The Wall

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

            It’s a "sight on earth" how self-made plans have a way of changing on their own. I arrived in Nashville hoping to be a songwriter. I felt that my songs were different than most. And even though I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing, I kind of used it as my calling card. One of the first guys I hired turned out to be quite a bit less than what he promised. I made the mistake of judging the book by its cover, and man was that a money and time waster. I, being the hayseed that I am, figured that since his name came to the top of the list if you googled his service, he must be a pretty good choice. He was middle aged, he had extremely nice suits, and he drove some of the finest sports cars I had ever seen. What could go wrong here? Well, to be honest, not much went right, but I finally stepped free of his storytelling and moved on.

            There have been several of those types of people since him -- The kind of people that tell you one thing, but do absolutely nothing but drive to the bank with your money as soon as you leave town. It’s heartbreaking really. It hurts you all over as you begin realizing that you have been ripped off again and again all in the name of music. I think these people may have started as honest as the next guy, but for whatever reason, they begin to realize that it is easier to steal from the innocent than actually do the right thing. I suspect they begin their Darth Vader type of existence because they don’t carry enough clout with the bigger players. So, if they are going to survive in Nashville, it will have to be on the take. 

My song/video "Nashville Song" was inspired by my experiences on Music Row. 

            I was one of the lucky ones. I watched the table pretty closely as the cards were dealt, and put a timer on each play. If the promises made didn’t begin to show some color within my own private allocated time, they were either put on notice or fired on the spot. The sorry truth about this type of approach is you can’t help but become cynical. You begin to question almost everything and everyone. You don’t realize it, but you begin to build a wall. And like the song says, all in all, you're just another brick in the wall.

            Before I found myself completely entombed with my self-constructed wall of sound, I began to seek a different type of clarification. I began considering other avenues, a whole new route to take. The first thing I began doing was wondering if maybe I could actually write and sing my own songs. I started taking a handful at a time into Nashville, and I decided I was going to take off where I quit several years ago. Things kind of started to get a little bit of traction, and a whole new concept was born. However, like about everything else on this planet, I still had more than my share of problems. Once again, my biggest problem was the crooks. They are thick like bluegill in a farm pond. No matter where you throw your line, they either steal the worm, or you land a fish half the size of a biscuit. The obvious decision was to begin using the white-collared criminals as bait. I began dropping their names everywhere I went. And like a miracle, they began to swim back to the safety of the shallow water because they were becoming exposed. Kind of like a cockroach, but the bug actually has a lot more class. 

 Scott Coner visits the Ryman Auditorium (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

            The music kept on coming. Before long, we were truly storming several studios bringing in all kinds of talent. Musicians are kind of like ball players. The best players really like playing and hanging out with each other. So as things began to gel, clarity began to take hold. I moved as quickly as possible, and continue to do so. Instead of trying to make a big splash around Nashville or shopping for a deal, I simply focused on writing, networking and recording whenever possible. My wife, Cynthia, and I worked hard at developing social networks, videos, songs and everything that a label is supposed to do for you. One day, I began taking note of all the songs that had been recorded and written, and I was taken back by the sheer volume. We had recorded years of releases. So instead of slowing down, we are speeding up even more. My plan is to shelf another album this summer, followed by another album in the fall. We will begin traveling everywhere early 2017 and then we might find time to rest. But then again, I wouldn’t mind booking studios around the country and see what that’s like. In the midst of this, I have also been working on a few books. Yes, I know what your thinking. Why does this guy think we want to hear his songs or for that matter read his books? I have no answer for you. I just got a little bit ticked off at the establishment in Nashville and decided to do what I came to do without their help. Like most things I do, it will probably end in a fiery crash, but the noise might be worth listening to. I just didn’t want to be another brick….

         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.

Music Has Been My Golden Ticket

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

         I’ve been thinking about the journey so far a little bit lately. I sometimes find myself wanting to talk to someone about it, but there really isn’t anyone to talk to. The fact is, I can’t hardly believe what a cool trip it has been so far. I have written and recorded lots of songs, and the songs thankfully, keep coming.  I never dreamed how things would eventually turn out. I had walked away from the business a long time ago in order to raise my daughters, and somehow, the doors in Nashville allowed me back in.

