Lyn Koonce
Interview conducted on September 07, 2020
By Dan Locke
Singer/songwriter and instrumentalist Lyn Koonce mixes the sounds of alt-country and pop, with a hint of blues, to make music you’ll remember. With her guitar or piano as a backdrop, her voice is both powerful and comforting—and her award-winning songs follow suit.
For Lyn, a song is a conversation, and she writes lyrics that bring down your guard and lift up your spirits. Her own truth shines through every line she sings, and everyone can see themselves in her light.
What is your upbringing?
I grew up in Kinston, North Carolina with 3 older siblings and a mom and dad. I’d say we were a typical upper middle-class family. I was a happy-go-lucky kid especially if I had an instrument in my hand.
How did you discover music?
Apparently, when I was in 1st grade, I came home and informed my parents that I was going to play the violin. I think they nodded their heads and figured my desire to play was a fleeting thought – I mean, I was the 4th kid after all. I nagged them for weeks until they conceded, researched violins, and got me hooked up with the violin teacher offering lessons after school. I studied for 5 years until we moved to Rhode Island where as a pre-teen, I began to lose interest. In the meantime, I had been studying piano and later sax and French horn – I almost always had 2 instruments going.
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How did you start to write music?
I started playing guitar at 14 and taught myself chords from various songbooks. I was in chorus at school and was also taking piano lessons. It was then (probably from my early Suzuki violin days) that I discovered I could figure songs out by ear pretty easily. I began noodling around on both piano and guitar without any written music. I realized you didn’t need a lot of chords to complete songs, so I began to try to write. As a teenager, I would lie down on my bed for hours reading lyrics and liner notes from so many different musicians. I began to cultivate a love and regard for musicians who could sing, write, and play – and do all 3 really well. That’s when I decided I could actually be a songwriter although it would be years before I truly felt like a writer of songs.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
I got my first guitar when I was 14. It was the best Christmas present I ever remember getting (besides the year we got a trampoline!) It’s an Alvarez and yes, I still have it. I leave it out on a stand in my den and pick it up to play fairly often
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What is your guitar of choice? Make, model and year and does it have a name?
I have a variety of guitars, Martin to Taylor, Takamine, and Alvarez, but my favorite is my Taylor GS8. I win her at the MerleFest auction in 2010? and only paid about half the value – score! Ironically, that guitar was the exact guitar I had wanted for a few years, so I was pretty fortunate to win that day! No name, other than “Taylor baby.
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What was your first performance like?
I don’t think I can even remember. I used to run around at age 3 and 4 with a pink plastic hair brush as my one and only microphone singing to whomever would listen. Other than that, I’m sure my first performance was a violin or piano recital – there were lots of those
What makes a good songwriter?
For me, a good songwriter is one who can tell a story in simple language but blow your mind through the expressive way he or she writes it – think Bob Dylan, John Prine, Joni Mitchell. That’s about as far as you need to look to find great songwriters. When a songwriter’s lyric can stand on its own, like poetry – to me, that makes for good songwriting.
What was the title of your first original song?
“Music, Music, Music.”
Did you record it?
Absolutely not – it was horrible – I was about 13 or 14. Ha! Let’s not go there.
How was it to start running your own music school- Harmony Music School?
I took a year between high school and college and lived in Costa Rica. I did a bit of volunteer work with kids involving music. A few years later, I taught music to youth at The American International School in Mallorca, Spain during the summer. When I graduated college, I taught music in the public schools in North Carolina. Through these experiences, I saw how easy it is for some to access music lessons and how difficult it is for others based on socio-economics. I wanted to take out any financial challenges that prohibit kids from getting the chance to experience playing an instrument, so I started Harmony Music School. I modeled my school after one in Knoxville T.N. (called “The Joy of Music School”). There’s a part of me that feels like my life began when I started Harmony Music School. I don’t have children, but I love working with them. I combined my love of music and my love for teaching kids and offer free music lessons and instruments to kids who couldn’t afford it. All the teachers volunteer their time. The tagline of our school is “Teaching music, building community.” The ‘building community’ part is just as important as the teaching music!
You have opened up for the likes of Indigo Girls, Amy Speace, David Jacob Strain and Emily Scott Robinson. What did they teach you about the music world, which you would like to share with our readers?
Here’s what I always take away from any performer I admire and share the stage with – be yourself, be prepared, and perform like you would if you were with your family and friends. Allow yourself to be vulnerable, but keep the show moving. I believe that even for introspective songwriter types, you have to be able to tell a captivating story and keep the audience engaged beyond what you do musically.
Your album “Begin Again”, just got released. Tell me about it?
“Begin Again” is an album about beginnings, endings and adventures in between. While many of the songs are introspective, they (hopefully) all have an element of truth that any listener can relate to. Everyone has their own story, however, we all share this thing called “the human condition.” I believe there’s a little something for everyone on this record both musically and lyrically. I’ve made records in the past, but this is my first that I’ve worked to release with a more national perspective. I had a fantastic singer/songwriter producer and some of the best Nashville musicians who joined me on this project.
