality these people all shared was that they were all at peace with themselves. They knew who they were, what they wanted, and where they stood.  

            I hope that you will take this day and begin to seek the change required to get on your path. We have all heard about the path with the least resistance. I know for sure that the things we want most in life require a certain amount of fire to harden our steel. The moments when we feel worn out and weak are the very times we are growing stronger and more antiquated with our own desire and direction. Don’t wait so long. Don’t put it off. None of us know what tomorrow brings, and we have to be who we are in the moment. You have a dream. You have a talent. What are you really waiting for? There is no worry in this. Put your faith in yourself and God.  Allow those that love you the opportunity to be with you and share the joys as well as sorrows. Allow them to see you meet your challenges. Let them see you fail along the way because there will most certainly be missteps. But most of all, let them be with you and celebrate with you those moments when the worry stops, the rain subsides, and the sun begins to shine. If you will take these steps, I promise you a feeling of calm you have never felt before. Put your worries aside, and allow yourself to live a more fulfilling existence while you are here on this earth. Don’t you worry! Just go jump in the puddles that the storms leave behind, and smile until your face begins to hurt. 

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.