          I would be lying if I told you it has been nothing but newly paved highway since I came back to the music business. There have been more than a few characters that truly needed a physical adjustment in order to overcome their evil ways. But those types of people are in about every circle I guess. They allow us to stay sharp and challenge us to find greener pasture without that type of static in our lives.

          I have stayed true to my own writing style, although I have written with a few other writers in Nashville who have opened my eyes in certain ways. But the truth is, most of my songs come from my own life one way or another. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but that is the way it is. I walk around our farm, I drive the old country roads where I live, and I think about my life as I write. Sometimes, those songs come out in a discombobulated fashion that’s for sure. But they are from me, and that’s about the best I can do. 

(Scott Coner's "Nashville Song" offers insights into

the rough and tumble of Nashville's music industry.)

         Sometimes, not often, but sometimes I have wished I had been born different. It truly can be a little bit embarrassing when I admit what I do in music to certain people. I can see in their eyes the amusement as they ask themselves why I would possibly think anyone would want to hear me play or sing. They all respond the same way with a hateful-type smile, and they’ll begin to tell me about some drunken uncle they have that fancied himself a songwriter. I try to be respectful and allow them their little barb. Another fact is, most people from where I’m from don’t even know about my music. I don’t play the bars or clubs around where I live, because those people only want to hear cover songs all night. That would kill me pretty quickly to be honest.

         Those closest in my family, including my wife, daughters, and parents, are very supportive. But once you get out of that tight-knit circle, it may be fifty-fifty if some of my own flesh and blood doesn’t sit around hoping that I fail in one way or another. I think many of those people that I grew up around would be quite a bit happier if I would just shut up and drink the Kool–Aid like they did. Give up on my goals and grab a 12-pack on the way home from work like they do. They will be waiting a long while though, because I won’t quit until I have to be buried on a hill down the road from where I grew up. The fact is simple but missed by most. They only have a limited capacity when it comes to music. You are either a star like Tim McGraw, or you are a complete failure. That’s where they get it all wrong. The journey is part of the joy. The people, the ones who truly care about the songs. What about that part? Does this not matter to anyone but me?

         It is true that I have been blessed beyond my own imagination when it came to working alongside Tanya, or T. Graham, or even Charlie Daniels. But those weren’t the best parts for me. The evenings that I have spent walking the streets of Nashville getting ready for another recording or show have been the best part. Each of those moments had purpose and meaning to me. It is what I do, and there is nothing else. Those times that I spent getting prepared to do a project, or remembering the moment that a song was written, that is what gives me direction. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on earth because of my family, and what few true friends I have, and of course this music. 

Scott Coner performs in Nashville (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

         I remember everything about the journey. The times I have spent planning the following day with my wife on west end, or the long walks we took just talking with the Nashville skyline in the horizon. You see, music doesn’t just offer me the chance to play music itself. It offers me the freedom to step away from the world I was raised in and visit a different part of me with those that I care the most about. It gives me a break from normalcy. I have always joked with my wife that she validates me with others because of her striking beauty. I swear, I think when people see her with a simpleton, like me, they take a second to listen. They can’t help but be curious as to what she sees in me. What they don’t know about is what she and I have shared, what we have accomplished together. A very necessary truth is I wouldn’t be where I’m at without her. She has believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I just didn’t want to let her down or disappoint her in some way, so I have kept on pushing and going down the road even when there wasn’t a map.

         I love my life these days. Good things are happening for me in Nashville. But, in truth, they have always gone pretty well for me in that town. I have sat across some pretty fine dinner tables with candlelight staring at this woman that I love so much right there in the very heart of Music Row. We have had ice cream at Maggie Moo’s and visited our favorite bookstores. She has captured my music on film. We have taken drives looking at all of the natural beauty that the town has to offer. But mostly, we have had fun. We have made this road trip together, and I’m thankful for that.

         Music and all of her magic has given me something impossible to explain. It has been a true gift that I don’t take lightly. I just wanted those of you who follow my music and all of these other ramblings to know that, when you listen to my songs, I am somewhere smiling deep inside. I’m just thankful all over for the way things have gone. I wouldn’t change anything even if I could.   

