Sound Possibilities

                                                                                By Scott Coner

                                             Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author  

     I met Kenny about six months ago. Steve Dean, Carol Chase and I had just finished co-writing a song together, and we felt good enough about the piece to get it recorded. I had been working around Nashville in three different studios, but I had been looking for a place that put more emphasis on vocals. The next thing I knew I found myself in Kenny Royster’s studio and I immediately realized that this guy had a special talent that I needed to add to my music.

     Kenny is originally from Portland, Oregon. He also attended college in Oregon as well but soon afterward moved out to L.A. While he was out there, he began playing lead guitar and singing lead vocals in a pretty solid rock band that worked steady six days a week in California, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon. It was during this season that he began to record his band with whatever equipment he could get his hands on. He eventually built a home studio and continually upgraded his gear as time and money allowed. He had a natural talent that allowed him to work with an established producer that had worked in the band, “Sugar Loaf” (Green Eyed Lady) earlier in the 70’s rock world. Kenny told me that he used himself as a guinea pig as he developed his approach to recording. It was also during this time that he won a songwriting contest in Sacramento and more people began to hear about him. His small home studio was flourishing, but the idea of moving to Nashville had started to make sense.

Kenny Royster

     Upon arriving in Nashville, Kenny met a drummer that was already hooked up with several capable studio players around town. Kenny set his studio up in a modest area and started working primarily in doing sessions for song demos. (A song demo is usually provided by the songwriter for an artist or a publisher to consider) Kenny told me that he began setting the studio up in blocks of time. He and his players would cut demos all day long and then he would begin doing a follow up on the vocals and the mixes that evening. They stayed busy because they were doing excellent work at very affordable prices.     

     Rene’ Grant Williams, the well -known vocal coach, began bringing her students to Kenny’s studio. This gave her students a great experience, and it gave Kenny a personal insight on better understanding the dynamics of helping singers working in the studio. The band “Lonestar” and Trace Adkins were just a few of the artists’ that showed up with Mrs. Williams. Upper tier songwriters began bringing their material to Kenny as well. Songwriters like, Buddy Jewell, Paul Overstreet, Dickey Lee, Craig Campbell, and Don Goodman started showing up with potential hit songs. The accumulative hours have flown by. I believe it is safe to say that Kenny Royster is a journeyman in his field of business. He has done great work for many artists including myself. I have seen first hand what he can accomplish, and it’s pretty fascinating to watch. Because of his attention to details, I have actually gone into his studio and re-recorded two of my songs. He understands the dynamics that I am pursuing. He listens to what I have to say and then he offers outstanding advice.

     At the time of this blog, Kenny is working away in his studio. He also currently has a number one song he co-wrote and recorded for a band called, “The Long and Short of It” in Australia. Three months prior he also had the #4 song in Australia with the same duo. He has been working in early development with an upcoming Sony artist named, Luke Combs. It is safe to say that Kenny will be around Nashville for a long time to come. I have worked with several different producers as well as engineers all around Nashville, and I can confidently say Kenny is light years ahead of them. Because he is a singer himself, he understands vocals and how to best record them. He has played guitar in a band. He has felt that special “live” sound we all chase while working in a studio. He has taken the art of recording music to a much higher level, and I am truly honored to call him a friend. He’s one those people behind the scenes that have developed music into something that takes your breath away. That is very cool.  

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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.         

The Time of Our Lives

 By Scott Coner

                                                                            Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author  

     It’s a funny thing how we change as we get older. We begin to understand that life is shorter than we originally thought. When we are young, we wish we could be older. When I was little, I wanted to be old enough to play with the older kids. When I was ten, I wanted to be sixteen so I could drive. I remember sitting in school praying for the afternoon to pass so I could have my freedom back. These days, I wish the days could just be longer. I want more time with my wife, my daughters, and our home. The older I get, the faster time seems to go.

