Our Finest Moments

                                                                          By Scott Coner

                                          Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

     The moments that come unannounced are usually the ones that we remember for the rest of our lives. We all remember where we are on 9/11. We remember the day we met that special someone. We may remember hearing grandma downstairs moving around in the kitchen as she made breakfast. You remember your first kiss. These special memories are what make life pretty special. I would hate to think that I could ever fall so low as to question my own existence. All of our lives matter. All of our memories are locked away for a reason.

      Too may of the friends I have had all of my life seem to have fallen into the trap of “existing” rather than “living”. I don’t know what causes this bitterness. But my theory is they have become hardened because life has dealt a few pretty hard blows. I know life can be tough. Believe me, I have had plenty of dark days in the full sun myself. But, it doesn’t make sense to re-live the bad any more than it does to live in your best day from twenty years back. The past is the past. I relish the good memories but I don’t dwell on my mistakes. 

     I sat with my daughter the other day as we watched an old Charles Shultz cartoon about Easter. I enjoy the purity of those times. As I sat there feeling ten years old I wondered if any of my friends ever take time to watch Snoopy. Make no mistake. I am a man, a husband and a father. I’m not trying to be a kid. But I do like sharing parts of my childhood with my kids. I still like some of the old television shows, the music, even the clothes from my old world. I still like flying kites but don’t tell anybody.

     Age is just a number. We put too much emphasis on time and mirrors I think. We shouldn’t get caught up in the age thing. Instead, we need to lose ourselves in doing what we enjoy. We need to be around the ones we love. There are so many things I do today that I have done most of my life. I take walks down along the same creek I have been around my whole life. I notice tree’s that have always been around. I walk nearly every night with my dogs in the middle of nowhere.  I still listen to music about as loud as it will go. I’m probably half deaf, but I have no plans of changing anything at all. I am older now, but I am still young on the inside. I am hopefully wiser now, but I like to act foolishly whenever possible.

     I don’t think a lot about getting older. I try to take care of myself. I work out a lot. I eat good food and get lots of rest. But, when I run into old friends I sometimes feel awkward. Not because I’m not glad to see them. I just don’t always know where I stand with people I suppose. I feel great. I enjoy almost everything. But, I don’t like being around negative people. I think being negative is nothing more than a mind set. We don’t have to be down in the dumps. God gave us life. It is up to us to live it to it’s fullest. If something or someone doesn’t align with my world then I try to avoid whatever it is. These minutes that you and I have been given are ours to live as we see fit. We don’t have to be bummed out all of the time. We can make a better choice. We can improve ourselves, and our situation. But it all comes down to us.

     Our finest moments are the ones we pursue.  If we allow ourselves to fall into the day like a young colt, then we will have a pretty good day. Like I said, I am bit older now. But I believe I feel good because I have forgiven those that have wronged me. I have tried to be the best version of myself. I love the ones in my small circle about as much as they could ever be loved. I make it my job to laugh and joke as much as possible. I am nobody special. I haven’t accomplished all that much as far as the world is concerned. But I live well. I grab every minute of every day by the throat. Not because I wish to defeat it. But, because I want to hold it close as possible and never let go. When my spirit leaves this world, I hope people will notice and care that I am gone. I hope they can know for sure that I went to heaven. And, that while I was alive I truly did my best to seize every minute and every occasion.     

                            

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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. 

Cutting the Heart out of the Song

      By Scott Coner

                                                                            Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author  

     I’m about to do something I have not wanted to do. I’m about to shorten some of my songs in order to be in compliance with today’s market. Even though I believe that the industry itself treats music fans like they have the attention span of a mosquito, I don’t see any other path for me if I’m going to pursue the market at all. This morning I had a conversation with a producer friend of mine. He had a song I had written and recorded with Tanya Tucker a while back loaded on pro-tools. I had given him the track to see how difficult it would be to cut out an entire verse. I hate to do it, but if the song is going to get any play in America, it has to be trimmed down quite a bit. Even with the cut backs, more than likely, it won’t get a lot of play -time. But there is always the chance that a handful of the classic country radio stations around middle- America might like a new song featuring a legendary artist.
                               
                              
     I grew up on vinyl albums. Back then most kids didn’t have a lot of money. So when he or she bought an entire album, it was listened to all the way through. Songs weren’t shortened for the album and often times they would play for well over five minutes. I actually enjoyed finding songs on an album that I liked and having them play out for a while. Early on, I was a Marshall Tucker fan and Lord knows that band wasn’t scared to make you listen for a while to a song. I guess I mistakenly assumed that if a song played nicely, an extra minute or so wasn’t too much of a problem. This is where I was altogether wrong during this moment in time anyway. Sometimes conditions change without us being fully aware. One of the things that I don’t do a lot of is listen to today’s music on purpose. I truly believe that writers, as well as artists, should have their own sound, and I don’t want to accidentally pick up someone else’s approach to a set of chords or an idea.