         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.

The Long and Winding Music Row

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

            I’m in a West End Boulevard hotel in Nashville tonight. I’ve been here countless times, and if I need to be in the city somewhere or over on Music Row, I usually stay on this end of town. I read somewhere that Waylon, Willie and Kris lived right down the road near the Centennial Park that I jog in. I like to think about what those days must have been like with the writing of some of the planet's finest songs, the laughter, the dreams. That must have really been something. But, I can only imagine.

            But here I am tonight. Set up for more meetings, listening to more plans for my music, then finally, laying all of my songs, my book, and my stats out on a large table for everyone to view. “Just turn your head to the right and cough for me Scott. This won’t be too uncomfortable.” I walk into many of the same buildings that artists much greater than me have walked into. We have walked the same streets. We probably came here with something close to the same dream. It’s a painful process to go through as a writer and a singer. It’s painful because we don’t really talk about my songs as much as I want. They want to know where I have been doing shows. I can feel them sizing me up. I can sense them wishing I was better looking. Maybe a little bit younger. “I probably should have worn some cool clothes and maybe a cowboy hat,” I tell myself. But, the last time I tried to wear something like that, I felt like I would hit every wall in every hallway, and I don’t even own a cowboy hat. I can feel myself starting to heat up a little bit with embarrassment as I hear myself stutter and search for meaningful answers to the man’s questions. 

Scott Coner performs (Photo provided by Cynnamae Productions)

            He asks me what my strongest song is. I answer back, “Well, they are all my favorites. It would be like asking me to pick the cutest puppy out of a litter.” Oh God, did I just say that? Am I mental? Am I trying to screw this meeting up? He laughs politely, but I am certain we have both identified me as an idiot. But the meeting takes a different turn. He actually likes my music! He goes on to tell me that he believes he can do something with my music, my “brand” as they call it down here. I’m not certain what else he said from then on because I’m a little bit freaked out. I walk out of the meeting with Chuck, my publicist, my wife, and my dad. I brought my dad because he’s far more intelligent than me. I brought my wife because she is pretty and makes me look not so hayseed, and I brought Chuck to discuss my social media. I only came to discuss puppies apparently, but I was willing to discuss music if we got around to it.

            I’m finally in the safety of my pickup. I roll down the streets of Music Row with a little bit of wind in my sails for the first time in quite a while. I am so thankful to this gentleman that mere words can’t cover it. He was so impressive yet humble at the same time. I’m apprehensive, but I have a feeling that finally things might go my way for once. I have wanted to give up so many times. I don’t play poker, but I have felt like a gambler saying, “deal me in,” one too many times. Maybe some version of my dreams may be coming true. I just keep driving and try not to think about it. The sky is an uncanny blue for this time of year, but there’s a storm off to the west. I can hear Waylon singing in my mind, “I don’t think Hank done it this way.”

            Life sure has a lot of sharp edges in it, but I can tell you that I wouldn’t change mine even if I could. I’m not at all sure what the future holds, and that is just fine. I’m certain I will have many more opportunities to go to meetings and say something stupid. I’m just glad I tricked 'em into letting me get this far.

            I've recorded a song and music video about my Music Row experiences called "Nashville Song". Check it out at https://youtu.be/X1CIy5T7Trc.

            Scott Coner is a country/Americana/Southern rock singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. Learn more about and and/or listen to his music at http://www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, http://www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, or http://www.ScottConer.com. Follow him at http://www.Twitter.com/ScottConerMusic.

Awareness of Snakes: More Advice for Fellow Singer-Songwriters

By Scott Coner
Country Artist

(Note from Scott: I recently released the new video "Nashville Song" to share the highs and lows of trying to make it in the music industry.)

            When I was a little boy, I used to walk the fence line with my grandpa. I had my small, steel pail with some staples and a hammer. I felt pretty important tightening the fence with him. We didn't always have a post where we needed one, so sometimes we would just grab the nearest tree. It probably wasn't like the fancy fences you might find around Lexington, Ky., but I was always proud of our work. Grandpa warned me often about walking over old tree stumps and logs carelessly. "Boy, walk around those old logs or your liable to find a copperhead," he would say.