     When we first found out that Cyndi was pregnant, we could hardly wait for baby Emily Sae to be born. When our second little girl, Taylor was born, I remember being so excited for her to say her first words I could hardly wait. These days I’d give anything just to have both of those little girls in my arms again. Time isn’t just fleeting. In a way it’s kind of heartbreaking as well. The thing is, I had great times back then, but I didn’t have the capacity to truly appreciate what I had until some of the moments were long over. The problem with time is it moves along even when you aren’t ready to move along with it.

     When we are young, we don’t understand that our grandparents are just around for a while. We think we will have the same dog and cat forever. And our best friend will always be our closest pal. What we don’t know is that we will find ourselves visiting those very moments for the rest of our lives because those moments are all we have. I have a few of my grandpa’s flannel shirts and an old hat. I have three of the glasses I drank out of when I was a kid at my Grandma’s house. And every now and then, I wear “Old Spice” cologne just like my grandpa did. I know it’s a little strange, but these are the things that allow me to re-connect for just a minute. That’s the thing about age. You find yourself walking around with a mind full of memories and the need to let those closest to you how much you love them.

      I have given my whole heart to my family. They are simply everything to me. I have sat around watching our kids grow up with a guitar in my hands. Foolishly, I have always wanted to be out on the road playing my music. And because of my persistence, I guess this is about to become a realty soon. I never dreamed the heaviness the idea of leaving would actually bring to my heart. I have always worked very hard at whatever I have wanted. That’s one of the culprits that stole time from my family. I push and push until I get what I want. Now with the reality in front of me, I recently realized that this is going to be much, much harder than I thought. My world is right beside my wife, my home, my powerful memories that I constantly visit. I know now that the warmth and beauty of my wife, the laughter of my kids, and unconditional love of our animals is far more than I ever deserved. I only want to be with them. The rest of what the world offers is certainly appreciated. But, we are going to need to find a way to work it all out somehow.

     Believe me when I say that I am fully aware that my children are all but grown. It won’t be too much longer until they won’t need me as much. One is a junior in college and one is a junior in high school. I guess I just don’t want to miss anything as it comes anymore. I think the greatest lesson I have ever learned is the one that time taught me. That measure of heartbeats that we call a clock has shown me what if feels like to truly appreciate every single minute. For that, I am thankful because I know there are people all over the world that only have regret for the life they didn’t choose to live. For what it’s worth, I will live the years that I have left on this earth doing my best to be a better husband, a better dad, a better son, and a better friend to the few that I actually have. In the mean time, I guess time will just have to continue marching on. There’s not a thing in the world I can do to slow it down.

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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.         

Finding What Matters

     By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

     I had a long talk with an old friend today. We talked about family and friends. We talked about how quickly time goes. But we eventually always talk about music. We discussed the beauty of the feelings that visit us when we write a song. We talked about the differentiation of music and the business of music. I don’t suppose we discussed anything that hasn’t been discussed a million times before. What struck me, though, wasn’t what took place on the phone. What got to me were thoughts I had as I drove down the road alone considering the topic itself.

     My relationship with music seems to revitalize itself pretty often. As I have said before, music has brought me nearly everything worth having that is in my life. I have gone deep into my personal world and shared my feelings with strangers through a song. My closest friends are all part of the music world. Music allows me to see the world through a slightly different lens than how I might have originally viewed it. It gives me so much it’s very hard to put into words. Somehow, it gently just became what I am. I think it is comparable to a farmer that gives his heart and soul to the earth. He works with. He knows it. After a while, he doesn’t seem comfortable anywhere except in his own God-given world.

              

     Recently, I have pushed myself to limits I hadn’t needed to go to before. I have prepared a show that will be around for quite a while if all goes well. I would compare it to a very small off-Broadway play. During the show, I will discuss why certain songs mean so much to me. I will also discuss the ways and reasons I have written many of my own songs. Along with this, we will be incorporating quite a bit of media behind me on the stage. I will include some portions of video from my own songs. I think we will be including photos and video of my family. I also hope to include quite a few unique videos from around the countryside from where I’m from.  The people that I work with in Nashville have taught me the importance of refining everything that goes with the show. They have helped me understand that I need to keep the things the same at all times. Sometimes life just happens, and we might find ourselves a bit off balance or disheartened. Specific structure will help me maintain the quality of the show. In truth, this probably keeps me from getting in front of people and rambling on unnecessarily. I know I have done this in the past, so believe me, structure and rules need to apply.