     I stand strong in the idea that music is art. I don’t believe that art should be copied. When I sit down to write alone or with co-writers, I approach the piece as if it might be the very last song I’m ever able to be a part of. I want the song to say something. I selfishly want the song to share some secret about me that I have never told anyone. Wither it’s a thought or an opinion; it doesn’t matter. I just try to sneak my DNA in there somewhere. My hope is that each song makes some kind of statement. As far as I’m concerned, if we are going to ask the casual listener to give us three minutes of their time, it should be three minutes well spent.

     Recently, I wrote a song with two very successful writers. After the song was complete, I looked at the lyrics sitting there in front of me on a piece of paper. It opened with a chorus followed with four lines in a verse. The verse was followed with another chorus, two verse lines, a chorus and a half and the song was done! I like the song. I think it’s uplifting and I’m proud to have been part of it. It’s just so odd to me that this is where music is trending these days. I don’t think the market is dumbing down its listeners. Instead, I think maybe radio representatives are trying to crunch as many songs as possible into small portions of allocated time due to advertisements. I truly don’t know for sure. 

     So, getting back to the Tanya Tucker song. I will gut the song like a fish and try not to complain too much. We will enhance it a few different ways by changing the bass lines and thickening the drums. But in the end, we will remove an important part of my song. We will re-release it and see what happens. But as we make the song available to the buyer, I will always want the full -length version ready for the taking just in case anyone still cares. To me, it’s like sharing half of a picture. You know the ones. The photos with the odd scissor cut up one side of the photograph and someone from another time or relationship is missing?         

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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.         

November Rain

By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

     We are living in a moment of history that is so important! I believe that our society is at a crossroads. The lines are already drawn, and each of us is going to need to decide what side we want to stand on. For instance, do you believe that we can co-exist with Isis? Are you ready to give up your guns? How do you feel about protecting our borders or giving financial aid and voting rights to people that are not legal citizens? What about this continued process of treating veterans so terribly? Teachers unions? How about a woman being a proven liar that has actually lied under oath and still being a front-runner for the nation's highest office? The list goes on and on.

     We all have the right to believe what we want to believe. We have the right to voice our opinions. We even have the right to turn our back on the American flag I guess. Yes, living in a free country allows you to be and act like an idiot. You are given a pass on whether or not you want to appreciate the American blood that has been shed on battlefields all over the world giving you the right to behave badly. To me, though, it is such a shame that those of us that have Christian views are being treated like a problem rather than an answer. The news media wants us to feel like we are foolish for not recognizing their liberal agenda as the new world order. We should close our eyes and ears and accept whatever lie they insist we believe. They want us to be sheep. I don’t think that I’m alone when I say, “I’ll pass on the stupid. But thanks anyway.”

     I would never tell you what you should believe as far as politics go. For me, it is very important that everything aligns with my faith when it comes down to a voting booth. I think both parties have changed to the point that it is hard for me to recognize either one of them. The Democrats are certainly not the party of the old south that my family would have originally sided with and voted for years ago. The Republican Party has been telling us for years that they are in line with Reagan’s ways but they have been lying like dogs. Instead, they have been trying to build a bigger government and gain more and more power. Should we choose our poison and drink up? I don’t believe so. But that’s just me.

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     I predict that millions in our country are wide- awake. We are sick to death of the direction our nation is headed. We are sick to death of walking on the eggshells of political correctness. We truly want to see Isis destroyed forever, and we have no problem with calling out an extremist. We want to repair our broken health care system with something that actually works and helps our people. We want to our borders protected. We want our veterans helped and appreciated in every way possible. We want honesty back in the white house. We want the lies to stop. And we want God back in our schools, our universities, our government, and our nation.

     We are going to prove this sooner than later. November is just around the corner and we the people are going to storm this land with a like -minded vote. Both parties are going to feel this. If you’re a politician and aren’t working for the betterment of America, then you will be fired. We deserve better. Our people deserve good paying jobs with nice futures ahead of them, and this certainly includes the people in the inner city. Change is long over due. Nobody signed up for what we have now, and both parties are to blame. Our country has always been great, but we are about to become much greater. But first, we need to take the trash out.     

    

 

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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. 

       

Jackrabbits Straight Outta Compton

 By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

 

     Today was different than many days in my life. I went to bed last night knowing that as soon as the sun came up my entire day could be focused on music.  I have been in need of some quiet time to be simply alone and focus on getting the songs ready for this upcoming tour. I wanted to think about each song and how it could be placed into the set. I want to be certain that the songs don’t all stay in one specific chord or theme, or “feel”. I want each song to have a purpose for being there, and I don’t want any wasted movement. I have seen my share of shows through the years where I have been bombarded with a quick look back at most of the popular songs for the artist, “But tonight we want to share a boatload of new material you have never heard before.” I don’t want to do this, even though I will be playing in areas that aren’t familiar with my music. What I will do to make sure the listener has a good time is to include songs from his or her past. I want to push those pleasure buttons with songs that excite the soul a little bit and make you smile. 

     This concept sounds pretty easy. It did to me anyway. At least until I remembered I don’t have a full band on this trip and I might need a few pole dancing jack rabbits in order to keep everyone’s attention. The whole idea was going to work until I realized that although rabbits are insanely sexy creatures, they simply don’t have the proper grip to dance and spin around a pole. I also understand that they can be very rude and demanding and your not supposed to look directly at their ears, or it is considered a threat. And things go south from there because you never feel at ease around a rabbit that would just as soon kick you in the private areas as look at you. Who wants that right? I know I don’t.

     Sorry, I got off topic for a second. Anyway, I want the songs to be thematically aligned with the lights and the video above the stage. I want the people that are kind enough to show up to know that they are about to go somewhere cool without even leaving their seat. Now understand that I am in no way trying to say that I am the golden ticket to musical nirvana. But what I am trying to say instead, is that I have spent my life loving and thinking about music. I believe I have considered nearly everything. I don’t want pre-climactic parts bringing the observer up and down all night. Instead, I want that person, every single individual, to take a trip into their own past and feel emotions that they haven’t felt for a long time. Remember that time you talked to that certain person in the hallway at high school and you couldn’t do much but stand there and look goofy? I want you to feel that again for just a minute. Do you ever think about where you were the first time you heard “The Dance”? What about some Marshal Tucker? Tim McGraw? Hey, what about this new guy they call Scott Coner? He is such a nice guy. If you don’t believe me, just ask his mom…

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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. 

 By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author 

     In many ways, I see my opportunity to sing and play music as an opportunity to help or challenge people to live their lives in a more challenging and fulfilling way. As I have said many times, we all have something that lives inside of us that should be shared with others. I don’t think it is by accident when I am given an opportunity to meet someone that has “went deep” and became who he was supposed to be rather than who he had allowed himself to become. I took a short vacation a few weeks back and met such a man in New Buffalo, Michigan.

   

     My wife usually puts our little excursions together, and she often hides a nice little surprise in there somewhere for us. If we are in Chicago, she will have us set up in some historical hotel near the water. If we are in Florida, I may find myself swimming with dolphins. And apparently, when I find myself in New Buffalo, I will find myself on a sunset sailboat cruise. I love this about her. She always finds a way to make even sweeter memories for our family.

     It was probably around 7 p.m. when we stepped on his boat. I had never been on a sailboat before so I tried to stay out of the way. I figured he would be busy pulling ropes on pulleys and trying to work with the wind. I was wrong about that. He knew perfectly well how to adjust for the conditions and allow for an incredibly smooth and peaceful ride. We probably sailed towards the sun for an hour or so before he and I began to talk. He put on an abstract collection of all types of music that was somehow connected to water and it was a nice change not to hear “Margaritaville” over and over. His name was Steve, and he was originally from that part of the world. He looked to be in his late thirties or possibly in his early forties. He was in good shape, had a nice tan, and took very good care of his boat. He told me that he had been in sales with his families company for years, but the company got sold, and he just didn’t have any passion for things in that field at all anymore. He knew he had to make some significant changes in order to be happy, so he took a giant step in faith. He said he had always been drawn to the water, and he decided to buy a sailboat. His plan was solid, although there were a few seasonal issues that slowed his business down in the late fall. In order to stay on track, he put his boat in storage every winter and went to Florida until spring. He had found work on someone else’s boat during that time, and it provided a nice change of pace for him.

     I think what I admired most about the man was his willingness to take a chance on himself. It was just him, the water, and faith. He had taken his dream and turned it into reality. His dream is allowing other families to make memories that they will never forget. In the midst of a problem he had found a way to see through it and take a completely different direction. I believe that because he was willing to take a chance, he was given an opportunity to do something more. He accomplished something far too may of us only think about. And his ability to share his joy of the water with others is opening eyes to countless other people along the way.

     Most of you know that I am basing my upcoming tour around “building a legacy.” My goal is to allow people the chance to look inward and strive for more than just the daily grind. This man, this sailor, is the type of legacy builder I am talking about.

     Don’t you want more? Do you ever have those, “what if” moments? Do you ever think about all of the desires that are deep within you but you just don’t know how to act on them? I think in order to be happy in this world we need to be who we really are. I believe that in order to maintain a long and quality relationship that you should never stop developing and changing toward what serves you better. By constantly challenging ourselves, we also inspire our children to never give up on their own dreams. I have allowed my wife and daughters to see me get knocked flat in the music business. They have seen my struggle and I have been open about my mistakes and disappointments. I wanted them to see me this way. I have always hoped that somehow they could learn some lesson in seeing their dad refuse to give up when times were hard and hurtful. Maybe, I have allowed them to see a fool. I hope not. But if I have, there was probably still a life lesson included in there somewhere.  

     As I write this article, Steve is surely on his sailboat floating quietly across the water. He is probably looking west, watching his sails, and giving someone the time of their life. I hope that he knows he is an inspiration to many of us. He cracked the mold. He found a way to become who he truly is, and who he is truly matters. He is making a contribution and building a legacy that will be talked about for many years to come.  As we sailed back to our dock that evening, “Brandy” by the band, “Looking Glass” was on his stereo.  Perfect.

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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.