            I have been told all my life that if you're out in the woods and smell cucumbers, you might be standing close to a copperhead snake. Those words proved true one night when a smiling music industry executive ordered extra cucumbers on his dinner salad while discussing my musical future. I should have heeded Grandpa's advice after I paid the check.

            The worst I ever came across was a black snake back in my boyhood days. I accidentally found the copperheads years later. I can only blame myself I suppose, and harboring resentment and anger only wastes my time. I have always been a hard worker and have been dedicated to whatever I put my mind to, so I assumed foolishly that everyone else was like-minded. Heck, it only made sense that people that were blessed enough to actually make a nice living in the music business would be dedicated to their craft. I am such a hayseed.

A picture my grandfather (Grandpa Coner) hoeing a field on his Kentucky farm.

            So, here is part of a hard lesson that I have learned: If you are talking to some big-time Nashville mover and shaker, be aware. They will talk in circles, usually being non-committal. I think the commonality of all of these people is that they haven't actually accomplished anything noteworthy in their entire career. They may have some gold albums hanging around their offices or even some gold cassettes, but they weren't actually involved with the project itself. They also have a fetish for nice foreign cars that they drive around town using other peoples' money. In the end, they accomplish nothing for the artist, and it may even offend them if you ask what they have been doing.

            I have had the pleasure of dealing with several of these reptiles in Nashville, one in Europe, and a few in other states. They all slither away in their BMW or Mercedes (possibly with a purple "Co-Exist" bumper sticker) as they begin to detect that they are about to be exposed, and head for the shadows. My "redneck" response would be to beat them until they can't stand up, but apparently this is frowned upon in the musical community. So, in the end, I find a way to turn the other cheek and try to get back on a reasonable path.

            I believe it is important to learn from life’s lessons, but I think it is just as important to appreciate the people that have been good and kind along the way. Throughout my “journey”, I have met countless people that have truly made all of this worth it. I have met great players, talented writers, as well as some talented engineers and producers, and one very cool publicist (my current one!). It is always good to talk with like-minded people, because if you aren’t in Nashville, people just won’t understand your passion for the industry and the music.

            As Christians, we are told to pray for discernment. We are also told to be honest and forgiving. I am honest, and I am forgiving. But, I must not be living right because this whole discernment thing seems to be completely unplugged when it comes to me. I'll just keep forging ahead though, because I love music more than I hate the business of music.

            My advice? If you smell cucumbers, either run or get a sharp shovel. And if they have one of those purple bumper stickers... Well, I'll just keep that to myself. 

(To learn more about hit country artist Scott Coner, visit www.ScottConer.com.) 

Country Artist Scott Coner Releases 'Nashville Song'

           

            NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 2015) – Hit country artist Scott Coner has released "Nashville Song", a new single and accompanying video that express the highs and lows of working in Nashville's country music industry.

            When it comes to music success, Scott has accomplished much more than the average singer-songwriter. He has recorded songs with country legends such as Charlie Daniels and T. Graham Brown -- even landing a number one hit in Britain with the Tanya Tucker duet, "Maybe She Lied". But the Indiana artist has also faced a number of disappointments, especially on the business side of the industry. His experiences (good and bad) are reflected in the heartfelt, soulful country ballad "Nashville Song".

            "I wrote 'Nashville Song' about my feelings and opinions of the music business," said Scott, who recently taped a concert in Nashville for future airing on You Tube. "In truth, the business side has been hurtful at nearly all levels. But as I have continued on, I have reminded myself that I write and play because I love doing it. I have been truly blessed to work with some great musicians. To me, the song is not about being defeated. Instead, the song is about standing strong and doing things my own way."

            To download the "Nashville Song" song and video, visit the artist's website at www.ScottConer.com, his Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, or YouTube at https://youtu.be/X1CIy5T7Trc.

            "Nashville Song", which was recorded at Nashville's Java Jive, was arranged and produced by Scott and engineer Logan Schlegal. The recording features Scott on vocals and acoustic guitar. Members of the Matthew West Band accompany him on background vocals, electric guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion.

