Sunday Morning Comin’ Down

                                                                               By Scott Coner

                                          Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author

     It’s a Sunday morning. It’s quiet around here, and I wanted to take a few minutes to write this week’s blog before everything takes off at full speed. We all suffer from this fast flying world, don’t we? It’s hard to know when and where to demand a slower gate. Anyway, Miles Davis is playing me a cut from 1959, and I feel pretty peaceful. I think we give too many other people and things credit for disrupting our lives. Isn’t it up to us what we allow in? Isn’t it up to us to build our own hedge and only allow what we deem necessary to deal with?

     I ask myself sometimes how in the world I even landed here. I was lying in bed this morning holding my wife next to me. The sun was up, the birds were chirping, and I took the time to count my blessings. I thought how wrong it is that we take so much for granted. We buy new cars that we love, but the new wears off, and it becomes just another vehicle. We build the house of our dreams, and we forget to sit in that special spot and take in the beauty of the structure. We marry that person we have wanted for a lifetime then just walk by them without acknowledging how we feel every time we get a chance. And life just passes us by. Before long, it’s too late. The show is over. The sun has gone.

     

     I don’t tell others how to live. It’s none of my business and Lord knows I am no authority. But let me share this part of me with you. When I was about 40 years old, I was given a new lease on life. I changed. I found peace like I have never had and I have held on to those feelings. I consider every day and every minute it holds. I tell my kids I love them every single day. I tell my wife how beautiful she is many times a day and how much I love her. I give my dogs and horses time every single day. I call my parents almost every day. And I even attempt to be nice to the guy in the gas station buying lottery tickets and cigarettes standing in front of me wasting both of our time. The thing is, there is more good than bad. We just have to groom it and nurture it, if we want it to stick around I think.

     This last year has been a good one for me. My music has done well, but there has been a disappointment. I have had someone representing me that didn’t do what she promised. Honestly, I’m not sure how we are going to handle it. It’s awful when people you believe in let you down and then step as far away as possible. But it will be dealt with one way or another. The thing is, it’s out of my hands. I have done my level best. Now it will be up to someone else as to when and where I take another step in this business. I feel confident that the proper course will show itself, but for now, I won’t be playing on the road anytime soon. It hurts pretty deeply. But, there are some good things too! I get to spend more time with my wife, my kids, my animals, my gym, and the ones I care most about. How can this be all bad? I plan on writing and recording more music. I want to go ahead and release a book I have finished. And I want to enjoy every minute of every day.

     We all get hurt sometimes. We step back from the flame feeling the hurt from the burn. But sometimes, there might be a reason for the infliction. Maybe we needed to learn something. Maybe, God Himself was sparing us from something we know absolutely nothing about. Last week, an old friend from high school messaged me about my weekly blog. (Thank you, Theresa Woodall) I told her I was taking a break. I was too embarrassed and hurt to tell her that I was reeling from the fact that the bookings I had expected were not coming. But there it is. I took a hit. We all do every now and again. I am trying to figure it all out. If we allow it, the pain will make us stronger. It makes us wiser. It makes us better.

     I love going to the gym. I love chest and arm days the most. I enjoy the burn. I like taking myself to failure. I love the extremely loud rock music in my headphones. What am I doing? I’m tearing small parts of my own muscle apart. I eat well. I rest. And like magic, my body repairs and replenishes itself. In the meantime, I’m getting stronger as I tear myself down. That’s what it comes down to. We find a way to repair ourselves as we take the hits life likes to throw every now and then. Just go outside today and listen to the birds and the breeze if it’s all going south on you. Don’t give in to despair. Turn up some real rock music and tell the problem where to get off.  

     Yes, I am aware this blog went all over the place. Since this will not be graded, I think it’s cool. The blog is like my mind today, going all directions. But it’s okay! I feel like the old snapshot of Johnny Cash as he flipped of the record industry. Sometimes you just get to laugh a little bit as you throw your arm around the prettiest woman on the planet and say screw it anyway! .... I already won! 

P.S.

If you are reading this blog, do me a favor and share some of my music/videos. I truly appreciate it!

Take care,

Scott

                            

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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.     

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.         

Growing Along the Way

By Scott Coner

Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer and Author

     I have spent more than my share of time complaining. I have found reasons to blame others for my own shortcomings. I have pointed towards anything or anyone but me far too many times when I alone, was the culprit. Somewhere along the way, thank God, I have been able to find clarity. I have been able to humble myself long enough to accept the fact that I may have been my biggest enemy. It would be easy to blame my shortcomings on my sinful nature, but that again would be taking the blame game of original sin all the way back to Eden and not truly accepting what is deservedly mine.

     I have always felt protected by God. I have always felt in my heart that He had some type of plan for me. I’m not trying to say that I am “special” in any way. I suppose I have just truly believed in His love and protection. I know with every cell in my body that God loves and protects us all. I believe He has plans for us if we are willing to allow ourselves to be molded into what is needed.

     So it seems as though my dream of playing music is finally beginning to qualify itself as something more than just a dream. I am engaged at every level these days preparing for this new role in my life. As I have said several times before, I have allowed myself to drift away from the original dream of actually touring and meeting people and assumed that I would always be a songwriter that works behind the scenes most of the time. The change in direction has caught me off guard, and I can only say that there is just no way I could be happier. I truly look forward to what is around the corner. I want to meet people that have supported me, and my music. There have been many times when I wondered how I could go one more step, and then almost magically some kind and thoughtful person would send me a private message. I remember a lady telling me that one of my songs had helped her through the loss of her spouse. That message meant more to me than I could ever put into words. It gave me the energy to keep pushing on and not give up.

     I know now that the good Lord was there beside me all along. He gently nudged me down the path that I needed to travel in order to grow both emotionally as well as spiritually. Through the years there have been so many false starts with my music career. The cold, hard fact is, He wouldn’t allow things to truly begin until I was ready. It has been hard to live with all of this time, but I am so glad things have happened the way they did. I feel good these days. I am probably healthier than I have ever been in my life. I find myself thanking the Lord for nearly everything. I have a perfect marriage, healthy children, a beautiful home, and my parents are healthy. I think God’s timing was just different than my own, and I am absolutely fine with the outcome.

     I tell you all of this very personal information because I am willing to use myself as an example. I have made nearly every mistake imaginable, and one would think that my future would be over. But that isn’t how things always go. If you feel or have ever felt that your options were in the past, I would ask you to re-consider. These days, the way I see it is, those of us that have weathered the storms may be better served to help others along the way. We have felt the hurt and disappointment that life often brings. If we all had a perfect record, how could we listen to and help others? How could I write a song? You and I have become journeymen in this career called life. We have felt the pain that is necessary in order to understand others. We have made catastrophic mistakes, so maybe it will be easier for us not to judge others.

     What’s that? Oh, you haven’t made catastrophic mistakes? That’s ok; that’s probably just me. I have always been slow in the developmental department. Just know that you have insight like no others, and you are truly valuable. Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t lose your faith. And always remember that no matter how much water is under the bridge, it’s never too late to change your position in life. Allow yourself to, “Be who you are rather than what you have allowed yourself to become.”  

We all need each other. Don’t ever forget that.