     Anyway, after talking with my friend about music, I began to think how truly blessed I am to be able to do what I love so much. I truly hope that whoever is reading this has a personal perspective of being whole and full of what matters. The world seems like a pretty crazy place to me these days. But it all melts away when I turn it off and visit the place that music takes me. Life is hard. I know that we can’t hide from the fact. But, I truly believe that if we could all find our true purpose, most of the world’s craziness would just go away. True peace really does come from within.

I might sound like I need to be handing flowers out an airport, but our busy surroundings 

don’t allow for nearly enough time to enjoy what feeds our soul.   

 

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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. 

Faded Jeans and Flannel Shirts and Pretty Brown Eyes

      By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

 

     Fall is coming! I can tell because red, yellow, and brown M&M’s are showing up at our house. Fall placemats, a cinnamon broom on the wall in the garage, and pretty fall colored lights are on the fireplace mantel.  My wife, Cynthia, makes our home incredibly comfortable year round, but I guess I enjoy fall the most because the season promises cooler temperatures, family gatherings, and of course Christmas is right around the corner.

  

     I love to go down to the creek at the back our farm and watch the leaves fall on the water. I like to watch the changes across the fields where I live. And most of all, I love to spend time with our little family. My wife, my daughters, and our dogs make for some pretty special times that I hope I will remember even when I get to heaven.  My wife keeps all kinds of cool things to decorate our house with and every day for the coming weeks the house changes just a little bit more every day. It goes from summery bunnies sitting around to scarecrows and pumpkins. She keeps fresh apple cider in the refrigerator for us, and an occasional spiced doughnut may even appear every now and then, but not for long.

     Campfires are always nice, but I think they are best in the fall. The night skies are clear, and the air is crisp. Where we live, it is always quiet, and I can think clearly as I stare into the flames. That is until I look across the glow of the fire and see how pretty my wife Cynthia looks in her faded jeans and flannel shirt. Then, I usually forget all about whatever I was contemplating. It doesn’t matter, though. I have all I have ever wanted these days. My family is happy and healthy. My mom and dad are healthy and doing well. And I feel pretty good too, knowing that all is good with those that matter most to me. I remember not having the same feelings about fall. I saw it as the season that brought an end to things. As far as I was concerned, it represented nothing more than a killing frost and the beginning of bitter cold. Our opinions change as we grow in age and wisdom, though, and that’s probably a good thing in my case. These days I see fall representing a chance to slow down a bit and reflect on things. There just isn’t any good reason to dread the changing seasons any more than there is reason to ever give up hope. To me, reminding myself what a lucky man I am is easy. I walk through our home and see the pictures of my beautiful daughters and wife, my parents, grandparents, and even our dogs. I know that I am blessed with far more than I deserve and believe me, I don’t take it for granted.

     I won’t waste my time being cynical about things I can’t change. I refuse to be a part of that thought process. As far as I’m concerned, the world is still a pretty great place. I see all the crazies burning down their towns across the country on the evening news and wonder what in the world they are thinking. I hope I never become so bitter as to have that much hate in my heart. I want to enjoy every moment that I’m given. I want to hold my wife’s hand and speak without speaking. I want to know that my daughters know in their hearts how much I love them. I want to play music and write songs. I want to drink hot cider beside the campfire at night. I want to live my life with the volume turned all the way up and never stop looking into the future or missing the minute that I’m in. And when winter gives us her coldest wind and darkest clouds, I want to know that spring is right around the corner. Go ahead and let the leaves begin to fall.  

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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.