            Scott added that the "Nashville Song" lyric is reminiscent of Alabama's "My Home's in Alabama" in the specific way the story unfolds. His wife, Cyndi, helped bring the video to life with scenes from the artist's recording session, as well as popular downtown and Music Row hangouts such as the Ryman Auditorium, Tootsie's, Hard Rock Cafe, Sony Music, Curb, and RCA Studio B. Cyndi, who oversees the Coner family's Cynnamae Media Productions, said she wanted to take viewers on a "field trip" that showed the places where Scott has experienced musical highs and lows.

 
            "The lyrics are pretty specific as far as my working with T. Graham Brown and Tanya Tucker is concerned," Scott noted. "But the chorus delivers the other side of the story. I have been in many offices around town and foolishly, I have put my trust in people who were undeserving."

            Scott's lyric gives listeners a realistic look inside the Nashville music industry. Like many singer-songwriters before him, he drove into town with a batch of original songs and a wishful heart. He later heard a lot of false promises, even outright lies from some of the professionals on Music Row. That reality is expressed loud and clear in the chorus with the line,  "If you're gonna sleep with snakes man, you better be tough."

            But any resulting hard feelings were temporary. Eventually, Scott realized that happiness and success could be found in the music itself. He sings with assurance, "Well I just kept plowing ground... I had my song and I had my sound... Nobody's gonna tell me what to do... It seems to me that if you have a plan... You stay on course and you take your stand... Every man finally gets his chance...."

            The artist hopes his fans will understand that sometimes artists need to channel their hurt, as well as their happiness, through their songs and other works of art. He has no intention of ever quitting the music business or allowing himself to become bitter. Songwriting is just as fulfilling to him now as it was when he was 15 years old.

            "As an artist, you find yourself simply wanting to concentrate on the music itself," Scott continued. "I have faith that if you believe in what you are doing, and continue down your own path, the right people will show up. I believe this because it has finally started to take place."

            A self-proclaimed family man, Scott Coner lives with his wife and two daughters on rural farmland near Franklin, Ind. He has recorded songs with a who's who of country legends including Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown, and Charlie Daniels. Scott's single "Maybe She Lied", a duet with Tucker on Reedy's Dream Records, hit number one on the United Kingdom's Hot Disk Top 40. Other songs, including "Sanibel" (a duet with Brown) and "Reedy's Dream" (with vocal and instrumental contributions from Daniels) have been heard on terrestrial and online radio stations around the world. Also an emerging author, Scott recently penned the book "Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant and Me" with Gene Odom, a survivor of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash.

            To learn more about Scott Coner or to download his songs and videos, visit www.ScottConer.com.

Scott Coner: Pursuing Music in Nashville Has Not Always Been Easy

By Scott Coner

           I suppose we all have a passion for something, and I would be lying to you if I said I haven't wished for a different one than music. It hasn't been the music itself that has caused the pain and disappointment. It has been the business side. In my world, Nashville has been the primary area I have worked out of. I have been in countless offices, far too many dinners and luncheons, and heard way too many false promises and lies to believe anything at this point.

          It's a shame to me that music is shadowed by such activity, but what doesn't have its dark side when there is money involved? I have made up my mind though, that I am happy in whatever music allows me to have. Writing and playing music for me, like so many others, gives me joy and feeds my soul in a pretty special way. Those days when a new song is written by my hand is still as fulfilling today as it was at 15 years old, and I have no no plans in quitting or allowing myself to become bitter.

          I have a new song and video being released this week called "Nashville Song". I was a little hesitant to allow anyone to hear it at first because it comes off a little self-centered, and I didn't mean for that to happen at all. I hope people will understand that sometimes we all need to channel our hurt as well as happiness in one way or another. I am a little older and hopefully wiser these days. I don't spend a lot of my time trying to write for whatever sound Nashville is looking for. I just write for me. Earlier today, I drove home from our family farm in Nancy, Ky. I walked around there and drank some coffee, thought about things a little bit. The fact is, I am what I am, and I will never change in order to fit anyone else's mold.

          I have been asked, and I am sure you have, too, "What 'brand' of music are you?" I don't know much about brands. What i know is that I grew up in a household committed to some very cool music, and we never called it anything but country. 

          (To learn more about country artist Scott Coner or to hear his music, visit www.ScottConer.com.)