What is your favorite track on the album?
I could probably list each track as my favorite for different reasons. It’s sort of like seasons – they’re all my favorite when I’m in them.
How is music performance different now?
The very idea that we cannot safely gather into one space to listen to music and that so many people are performing alone from their home through live streaming sheds a light on how music performances have changed radically. And I’m not sure how long this will go on. I’m grateful we’ve been enduring this pandemic during warmer months where we can perform outside and have some semblance of normalcy – for some anyway.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
Sleep is the number one thing I try to get enough of touring or not. It’s amazing how much better I function after 7-8 hours of sleep versus only 5-6 hours over the course of several days in a row. I think better, write better, and am generally happier.
Digital vs. vinyl?
When CDs became the wave of the future many years ago, I embraced that technology big-time. I replaced all my vinyl with CDs and still have several of those. However, I do miss that warm sound of the needle playing my favorite records of the past. There is something about the importance of song sequencing with vinyl that you don’t have to think about with CDs or streaming. The anticipation of knowing what song is next on vinyl and how that makes you feel is unlike anything else.
What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?
I feel 2 ways about it – that 1) it’s about time and 2) what took me so long to get involved? The protests, and calls for equity and inclusion have spurred me to take more of a role in my community. Because I have been complicit in racist policies that I never thought about (haven’t we all?), I feel I am partially responsible for them. I hope I can be a part of ending unjust social practices.
What is the mental health situation of the United States? How can the public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?
I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer that – It seems the mental health of the US is all over the map these days. Many people are suffering and others are thriving. There seems to be a huge divide in how folks are functioning.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
I’m always listening to music – both current songs and songs from my past. They represent tunes with a message. For example, lately, I’ve been listening to popular protest songs from the 60s and 70s, but I’ve also been listening to songs of The Chick’s newest album, Gaslighter – all of which contain protest songs, come to think of it.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
It’s a pretty scary time right now. I’m hopeful that some small gatherings will start up in earnest next year, but recently I was on a call with several music promoters who fear that many small venues and listening rooms across the U.S. may not recover which is bad news for us musicians. However, I always remain hopeful and try to think of alternative ways I can stay busy and employed.
Since the virus happened, you did not go for your annual trip to Lyons Colorado at “Song School”. I think you like to call it your little slice of heaven. What did you do this year?
I stayed home and began to examine what it would look like to launch my album virtually!
If you go to Colorado have you had the chance to check out “The Windstar Foundation”, which was started by John Denver in Snowmass Colorado?
Yes, but I understand the foundation closed its doors several years ago
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine? I see you put up a call for teaching students over skype. How is that coming?
Yes, I’ve been able to do some teaching through Zoom. I’ve also stayed busy writing, reading, and playing (guitar and piano) – even if just for myself. I have also spent a lot of time outside this past spring and summer – paddle boarding, playing tennis, hiking etc.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
I’ve read a lot more than I used (without the guilt I used to feel if I read during the day). I find reading to be a necessary and healthy benefit for my mental wellbeing.
95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
It’s funny, but even in this “down-time” I watch very little television. When I do, I usually watch movies or documentaries.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. What are you planning to do?
I started in March, April, and May doing a lot of live streaming. I did a bunch of research on how to “put on” a good live streaming concert including lighting, banter, what equipment to use, and figuring out how long the concerts should be. I have friends who do them weekly and are very consistent. I respect that, but for me, I find that’s too much. I prefer to do them about every 2-3 weeks.
Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home? Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music, and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
I think for some, yes. Fans love to be invited ‘into the homes” of their favorite musicians and will likely pay a good deal of money for that experience, but I also think that artists are going to have to constantly reinvent themselves to garner the support from their fans on a regular basis. For me, I’m not sure what the future holds. My plans are to keep offering my music, writing, singing, and performing any way I can.
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
Right now, I think that’s the million-dollar question. It’s so hard to gauge the future. I do think there will be many smaller bands that could break up and decide to go in different directions – sad, but true. I hope I’m wrong about that.
In addition, at the present time for a band to go on tour from one state to another, they may need to self-quarantine for 14 days. How is that going to work?
I’m not sure that will work as it would require the venues putting on the show, to have to quarantine for 14 days as well and I think that would be very hard to mandate.
With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it may be the end of the music fest for the next couple of years?
Sadly, I think it could, initially – however, many festivals are going on with their plans virtually.
It would depend on many factors including whether or not a vaccine becomes available.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
Do they work? I’m up for trying it
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
On tour, writing, singing, and performing all over the world!
Anything you would like to say in closing?
I appreciate your time and questions. I hope folks will spread the word about my new album, Begin Again. If we cannot gather to listen to music, my hope is that fans will keep the performing industry of music alive by supporting artists who create it by buying their products, hiring them for virtual concerts, and becoming patrons of the arts in general. It is true what they say: we’re all in this together.
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