Striking a balance
Singer-songwriter tries to limit the time he spends composing
Writing is a major part of Sean McConnell’s life. But it’s not everything. The folk singersongwriter strikes a balance in his life by limiting the time he spends on writing.
“I write songs almost every day,” he says in a phone interview. “There’s always a big collection of songs. When I’m ready to make an album, some sort of common thread will start to show itself.”
McConnell is touring in support of his most recent album, “Secondhand Smoke.”
McConnell is a veteran when it comes to music. His parents were both folk singers, and it rubbed off on him at an early age.
In 2000, he released his debut album on his own label when he was 15 years old.
While he was releasing his own music over the years, McConnell was also in a publishing deal with WarnerChappell, where he wrote songs for Meat Loaf, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, David Nail, Rascal Flatts, Scotty McCreery, Brothers Osborne, Eli Young Band, Brad Paisley and the Plain White T’s.
McConnell says his writing process over the years hasn’t changed much.
But he says he has learned that he’s not a perfectionist.
“I think it’s very difficult to step away and say something is done,” he says. “When it’s just me in the studio, I can pine over every detail without having to worry about studio time. But it has to come to a stopping point. I’ve learned that.”
McConnell also was at the helm of “Secondhand Smoke” as producer and engineer. He also played most of the instruments on the album.
“I enjoyed the slow process of it coming together,” he says. “Nothing was rushed, and it seemed very organic.”
McConnell has released 10 fulllength albums and three EPs over the course of his career.
As one might imagine, there are plenty of songs in his growing catalog.
On his current tour, he plays about five songs from the new album.
“Most of the set is a mixture of songs from my entire career,” he says. “It used to me more difficult to make a set. Over the years, I’ve learned to do more of my old stuff. … It’s nice to find that interesting balance of tracks. Each set encompasses my career.”
McConnell will also be opening for his show with his other band, My Sister, My Brother. The side project will release its self-titled EP on March 6.