Artist: Sean McConnell
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Latest album: Secondhand Smoke
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
I would have to say David Wilcox. When I was beginning to write songs as a kid, David was a massive influence on me as a songwriter, guitar player, and vocalist. Nobody writes a hook like David Wilcox. Heās the king. Songs like āLanguage of the Heartā and āShow the Wayā are still to this day on my desert island list.
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
One of them would have to be playing two back-to-back sold out shows at the historic Gruene Hall last year in New Braunfels, Texas. Taking the stage both nights with a thousand people singing my songs back to me was completely intoxicating. The energy was [unlike anything] Iāve never experienced before.
What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?
Literature is a big one for me. Iāve always been a big reader. I donāt read books to intentionally look for song ideas. Itās more that what Iām reading expands my worldview, opinions, spirituality, and such. That then directly affects what Iām writing songs about. That is most definitely the case with my latest record,Ā Secondhand Smoke.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
The moment I played a chord on a guitar I just knew it. That sounds like a bullshit line out of a movie, but I canāt deny that it’s true. I first learned to play on my mothers 70s Yamaha. I had a chord book and figured out the basics. From the moment I felt those chords start ringing under my fingers I was hooked. Later on I would sneak up to my parents bedroom and take my fathers Taylor 515 Jumbo from underneath the bed and that only confirmed my addiction.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
What a great question. I think Glen Hansard pairs well with a strong IPA and a basket of fish and chips.
Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins
